I earned a knowledge panel on Google!
Many in SEO consider this a “feather in the cap.” At least it shows that you are prominent enough for the feature. It never hurts when we achieve what we’ll help others do as well.
The main benefit is a clear description of your company or personal brand at the top of search results. However, those outside of SEO are unlikely to see this as special.
Nonetheless, there’s a definite path toward getting a knowledge panel, for both people & businesses.
First, you can never create it. Knowledge panels are generated automatically by Google from authoritative data sources.
Many focus on what they control, adding Person or Organization schema on their own site. This hopefully clarifies to Google their status as a worthy entity. This is the wrong approach.
You must confirm your identity, externally, in a big way.
Google pays attention to major sites presenting bio & summary info. Wikipedia is by far the most common. In music though, it’s often SoundCloud.
There’s no easy way to get these references or make them exceptional. Wikipedia has very high standards. This process requires another discussion.
I earned my panel when I became a contributor on Search Engine Land. This is a major publication in SEO. It makes sense that it took a great effort to enable it.
However, I’ve seen other contributors not earn a panel. Additional factors are needed once you become notable:
- Have longtime social media profiles on major sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X) & LinkedIn. This further confirms your identity.
- Be published widely across sites in your field.
- For individuals, consider having additional profiles on sites like Gravatar, About.me & SpeakerHub. This especially helps when you share your name with others that have earned some reputation too.
- Have an About page on your own site. If you rank among the best on your industry, Google may even pull the panel description from it.
- Having your own site certainly helps! This allows you to connect references with your site as the center of a wheel, with backlinks representing the spokes across the wheel of the internet. The connectedness of sources helps search engines confirm public entities.
After getting your knowledge panel, you can then claim it directly in search results with a verified Google account. This allows you to submit feedback & suggest edits, even provide new images.
As Google continues to evolve with AI & other sweeping changes, I suspect far more knowledge panels will be created, which you’ll get yourself then claim… so long as you take these steps!