How can you get into Google’s Knowledge Graph?

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Google’s declared mission is to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

This includes presenting it in the most useful way.

Google’s presentation of information is constantly evolving, and over the last few years it has been making increasing use of Knowledge Panels. A Knowledge Panel is a display of rich results on the search results page. It displays a brief preview of information about the entity you are searching for.

The example below shows a search for the Royal Albert Hall. As well as getting both paid and organic search results in the left, the Knowledge Panel displays in the right with much of the information the searcher may be looking for.

For many searchers, this preview of information is sufficient to meet their needs. In fact, recent research indicates that over 50% of Google searches result in no further clicks. The information on the knowledge panel is enough and the searcher may not bother clicking through to other websites in the search listings.

But where does Google get this information from? Simple. Google’s Knowledge Graph.

In this article we take a look at:

  • What is Google’s Knowledge Graph?
  • The advantages of featuring in Google’s Knowledge Graph.
  • How can you ensure that your business features in it?

What is Google’s Knowledge Graph?

Google’s Knowledge Graph is a database that constantly gathers information about entities and the relationships between them from various sources on the internet. Entities comprise not only clearly identifiable individuals, businesses, organisations and places, but also less tangible aspects such as concepts and feelings, and descriptors such as colour, shape and size.


By doing this, Google’s Knowledge Graph is empowering Google to become a knowledge engine rather than just an information engine. A powerful knowledge engine that can process search intent effectively and make intelligent connections between search results.


The information gathered by Google’s Knowledge Graph comes from various sources. There are information and factual sources from websites such as Wikipedia, Wikidata, and the CIA World Factbook. But there is also a lot of data from search queries and keywords being used on the internet.

The screenshot on the right shows the Knowledge Panel for US President Joe Biden. It gives a brief overview of his life and political career, significant others and also links to his various social profiles and channels.



Also notice that at the bottom of the Knowledge Panel, there are also links to other individuals. These are entities with whom the Knowledge Graph has established a connection with Joe Biden. They are shown as being of possible interest to the searcher.

Why should you be in Google’s Knowledge Graph?

Four of the main advantages of featuring in Google’s Knowledge Graph are:

  • Your information will be displayed in the Knowledge Panel

Given that many searchers do not now click through to other websites in search listings once they have viewed the Knowledge Panel, it is increasingly important to ensure that your business features in Google’s Knowledge Graph so that your information will be displayed. 

This will give users easy access to all your business information in one place, and enable them to find out what they need to know about you. It also helps to establish your brand as one that has authority and trust.

  • Your website traffic will increase

You are far more likely to receive those elusive click throughs if your business is displayed in a Knowledge Panel. The consumer has enough information to get them engaged and interested, and if they need to know more they will then visit your website, boosting your traffic. They may also check out some of your social media activity.

And because the Knowledge Graph helps Google to establish connections between different entities, your logo may also appear on other related Knowledge Panels, driving traffic to your website.

  • You will pick up more voice search results

Voice search continues to evolve at pace. An estimated 30% of web browsing sessions are now screenless, and 27% of the online global population is now using voice search on mobile. 

There is a strong correlation between voice search results and traditional search results. Most voice search results – around 75% – will rank in the top 3 positions for a particular question on a desktop search.

But the interesting thing about voice search is that around 70% of it uses natural or conversational language. So Google increasingly needs to make sense of voice queries. The Knowledge Graph helps with this by enabling Google to recognise entities in natural language voice queries just as much as typed search queries. So if you are in the Knowledge Graph you are more likely to appear in voice search results, and also boost your desktop search ratings.

  • You will improve your UX

By appearing in The Knowledge Panel you are also able to offer users your full range of online services from there. For example, submitting orders and making purchases. Consumers will also be able to see reviews and ratings to help them in their purchase decisions. 

This means that you have the equivalent of full website functionality displayed in the Knowledge Panel, making it easy for consumers to interact and transact with you.

 

There are four key things that you can do to feature in Google’s Knowledge Graph:

How can you get into Google’s knowledge graph?

  • Optimise and structure your website for the Knowledge Graph

You need to do all that you can to help Google understand exactly what a web page is about, so that it can accurately assess its relevance to a search query. You need to focus on content and structure.

Content should be uploaded regularly so that there is always something fresh. It needs to be high quality and aimed primarily at human readers, but also needs to contain keywords to signify its meaning to Google. As well as in the content itself, those same keywords need to feature in the headline, meta description and meta tags.

Structure is also important. Use Organization Schema markup on your site and include information about your name, logo, url and contact details. Also include the sameAs feature to link to your social profiles.

  • Set up a Wikidata entry and Wikipedia page

A lot of information in Google’s Knowledge Graph is sourced from Wikidata. So set one up if you don’t already have one. Data entered into Wikidata is stored in a structured way for use in Wikipedia. You also need a Wikipedia page about your business. 

Both Wikidata and Wikipedia have various rules to comply with, including their notability policies which state standards for editors to adhere to. It is definitely worth checking through these policies to ensure that you don’t inadvertently have any problems with your entries.


  • Set up Google My Business and Google Maps

Another essential listing is Google My Business. This should include a detailed description of your business, products and services as well as address, contact details, and your website. Also make sure that your location is listed on Google Maps, particularly if you are a local business.

All this information will be reflected in the Knowledge Panel, and help consumers to find out more about you.

  • Be visible online

Being talked about on the internet will help to get you into Google’s Knowledge Graph. You need to work hard on building links, amassing positive reviews, and also ensure that you have a solid social media presence. One of the key sections in the Knowledge Panel consists of links to social media profiles, so verified and active social media accounts are a must.

If you can work on all the above, you stand a greater chance of becoming part of Google’s Knowledge Graph, featuring on Knowledge Panels, driving more traffic to your site, and growing your business.