The Google Knowledge Graph is still in its early days- but it’s fast learning to understand how the different nodes of data on the web are interconnected, and what the connections mean. From this massive collection of facts, the search engine strives to understand the real meaning of a user’s search query through semantics and context, so that when someone types a query into the Google search box, the search engine gets what the searcher means in an overall sense. This is bringing the notion of Google being a knowledge engine which provides precise answers to user queries, closer to being reality.
The trend is for people to type longer queries into Google, usually in the form of questions or more specific requests than simply one or two words. The knowledge graph makes sense of the data in the Google index, it understands the query from that particular searcher better than it ever has, and strives to deliver a more concise answer without ambiguity.
In many cases, the answer will be there on the first page of Google, without the need for the searcher to click one or more links, and investigate.
The best, most effective SEO of 2014 will provide clear, structured information so that websites gain the authority status required to appear up high within the search results.
Even being found serendipitously, is an opportunity to engage with a new visitor and develop a relationship which could lead to a sale.
Of course, there’s method in this; consider the following:
When writing this article, I ran a search on “painting” and the first page had a variety of painting related returns. There were people offering to paint houses, paint manufacturers (who were not engaged in “painting” the verb- they manufactured paint as a product.
There were also pages returned which spoke about body painting, painting classes and paintings which you could buy, to hang on your wall.
I asked someone else to run the same query, this particular person was interested in art.
Her search engine results showed different options to mine. There were pictures of famous paintings, prominent artists were displayed within the knowledge carousel- the group of images on the right side of page 1.
What made Google return these results to my friend- and why were these results so different to the ones returned to me?
With my friend’s query, Google simply “got it”.
They did this via the knowledge graph which provided an understanding of my friend’s intent, based on her interest in art, paintings and great artists.
The knowledge graph built this dossier of preferences from reading my friend’s previous browsing history over time, understanding her inclination to visit (and spend extended periods of time on) websites which contained a wealth of information about famous painters, as well as taking notice of her “shares” on her Google+ page, and how many of her followers she managed to actively engage with her posts.
Remember that these are still early days, and with information and data appearing on the web at an alarming rate, more pages are getting indexed, more searches are being made, and more sense is being made of it all.
As time moves on, the process of linking different data nodes and understanding the way all the relevant bits of information relate to each other, will make the knowledge graph a more efficient piece of technology.
Understanding the Knowledge Graph and developing the right strategy for your SEO in 2014.
For more help in developing your SEO plan, or for information on learning SEO, contact our SEO office today.
The trend is for people to type longer queries into Google, usually in the form of questions or more specific requests than simply one or two words. The knowledge graph makes sense of the data in the Google index, it understands the query from that particular searcher better than it ever has, and strives to deliver a more concise answer without ambiguity.
In many cases, the answer will be there on the first page of Google, without the need for the searcher to click one or more links, and investigate.
The best, most effective SEO of 2014 will provide clear, structured information so that websites gain the authority status required to appear up high within the search results.
Even being found serendipitously, is an opportunity to engage with a new visitor and develop a relationship which could lead to a sale.
More Personalisation of Answers
The knowledge graph gathers some of its intelligence by the history of the searcher’s browsing and previous searches. This enables it to form associations, determine interests and look for patterns, to enable better, more relevant answer delivery right there on the screen.Of course, there’s method in this; consider the following:
- less processing power used back at Google HQ because the answer is there on the first search;
- Google’s position as the best search engine gains better credibility;
- A stronger reinforcement of Google being the best choice for paid ads, because of implied authority as the best search engine;
When writing this article, I ran a search on “painting” and the first page had a variety of painting related returns. There were people offering to paint houses, paint manufacturers (who were not engaged in “painting” the verb- they manufactured paint as a product.
There were also pages returned which spoke about body painting, painting classes and paintings which you could buy, to hang on your wall.
I asked someone else to run the same query, this particular person was interested in art.
Her search engine results showed different options to mine. There were pictures of famous paintings, prominent artists were displayed within the knowledge carousel- the group of images on the right side of page 1.
What made Google return these results to my friend- and why were these results so different to the ones returned to me?
With my friend’s query, Google simply “got it”.
They did this via the knowledge graph which provided an understanding of my friend’s intent, based on her interest in art, paintings and great artists.
The knowledge graph built this dossier of preferences from reading my friend’s previous browsing history over time, understanding her inclination to visit (and spend extended periods of time on) websites which contained a wealth of information about famous painters, as well as taking notice of her “shares” on her Google+ page, and how many of her followers she managed to actively engage with her posts.
The Knowledge Graph Today
There are still gaps and anomalies in some of the results returned. Not every query results in the knowledge carousel being rendered within the first page of results.Remember that these are still early days, and with information and data appearing on the web at an alarming rate, more pages are getting indexed, more searches are being made, and more sense is being made of it all.
As time moves on, the process of linking different data nodes and understanding the way all the relevant bits of information relate to each other, will make the knowledge graph a more efficient piece of technology.
Understanding the Knowledge Graph and developing the right strategy for your SEO in 2014.
For more help in developing your SEO plan, or for information on learning SEO, contact our SEO office today.