What is a Google knowledge panel, and is it different from a Business Profile?

Ascent Vision · Published October 24, 2026

A knowledge panel is an information box Google generates automatically for people, places, organizations and things it recognizes, drawing on sources across the web. A Business Profile looks similar but, Google says, is specific to businesses that serve customers at a location or within a service area, and the business claims or creates it. For a local service business, the box customers see is usually its Business Profile. Google says it does not manually create or delete knowledge panels, so treat anyone selling one with caution.

What a knowledge panel is

Google's help page describes knowledge panels as information boxes that appear when you search for entities, such as people, places, organizations and things, that are in its Knowledge Graph. It says they are "automatically generated", with information from various sources across the web and sometimes from data partners, and that they update automatically as information changes on the web.

Google's page on feedback adds that its automated systems decide when panels appear and disappear, based on how relevant the information is to a search, and that "our current policy doesn’t manually create or delete Knowledge Panels".

How it differs from a Business Profile

	Knowledge panel	Business Profile
Who it is for	People, places, organizations and things Google recognizes	Businesses that serve customers at a location or within a service area
How it starts	Generated automatically by Google	Claimed or created by the business
Who changes it	Verified representatives suggest edits; anyone can send feedback	The owner adds details such as hours and location; anyone can suggest an edit

Who can claim a knowledge panel

Google says the subject of a panel, or an official representative, can claim it and suggest changes. Its steps: find the panel in Google Search, select Claim this knowledge panel at the bottom, review the information and sign in to one of the official sites or profiles Google lists. Google also says not all knowledge panels are claimable yet, and that anyone can suggest changes through the Feedback link.

Once verified, you can add other people to the account, with or without manager permissions, and Google says it reviews verified users' feedback within a few days, sometimes longer. For a local business that serves customers at a location or within a service area, Google's tip is to create a Google Business Profile; the related answer on what a Google Business Profile is covers it.

Which one a service business should care about

As general advice, for a plumber the box beside the business name is usually the Business Profile, the one to claim and keep current. A knowledge panel is more likely to matter for an author, a public figure or a brand known beyond one area. A business that serves customers only online may still be shown in one if Google's systems generate it; the related answer on whether an online-only business can have a Google Business Profile covers Google's rule.

If no box shows for your business at all, the related answer on why your business is not showing up on Google covers the usual reasons. Because Google says it does not create panels by hand, treat an offer to get you one for a fee like any cold pitch; the related answer on how to spot an SEO scam covers those.

Sources

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