What’s Google Knowledge Graph?

In this post, we’ll explain what’s Google Knowledge Graph. This was one of the aspects that had the most impact in the configuration of Google searches in 2017. It was loved by some users and hated by the majority of SEO users.

It’s a knowledge base that Google obtains from different sources that it considers authorized (Wikipedia, Freebase...). In short, it’s information related to:

• People: We’re not necessarily speaking about celebrities, but individuals from whom you can find enough information about and who are related to others.

• Events: If we look for a specific event, we will also find related results.

• Places: If we search “Barcelona”, Knowledge Graph will return related information: historical data, weather, population...  But you will also see there are businesses because it links hotels, sporting events or concerts to the city.

It is interesting to see how Knowledge Graph can handle some ambiguity and interprets that, perhaps, we were also looking for information about FC Barcelona, which many users refer to simply as Barcelona. To the right, under Wikipedia results, you can access a travel guide also made by Google.

The most interesting thing is that this database is not a simple collection of indexed content associated with one keyword shown when we search something. This content is linked beyond a semantic level as it is able to establish a link between entities that at first glance wouldn’t seem to be related.

Also, we see an evolution that goes beyond specific entities, since it also returns information associated with questions or subjective data. Look what happens if we ask Google about the Game of Thrones cast or what to see in Barcelona.

Super, it shows all those cards moving the SERP a handful of pixels down. And this, in terms of mobile searches, is already scandalous as you can see here.

Google’s intention is organizing information logically so the user can navigate the web in a usable way. At least on paper.

What sounds so well, what has you so entertained jumping from result to result, navigating the web... Ultimately, makes you visit travel guides, booking hotels, tickets etc.

First of all, all that visual information with photos and maps buries organic results generating internal traffic.

What’s the point of being first if, above you, there’s a carousel, news, travel guides, related questions, outstanding fragments, lyrics, YouTube videos and all the information from Wikipedia summarized to the right of the results?

It’s easy to assume that someone who has been struggling for years to get his blog about tourism in Barcelona to a relevant position has taken a huge blow in the form of dropping traffic.

There’s a very simple way to appear in the knowledge graph, at least for branded searches.

I’m sure you know Google My Business, right? It’s a Google service that allows us to register a company and all its information (in fact, every time it allows more information): photos, location, business hours, reviews...

This is the basic recommendation: Work hard on the tab, keep it updated and fill all the fields you can to get the most out of Knowledge Graph through Google My Business.

Take a look at this example about the Atico restaurant in Madrid. Obviously, as its name is “atico”, Spanish for attic, it has it quite hard, because that’s a common word with a very specific meaning. Of course, adding the keyword “restaurant” in front of the brand, we will be able to see a tab with lots of relevant information. This is especially important because, as you can see, your website appears below the vertical portal “El Tenedor”.

For other types of searches, honestly, it’s not so simple. You would need to have a page with great authority, value content, active social networks, use structured data and, if possible, a Wikipedia page.

All this is important because, even if you don’t appear on Knowledge Graph after this, it isn’t a waste of time. It’s good for your page, your users, and your rankings. It can also lead you to have that juicy 0 position through a rich snippet.