Get Google Knowledge Panel | Increase Brand & Business Visibility

What is Google Knowledge Panel?

Google Knowledge Panels are the information box that appears immediately at the top of the Google’s search engine result page (SERP), they contain useful information relevant to the entities (people, places, organizations, things) that you are searching for.

These panels helps businesses to increase visibility on the internet and provides engagement opportunities with search engine users.

In a world where everyone is overloaded with information, most people will not spend the time to fully understand your business and offering. A knowledge panel resolves this issue by offering a quick snapshot of information to the search topic, and that is an opportunity for businesses.

There are two types of Google Knowledge Panel

Brand/Personal Panel

Brand Panels are generated by Google based on the available information. For these panels to be generated, the brand or person must have enough authority and clout for Google to recognize. As such, having a Brand Panel for your brand is a sign that you’ve made it.

You cannot apply for a Brand Panel, and the information displayed are managed by Google.

Local Panel

Local Panels are designed to give businesses local presence. The information in the panels are managed by the business through a Google Business Profile account. Useful information such as the business address, contact information, and reviews, are displayed.

You can apply for a Local Panel, and the information displayed will be managed by you.

“Creating” a Google Knowledge Panel

I want to stress that we are unable to create a Google Knowledge Panel.

Google draws available information from the internet to form these Knowledge Panels as a form of value-added service to its users based on their search query.

Hence, we cannot simply create a Google Knowledge Panel.

Creating a Google Business Profile is an effective way to feed Google information about your business and get Google to generate a Knowledge Panel for your business.

Create Google Business Profile

As the Google Business Profile is tied to a Google account, I strongly recommend creating a separate Google account from your personal one for your business.

Once you are logged in to your Google account, you can access your Google Business Profile from the top right via the drop down on Google or via the button below.

create your google business profile

Follow Google’s prompts to set up your business profile.

The primary information to provide are:

Business Name
Business Category
Business Location
Contact Information

And supplementary information includes:

Opening Date
Opening Hours
Business Description
Products / Services
Photos

Populate Google with as much information as possible to increase the probability of Google displaying your business Knowledge Panel.

Verifying your Google Business Profile

Google will eventually prompt you to verify your business while you are setting up your business profile.

This is the most important step in setting up your Google Business Profile as Google will only show verified businesses on their search engine.

You can verify your business via:

Digital means

Through your associated mobile number or email to receive a verification text, email, or call. Verification can be done instantly through digital means.

Postcard

Google will mail a postcard to the mailing address you entered. There will be a verification code on the postcard for you to verify your Google Business. It will take an average of 7-10 working days for the postcard to reach you.

Try googling your business name to see if your business’ knowledge panel is shown after you finish setting up your Google Business Profile.

Give it a couple of days if it is not showing up, as Google may need some time to process new information.

Get your existing customers to leave a review on your Google Business Profile as reviews heavily influence Google’s algorithm to display your profile.

Also, there will always be a certain amount of Google Ads credit for you to claim. So you could consider running some Ads, but know that it will never be free. The terms and conditions usually dictates a certain amount of expenditure before you can claim the Google Ads credit.

FAQ

How long does it take to get a knowledge panel?

This varies according to the verification method you used. Google may also take additional time to review your business profile after verification. Based on my experience, your Google Business Knowledge Panel should be live on Google Search Engine upon verification.

Why is my knowledge panel not showing up?

Insufficient Information. Ensure that you are feeding Google enough information in your business profile. Google is unlikely to show your knowledge panel to users without enough information. While not proven, I have found that a website or contact information is essential for Google to even consider showing your knowledge panel. Put yourself in the user’s shoes, what good comes from discovering a knowledge panel without contact information or a website to learn more about the business?

Competitive Keyword. If the name of your business is a common keyword, the chances of your knowledge panel showing up is close to zero.

E.g. Your business name is “Phone Shop” and you sell phones.

Unless you are one of the biggest player in your local market, your knowledge panel will not show up. This is because the search engine is flooded with information revolving around the keyword “phone shop”, and those existing information provides tons of value. So Google sets a very high benchmark for these businesses’ knowledge panel to show up, due to the common keyword in their names.

How to update google knowledge panel?

You can access your Google Business Profile to make changes to your knowledge panel such as your opening hours. Similarly, you can post updates to your knowledge panel via Google Business Profile much like how you post an update to your social media.

Alternatively, you can suggest edits to your own knowledge panel from the SERP.

How do I make my business show on Google Maps?

Creating the Business Profile places your business on the map. Ensure that enough information is fed to Google, especially the location or address of your business.

Populating your Business Profile with as much information as possible will increase the likelihood of your business showing on Google Maps. Make sure the information provided are correct and provide photos if possible, as Google states that businesses with photos gets more visibility.

It helps if you have a website to insert in your business profile. Make sure that the same address used for your Google business profile is clearly shown on your website as well.

Will people stop visiting my website if they can find the information they need from my business knowledge panel?

This is an interesting question with ongoing debates from digital marketers alike.

It is true that people may not visit your website if they are able to find sufficient answers or information from your knowledge panel. So having a google knowledge panel might actually reduce the traffic to your website, which is a bad thing as you want more clicks into your website to improve your website’s ranking on Google.

My opinion – I am totally fine with losing web traffic in the above scenario. The objective of the search engine is to provide the best experience to its users, and this means presenting the answers with the least amount of clicks effort from the users. If the user is able to get the answer or information they desire without clicking into a website, the user would feel more inclined to utilize the search engine in the future for its efficiency.

You could always provide information enticing enough to arouse desire to learn more by clicking into the website, but not enough for them to feel satisfied and leave.

How much does a Google knowledge panel cost?

It cost you nothing to have a Google knowledge panel! If you look at the steps above to create a knowledge panel for your business, you would notice that none of the steps requires you to make any form of payment.

Can I pay for Google Reviews?

I strongly advise against paying for Google Reviews as it is illegal to do so and Google can fine your business for it. Fines can go up to $10,000.

Google have their own automated detection system to identify illegitimate reviews.

As such, I would recommend you to approach your existing or past customers to leave a review. Providing them an incentive to leave a review is okay as they have used your products or services in reality.