What Is a Google Knowledge Panel?
A knowledge panel is the information box Google shows when someone searches for a person, organization, place or thing that is in Google's Knowledge Graph.
Google describes panels as “information boxes that appear on Google when you search for entities (people, places, organizations, things) that are in the Knowledge Graph”, says they are “automatically generated”, and says their information “comes from various sources across the web”, sometimes combined with data from partners on topics like movies or music (About knowledge panels). Claiming a panel means proving to Google that you are the subject or an official representative of the entity, so that your suggested changes are prioritised. It gives you no editing rights.
Google is direct about where panels come from: they “are created automatically by Google Search Algorithm when there is enough information available on the open web” (How Google's Knowledge Graph works). There is no application form. If you do not have a panel yet, this guide does not apply; read how an entity gets into Google's Knowledge Graph and whether a knowledge panel requires media coverage instead. For background on what the panel shows, see our introduction to the Google knowledge panel.
How to Claim a Google Knowledge Panel at a Glance
| Step | Action | Expected result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Confirm a knowledge panel already shows, and that it is not a Business Profile | A panel for the right entity, with a claim option or a Feedback link |
| 2 | Get control of an official profile Google lists: YouTube, Search Console, Twitter or Facebook | You can sign in to that profile with the Google Account you will use |
| 3 | Click “Claim this knowledge panel” and review the information | Google shows the official sites or profiles you can verify with |
| 4 | Sign in to one of the listed sites or profiles to verify | Your Google Account is verified to represent the panel |
| 5 | Add colleagues or your agency as users with the right permission level | Owner, managers and contributors listed on the contributions page |
| 6 | Suggest edits, one item at a time, with public supporting URLs | A confirmation email, then a resolution email |
| 7 | Correct descriptions at their source, and use public Feedback if the panel is not claimable | The panel updates as the source changes, or Google reviews the feedback |
Time: under an hour to claim if you already control one of the listed profiles (our estimate); Google says verified feedback is reviewed “within a few days”. Tools: a browser, a Google Account, and access to the official website's Search Console property, YouTube channel or listed social profile. Cost: Google's help describes no fee. Skill level: beginner.
What You Need Before Starting
- A knowledge panel that already shows in Google Search for the person or company.
- A Google Account the person or organization will keep. Google says verified suggestions must be sent while signed in to “the Google Account that you used to verify your identity” (Google).
- For a company: owner access to the official website in Search Console, or the company's YouTube channel or listed social account.
- For a person: sign-in access to a YouTube channel or social profile that Google links to you, or to your own site in Search Console.
- Web & App Activity turned on for that account, which Google lists as a check before sending verified feedback.
- Public, linkable evidence for every fact you want changed: an official About page, a press release, a regulatory filing, published coverage.
Step 1: Confirm a Knowledge Panel Exists and Is the Right Type
Search Google for the exact name of the person or company and check that a knowledge panel appears for the right entity. Everything that follows depends on this.
Why: Google says panels appear automatically “when information is highly relevant to a user's query”, and that its systems decide “when, where and how” a query shows one (Google). Try variations: full legal name, brand name, name plus job title or city.
Check the type. A local business may be looking at a Business Profile, not a knowledge panel. Google says the two “look similar”, but Business Profiles are “specific to businesses that serve customers at a particular location or within a designated service area” and are claimed through Google Business Profile (Get verified on Google). This guide covers knowledge panels only.
Expected result: a panel for your entity. How to verify: the name, photo and facts are clearly about you, not someone with a similar name. Common mistake: starting the claim on a panel that mixes your details with another entity's. Google lists that as a reason to contact support instead (see Common Problems and Fixes); our explainer on fixing entity confusion between similar companies covers the causes.
Step 2: Get Control of an Official Profile Google Lists
Secure sign-in access to at least one of the official sites or profiles Google uses for verification before you click anything. As of October 6, 2026, the Get verified on Google page lists four:
| Verification route | What you need | Notes from Google's documentation |
|---|---|---|
| Search Console | Owner access to the entity's official website as a Search Console property | If you get an associated-account error, Google suggests adding the official website to Search Console and adding a site owner |
| YouTube | The channel associated with the person or company | “Each YouTube channel can only have one owner. Only the current owner can transfer ownership to a new owner.” |
| The account associated with the entity | Google still names “Twitter”; the page does not mention X, so the current behaviour is unconfirmed | |
| The page or profile associated with the entity | Google says it stores the association when you verify with Twitter or Facebook |
Search Console details: you add the website as a property and verify it (Add a website property, Verify your site ownership). Search Console has verified owners and delegated owners, and Google says both have the same permissions; an existing owner can add you without a new verification token (Managing owners, users, and permissions).
