What Is a Knowledge Panel?
A knowledge panel is an information box that appears on the right-hand side of Google search results, typically when someone searches for a named entity such as a well-known business, a public figure, a brand, an organisation, or a location.
It provides a consolidated factual summary without requiring the user to click through to any specific website. On mobile, knowledge panels appear above organic search results rather than to the side.
The content in a knowledge panel is assembled by Google from multiple sources: the Knowledge Graph (Google's own database of entities and their relationships), the Google Business Profile for local businesses, Wikipedia and Wikidata, official social media profiles, structured data markup on the entity's own website, and third-party data providers.
Google decides what information to show based on what it considers most reliable and useful for the querying user.
A typical knowledge panel for a South African business might show the business name, logo, address, phone number, website link, star rating and review count from Google Business Profile, opening hours, a brief description sourced from the web, and links to the business's social media profiles.
For a public figure it might show a photo, birth date, a short bio drawn from Wikipedia, notable works, and links to associated entities. For a place it might show an image, map location, Wikipedia summary, and notable facts.
From an SEO and entity SEO perspective, having a knowledge panel is a strong signal of brand authority and entity recognition. It means Google has identified your business as a distinct, trustworthy entity in its Knowledge Graph.
Knowledge panels also improve visibility for AI-powered search features: Google's AI Overviews and other AI answer engines draw on the same entity data, meaning a strong Knowledge Graph presence can improve how your brand is described and cited in AI-generated responses.
Knowledge panels are not guaranteed for every business. They are more likely for entities that have significant online presence, consistent name-address-phone (NAP) data across the web, a verified Google Business Profile, Wikidata or Wikipedia entries, and Organisation or LocalBusiness structured data on their website.
Businesses in competitive categories and well-known South African cities are more likely to receive panels than newly established entities with minimal web presence.
Knowledge Panel In Practice
The two scenarios below are illustrative examples, not Juicy Designs client results. The timelines indicate the scale of effect that knowledge panel and entity signal work typically produces, so treat them as indicative rather than measured.
Picture a Pretoria-based law firm that has traded for twelve years but has no knowledge panel, and decides to audit its entity signals. It might find its name appearing inconsistently across directories: sometimes abbreviated, sometimes with "Incorporated" and sometimes without.
The firm would update its Google Business Profile with complete, accurate information, add Organisation structured data to its website, create a Wikidata entry, and ensure its name matches exactly across Yellosa, BusinessListings.co.za, and legal directories. Within something in the region of three months, a knowledge panel could plausibly appear for branded searches.
Consider a Johannesburg restaurant group with several branches that notices only its flagship location has a knowledge panel, despite all branches having Google Business Profiles. An investigation would typically reveal that the secondary branches have inconsistent trading names and categories across their profiles. After standardising these and adding structured data to the individual branch pages, panels might appear for all locations within the following quarter.
Knowledge panels are also becoming important for AI search. When tools like Perplexity AI or Google's AI Overviews generate answers about a business or person, they draw on the same entity data that populates knowledge panels. Investing in entity signals therefore pays dividends in both traditional search and AI-generated search responses.
What appears in a knowledge panel
A knowledge panel is the information box Google shows, usually to the right of results on desktop, when it recognises a search as being about a known entity, a business, person, organisation or thing. For a business it can display the name, logo, description, website, contact details, social profiles, reviews and related facts, drawn from Google's Knowledge Graph rather than from any single page. It differs from a Business Profile panel, which is tied to a physical location and managed in Google Business Profile; a knowledge panel reflects Google's understanding of the entity itself. Its contents are assembled by Google from sources across the web it deems authoritative, which is why influencing it is indirect.
How to influence your knowledge panel
You cannot simply create a knowledge panel; Google generates one when it recognises and trusts an entity, so earning one is about establishing that recognition. The levers are the same as entity SEO: complete and consistent structured data on your own site, consistent information across the web, and a presence in authoritative references such as Wikidata and reputable directories that Google draws on. Getting the underlying facts right and consistent across these sources improves both whether a panel appears and its accuracy. If a panel exists and you can verify you represent the entity, Google lets you suggest corrections, but the panel's content ultimately reflects Google's synthesis of trusted sources, not a page you control.
FAQ
How does a South African business get a Google knowledge panel?
Build entity signals across the web: claim and fully complete your Google Business Profile, add Organisation and LocalBusiness structured data to your website, earn consistent mentions with your correct name and address on reputable South African directories like Yellosa and BusinessListings.co.za, and get referenced in Wikipedia or Wikidata if applicable.
Google aggregates these signals to create and populate a knowledge panel.
Can I edit or update my Google knowledge panel?
Yes. Google allows entity owners to suggest edits to their knowledge panel by clicking Suggest an edit. To claim ownership, you verify the entity through your associated Google account. Verified owners can suggest changes to descriptions, contact details, images, and social profiles, though Google has final say on what it displays.
What is the difference between a knowledge panel and a Business Profile?
A Business Profile panel is tied to a physical business location and managed directly in Google Business Profile. A knowledge panel reflects Google's understanding of an entity, a brand, person or organisation, assembled from across the web via the Knowledge Graph, and is influenced indirectly rather than edited directly.
Why do some businesses not have a knowledge panel?
Because Google only generates one when it recognises and trusts an entity from consistent, authoritative information across the web. Businesses without an established, corroborated presence, consistent details, references, structured data, may not be recognised as a distinct entity, so no panel appears.