One of the items WordPlay T. Jay is asked about most is the Google Knowledge Panel — what is it, why is it, and how can I make it the best it can be?
Google Knowledge Panels show up on the right side of the desktop screen during a Google search. It’s a compact, quick-delivery vehicle for basic information about any person, place or thing.
Because of how the information is collected, users do not actually have much of any control over what appears in a Knowledge Panel. The only way to affect what appears in the panel is to input metadata on all platforms that have anything to do with you.
T. Jay’s knowledge panel has information like his name, who he is (an American musician), some biographical information, links to his Spotify and social media pages, and more.
These items are all there because T. Jay has aligned his social media pages, and his website, and gets organic traffic to those locations, which Google then recognized as true information and uses for the Panel.
To perfect your panel, there are four things you can do:
1. Add metadata to everything. Metadata is background information that allows Google to recognize information and use it effectively. Music category, song name, album title, ISRC code, etc. are all metadata information that helps let Google track you and build your Panel. A good tool to use to manage this is MusicBrainz. You should also use Spotify for artists, Apple Music for Artists or Next Big Sound or Amp on Pandora to put data in the background of wherever your name is found.
2. Make sure you are identified consistently on all platforms. It may go without saying, but if your name is spelled multiple ways or goes back and forth between punctuated and not punctuated, those things make it harder for Google to recognize you. Stick to one spelling, punctuation and spacing across all platforms.
3. Put out more music. The more you have out there, the more Google will have to pull from and index into your Knowledge Panel.
4. Promote your music! It doesn’t make sense to put out music and then not tell anyone about it — SO SHOUT YOURSELF OUT! Use Facebook ads or Pandora Amp, or do a vlog. Even things as simple to sharing to your social media pages can make a big difference.
Finally, there’s a bonus tip when it comes to Knowledge Panels — be patient. It’s a waiting game that relies on multiple searches, page visits and aggregation of data by Google. And, if you’re not doing all the things in the background to help Google along, it will take even longer.
For more advice about Knowledge Panels, check out the video below.