Expected result: you can sign in to the profile with the Google Account you will use to claim. How to verify: open the profile or Search Console property while signed in to that account. Common mistake: verifying with a profile Google does not associate with the entity. Google's steps offer only the official sites or profiles it lists for the panel; if your website is missing from the panel, fix that first (see Step 7).
Step 3: Click “Claim this knowledge panel”
Sign in to your Google Account, search for yourself or the entity you represent, and click “Claim this knowledge panel”. Google's steps say the option is at the bottom of the panel and may be in the “About” section; on a mobile device you tap the Menu and then “Claim this knowledge panel” (Get verified on Google).
Why: this is the only documented entry point to verification. If the option is missing: Google says “Not all knowledge panels are claimable as of now” and advises you to “check periodically”. In the meantime it directs you to the Feedback link to update, correct or remove information.
Expected result: Google asks you to review the information and shows the official sites or profiles you can sign in to. How to verify: the list names a profile you control. Common mistake: claiming from a personal Google Account for a company panel. Use an account the organization can keep, then add others in Step 5.
Step 4: Verify by Signing In to an Official Profile
Select one of the listed official sites or profiles and sign in to it. That sign-in is the verification: Google checks that the account you are using controls a presence it already associates with the entity.
If no profile is listed: Google says that if it “can't identify any sites associated with the person, you'll be prompted to provide more information to help us verify you”. The help page does not specify what that information is, so follow the prompts shown.
Expected result: your account is verified to represent the panel. How to verify: when signed in, a “Suggest edits” option appears at the top of the panel (Submit feedback on content about you), and your account appears at google.com/search/contributions/manage. Common mistake: an “associated account” error because you signed in to the profile with a different Google Account. Google says to make sure you are using “the correct Google Account associated with the site or profile”.
Step 5: Add Users and Set Permissions
Add the colleagues or agency who will manage the panel as authorized representatives, so access does not depend on one person's account. Google's process: go to google.com/search/contributions/manage, under “Add people to this account” click “Start now”, click “Add new user”, enter their Google email address, choose whether they get manager permissions with the toggle, and click “Invite” (Get verified on Google).
| Role | What Google says it can do |
|---|---|
| Owner | “The primary user on the account, and has the same permissions as managers.” Only the owner sees “Transfer ownership” |
| Manager | “Can suggest changes to the knowledge panel, and add or remove users.” |
| Contributor | “Can suggest changes to the knowledge panel.” |
Number of account actions Google Knowledge Panel Help assigns to each role, October 2026
Source: Google Knowledge Panel Help, Get verified on Google.
Counts the permissions named on the help page: managers can suggest changes and add or remove users, the owner has the same permissions as managers, and only the owner sees Transfer ownership.
Expected result: each user listed with the right role. How to verify: the users appear on the contributions page; the Menu next to each name offers “Remove as manager”, “Remove user” and, for the owner, “Transfer ownership”. Common mistake: making an outside agency the owner. Give an agency contributor or manager access, and keep ownership with an account the organization controls.
Step 6: Suggest Edits With Public Evidence
Submit each change as a separate suggestion, signed in to the verified account, with publicly accessible URLs that support it. Google's steps (Submit feedback on content about you):
- Sign in to the Google Account you used to verify, and check that Web & App Activity is on.
- Search for your name or the entity you represent.
- At the top of the knowledge panel, click “Suggest edits”.
- Next to the information you want to report, click Edit. “If you have multiple suggestions, submit feedback for each item separately.”
- Describe what is wrong, any content to remove, and “any publicly accessible URLs that support your suggestion”. Click Send.
Google's Get verified page describes an alternative route: click Feedback below the panel, click the flag next to a fact, describe the change, add verifying links and click Submit. Interface labels may differ between the two; use whichever your panel shows.
What you can and cannot change, per the same help page:
| Panel element | Can you change it? | What Google says |
|---|---|---|
| Featured image | Only if one exists | “If the knowledge panel doesn't have an image, we can't add an image by request.” To replace one, give a direct, public image URL (ending in .jpeg, .png or another accepted format), not the page it sits on |
| Related images | No | Google “can't remove or reorder” them; report inaccurate ones as feedback |
| Title (usually the name) | Rarely | Considered only with “substantial evidence” the automated choice is not the most representative |
| Subtitle | Removal only | “Google doesn't accept or create custom subtitles.” If one is removed, the system picks another or shows none |
| Description | Not directly | Descriptions “can't be edited”; correct the source, or Google may remove an inaccurate one on strong evidence, but won't write a custom one |
| Social profiles | Yes | You can suggest new ones or edit existing ones; Google “can't change the order” |
| Personal details (people) | Yes, opt out | You can ask to leave out date of birth, relationships and children, marital status and relationship subtitles |
| “People also search for” | Only for policy breaches | Google can remove items only if they don't follow its policies |
Expected result: Google says it reviews verified feedback “within a few days” and “sends a confirmation email with a resolution update”, though “this can sometimes take more time”. How to verify: the resolution email, then the panel itself. Common mistake: bundling several changes into one message, or citing only your own claims. Google says it reviews feedback “by comparing it with other public information on the web”, and it may decline a change it “can't confirm”.
