Knowledge Panel
Knowledge panels are information boxes that appear on Google SERP when you search for entities (people, places, organizations, things) that are in the Knowledge Graph 1.
A knowledge panel in the Google SERP appears on the right of search results on a desktop.
Google shows a knowledge panel for an entity 2 it understands very well.
You can claim a knowledge panel if it is about you or an entity you control or represent. Claiming means you have to verify to Google that it is you or that you legally represent the entity.
The Role of Knowledge Panels in KGO
A knowledge panel is often the first sign of Google understanding an entity. The goal of knowledge panel optimization is to control the information in the panel.
Google displays different templates of panels for different types of entities 3. For example, for a corporation, the panel shows properties 4 such as founders, headquarters, and CEO. For a person, the panel shows an "About" section with the profession, the home page, and parents or children.
Knowledge Panels for Organizations
Knowledge Panels for corporations are different from the "Google My Business" panels. Both panels appear in the right column.
Google My Business Panels show information for businesses that has been entered by the business or has been gathered through biz directories, and map searches. It is the same information that is shown in Google Maps.
In contrast, a Knowledge Panel for an organization must be earned through notable activity on the web and proper optimization for the knowledge graph.
Presumably, there are different databases for the Knowledge Graph and the "My Business" information. A "Google My Business" entry can be requested with a Google account.
Knowledge Panel vs Knowledge Cards
Knowledge panels are always in the right column of the SERP. Yet knowledge cards span across both columns of the SERP. In most cases, the knowledge cards are above the knowledge panel and present visual information such as images.
It is highly desired to trigger knowledge cards because they dominate the SERP for the entity.
Footnotes
A knowledge graph is a graph that expresses knowledge in its simplest form.↩
An entity is a "thing" that is well-defined and has an identity. For example, a person, a location, a concept, or an event can be entities in a knowledge graph.↩
An entity type describes a class of entities with the same set of properties. For example, a person has a name and a birthday.↩
A property is a specific attribute of an entity. A property describes an entity by its value.↩