Knowledge Graph


The term “Knowledge Graph” refers to prepared and compiled search results on certain topics and entities such as people or areas in the Google search and Facebook. Both companies differ, however, in the complexity and nature of their knowledge graph. The knowledge graph can be interpreted as another step on the way to a semantic search.

The Google Knowledge Graph

With the Knowledge Graph, Google introduced a system in May 2012 that cumulatively aggregates facts about people, places and facts and graphically summarizes them in a separate area of ​​SERPs. With the Hummingbird update, Google has also expanded the functionality of the Knowledge Graph, which , since then, can now also be used for comparisons.

Google uses a separate algorithm for the presentation of results, which scans the index of search engines for structured data and then issues it with certain search requests on “important persons, places, or things” “[1]according to Google. Information from Wikipedia is often used for places or celebrities.

The Knowledge Graph can be used on any device, in other words on PCs and mobile devices such as tablets or smartphones. The following are the characteristics of the Knowledge Graph:

Carousel Display

Google can provide more information on series with a carousel.

If you click an image within the carousel, a new Google search page for that term will be displayed.

Separate result box

Google accumulates information and structured data on the search term from different sources such as Wikipedia and arranges newly and comprehensibly for example at the top right hand side of the page. This result box is not directly comparable with the Google OneBox, because Google only uses its own data from Google Maps and Google My Business.

Comparisons in the result box

With the introduction of the Hummingbird update, Google has expanded the functionality of the Knowledge Graph, so that now it is possible to compare different entities such as buildings, foods or planets.

Google Answer Box

The Google Knowledge Graph has found its own expression in the Answer Box. This box was introduced by Google in 2015. It provides users with practical answers to questions about definitions or phenomena.

The Google Knowledge Graph and consequences for SEO and SEA

Having introduced the Knowledge Graph, Google strengthened its position as an “information supplier.” So, if you’re doing a superficial search and you’re looking for a short answer to a question about a poet or a thinker, then you do not have to leave Google search. The consequence for information websites could therefore be great traffic loss. If these sites are also used for affiliate marketing or display advertising, lower click rates for ads can be expected.

There is no longer possible optimization potential for places, artists or some facts for single keywords or two-word queries as a result of the knowledge graph, but more so in the longtail area. SEOs therefore more than ever have to anticipate what users are looking for and how they search for it.

With the Google Answer Box, webmasters today have the ability to be ranked first in SERPs, even though the page does not rank among the top 5 in organic results. In this way, the Knowledge Graph enables you to generate reach and reputation for your own website. However, a display in the Answer Box is no guarantee. The Google algorithm uses its own criteria to determine which text elements or markup it uses to answer questions.

How the knowledge graph works with Facebook

The social network Facebook has had its own knowledge graph since 2013, which is named Entity Graph or Facebook Graph Search on Facebook. To this end, Facebook uses the community pages introduced in 2010. Like Google, Facebook is using external and its own sources for data compilation. The data for the Entity Graph is primarily obtained from Wikipedia.

The Facebook knowledge graph is shown when you are using the internal Facebook search and are logged in. Additional results from the network are added to the searched item, location or person on the overview page.

If you are searching for “Leonardo da Vinci,” for example, you will get additional information on the nationality or the profession of the person sought. If you click on one of the results, you will land on another community page or related group.

The prerequisites for an Entity Graph being shown is that the community page suitable for the request was not claimed. Likewise, official fan pages or company pages are not linked to the Facebook knowledge graph.

Consequences of the Facebook Entity Graph

Similar to Google’s Knowledge Graph, the Facebook Entity Graph can lead to more users using Facebook only to get information. Again, there is a risk that pure information sites on the Internet will lose traffic if more than a billion Facebook users only access the information offered by the social network.

References

  1. The Knowledge Graph google.com. Accessed on 09/26/2017

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