Step 7: Fix the Source, and Use Public Feedback if You Cannot Claim
Correct inaccurate information where Google found it, because the panel follows its sources. Google says that to update a description, “you can contact the source of the information and ask them to correct it. Changing the source of the information usually causes the information in the knowledge panel to change as well” (Google). It also says panels “are updated automatically as information changes on the web” (Google).
- Your own site: make the About page state the facts plainly. For a company, Google says Organization structured data “can influence visual elements in Search results (such as which logo is shown in Search results and your knowledge panel)”, while not guaranteeing any feature (Organization structured data). Our guide on how to add Organization schema markup gives a template, including
sameAslinks to your official profiles. - Third-party pages: ask the publisher to correct the error. Our guide on how to request a correction to a news article covers that process.
- If the panel is not claimable: Google says that if you are not the official representative, you “can use the feedback link on the bottom right-hand corner of a knowledge panel and suggest edits for review” (Google). On mobile, Feedback is at the bottom of the panel or in the three-dot menu (Google).
Expected result: the panel reflects the corrected source over time. How to verify: recheck the panel after the source changes; Google does not state how long this takes. Common mistake: asking Google to change a description while the source still says the old thing. If you tried the source and failed, Google asks you to say so and “provide strong evidence” the description is inaccurate.
How to Verify It Worked
- Claim: signed in to the verified account, the panel shows “Suggest edits” at the top (Google).
- Account: google.com/search/contributions/manage opens for the verified account and lists its users and roles.
- Suggested edits: Google sends a confirmation email when you submit and a resolution email after review. Google says accepted suggestions are “updated in the Knowledge Graph”.
- Panel content: search for the entity in a signed-out or private window and check the changed fact appears.
- A still-visible claim button is not a failure. Google says you may keep seeing “Claim this knowledge panel” after claiming, and clicking it may say “Someone is already managing the account”.
How to Choose a Verification Route and Correction Method
| Situation | Recommended method | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Company with an official website | Verify through Search Console | The site is the presence the organization controls most directly, and owners can be added without handing over a social login (our recommendation) |
| Person with their own YouTube channel | Verify through YouTube | Listed by Google; the channel has a single, transferable owner |
| Only a Twitter/X or Facebook account is linked | Try that route; if it fails, add the official website to Search Console, as Google suggests for associated-account errors | Google still lists both; its page does not address X by name |
| No claim option appears | Public Feedback link | Google says not all panels are claimable and directs you to Feedback in the meantime |
| Local business serving a location or area | Google Business Profile | Google says Business Profiles, not knowledge panels, cover these businesses |
| Description is wrong | Correct the source, then verified feedback with evidence | Descriptions can't be edited; changing the source usually changes the panel |
| Content you believe is unlawful | Report a legal removal issue form | Google points to this form for legal removals, with the specific panel URL |
| Panel mixes you with another entity, or shows the wrong sites | Contact Knowledge Panel support | Google lists both as reasons to contact it for help |
Common Problems and Fixes
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No “Claim this knowledge panel” option | The panel is not claimable yet | Use Feedback for now and check back periodically, as Google advises |
| No knowledge panel at all | Google's systems have not generated one | Nothing to claim. Work on the underlying record; Google does not create panels on request |
| “Someone is already managing the account” | Another person, colleague or agency claimed it | Check internally; if no owner is found, start Google's account recovery process (three business days for current owners to respond) |
| Error that you are not signed in to an associated account | Wrong Google Account, or your site or channel is not one Google associates | Use the account linked to the profile; add the site to Search Console and add an owner, or transfer the YouTube channel |
| “Suggest edits” does not appear | Not signed in to the verified account | Sign in with the account you verified with, or ask a manager to add you |
| Suggestion rejected | Google could not confirm it against public information | Publish the fact on an official page or get the source corrected, then resubmit with those URLs |
| Image request refused | The panel has no featured image | Google says it can't add an image by request; only replacing an existing one is possible |
| Panel mixed with someone of the same name | Entity confusion in Google's systems | Contact Knowledge Panel support, as Google lists this case |
| Panel stopped showing | Google's systems changed when it appears | Google says this happens automatically and it will not influence it |
What Not to Do
- Do not pay for a “guaranteed” knowledge panel. Consequence: you pay for an outcome Google says it does not create by hand. Correction: claim an existing panel yourself; Google's help describes no fee.
