Google is encouraging entities who appear in Knowledge Panels to become verified and claim their panel. Once verified, owners can suggest a featured image as well as edits to the information presented.
“Individuals and organizations with Knowledge Panels can use our verification process to claim their panels and provide authoritative feedback on the information and images presented.”
https://www.blog.google/products/search/get-verified-manage-your-presence-google/
The Knowledge Panel appears on the right hand side in Google search results. It contains an overview of information related to an entity, whether an organization, company or an individual. It displays images, as well as useful information, which for businesses can include location, opening hours and contacts.
Google is now extending verification elibigility to more entities and updating the process for an entity to claim their panel.
To become verified, click on the prompt below the Knowledge Panel, and then sign into your official account on YouTube, Twitter, Google+ or Search Console.
Image source: Google
Some information in the Knowledge Panel can’t be changed, for example:
- Subtitle
- Wikipedia snippet
- Images other than the main image
- People also search for section
Google help has more details on suggesting changes in your Knowledge Panel and also on how the search engine reviews your requests.
Not everyone will have a Knowledge Panel. Google says whether a business appears in one is determined by a number of factors:
"Like search results, whether a business’s information will appear in the Knowledge Panel is determined by a variety of factors. Relevance, distance and the prominence of the business all contribute to its standing in local search results. Verifying a business does not guarantee that it will appear in the Knowledge Panel."
If your business does appear in a Knowledge Panel it makes sense to go through the verification process. It’s another chance to influence how your brand appears in the results, as well as to make sure the information presented is relevant and accurate.