- Do not let one employee's personal account be the only owner. Consequence: access leaves with them, and recovery means Google's account recovery process, which gives current owners three business days to respond. Correction: add managers in Step 5.
- Do not submit several changes in one message. Consequence: Google asks for each item separately. Correction: one suggestion per fact, each with its own evidence.
- Do not ask for a custom description or subtitle. Consequence: Google says it can't create either. Correction: fix the source or remove an inaccurate one with evidence.
- Do not rely on unsupported assertions. Consequence: Google may decline changes it “can't confirm”. Correction: cite public URLs, preferably official ones.
- Do not use a knowledge panel claim for a local storefront. Consequence: you are in the wrong product. Correction: use Google Business Profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can claiming a knowledge panel create one?
No. Claiming only applies to a panel that already appears in Google Search. Google says knowledge panels are generated automatically and that its current policy is not to manually create or delete them. If no panel shows for your name, there is nothing to claim.
Does Google charge to claim a knowledge panel?
Google's knowledge panel help pages describe no fee for claiming or for suggesting edits. You need a Google Account and control of one of the official profiles Google lists. Anyone selling a guaranteed panel is promising something Google says it does not do by hand.
Can I still verify a knowledge panel with X (formerly Twitter)?
As of October 6, 2026, Google's Get verified on Google page still lists Twitter, by that name, alongside YouTube, Search Console and Facebook. The page does not mention X, so we could not confirm the current behaviour. YouTube or Search Console are the routes whose wording is unambiguous.
Can I write my own description for my knowledge panel?
No. Google says descriptions come from various data sources and cannot be edited, and that it cannot create a custom description. You can ask the source to correct it, or send strong evidence that it is inaccurate; Google may then remove it, and the panel usually goes without one.
How long does Google take to review a suggested edit?
Google says it reviews feedback from verified users within a few days and sends a confirmation email with a resolution update, and that this can sometimes take longer. It publishes no timescale for unverified feedback.
What if someone else has already claimed our knowledge panel?
Check with colleagues and anyone who might have claimed it for you. If you still cannot find the owner, Google's help directs you to an account recovery process with the Knowledge Panel Support team. Google emails the current owners and waits three business days; if they do not respond, the panel becomes claimable again.
Can I remove my knowledge panel entirely?
Google says it does not manually create or delete knowledge panels. A verified person can ask to leave out some personal details, such as date of birth or relationships, and Google offers a legal removal form for content believed to be unlawful. Whether a panel shows is decided by Google's automated systems.
Why did my knowledge panel disappear?
Google says its automated systems determine when, where and how a query shows a knowledge panel, based on relevance to the search, and that this is not something it can or would influence. A panel that showed in the past may stop showing without any action on your part.
Is a knowledge panel the same as a Google Business Profile?
No. Google says they look similar, but a Business Profile is for businesses that serve customers at a particular location or within a service area, and is claimed or created through Google Business Profile, not through the knowledge panel claim process.
Sources and Methodology
This guide is built from Google's Knowledge Panel Help center, which lists four articles as of October 6, 2026, plus related Search Console and Search Central pages, all read on October 6, 2026. We did not claim a knowledge panel, submit feedback or test any verification route for this guide, so the process is as Google documents it, not as we observed it. Google's pages still name “Twitter” and link to “Webmaster Central” for removing Twitter and Facebook associations; on October 6, 2026 that Webmaster Central address redirected to the Search Console home page. The time estimate is ours. Interface labels can change; where Google's pages give two labels for the same action (“Suggest edits” and “Feedback”), we report both.
- official Google Knowledge Panel Help, Get verified on Google. Claim steps, verification profiles, users and roles, troubleshooting, account recovery. Read October 6, 2026.
- official Google Knowledge Panel Help, Submit feedback on content about you (listed as “Update your Google knowledge panel”). Suggested edits, what can and can't change, review process. Read October 6, 2026.
- official Google Knowledge Panel Help, About knowledge panels. Definition, sources, Business Profiles. Read October 6, 2026.
- official Google Knowledge Panel Help, How Google's Knowledge Graph works. How panels are created, feedback, removal requests, Knowledge Graph policies. Read October 6, 2026.
- official Google Search Central, Organization structured data, last updated September 8, 2026. Read October 6, 2026.
- official Search Console Help, Add a website or platform property to Search Console, Verify your site ownership and Managing owners, users, and permissions. Read October 6, 2026.
- official Google, Report a legal removal issue (Knowledge Graph) and Content policies for Google Search. Read October 6, 2026.