How Social Media Builds a Brand’s Knowledge Graph

Beyond Likes and Follows, Social Media Plays a Crucial Role in Brand Coherence and AI Search

Brand knowledge graph…it sounds like some technical phrase or math term.

But it’s crucial to the success of SMBs ranking in AI Searches. Whether you’re using SEO, answer engine optimization, or generative engine optimization, understanding the brand knowledge graph is the starting point.

In this post, learn how social media and secondary channels are essential for building a brand’s authority and knowledge graph, which is key for ranking in AI-powered search.

The Shift in Social Media’s Role: More Than Just Likes

What if every like, every share, and every follow you’ve ever earned on social media was part of a much bigger mission?

For years, small businesses have viewed social media as a place to connect with customers, share updates, and run a few ads. Engagement was the primary metric of success.

However, SEO is rapidly evolving – not dead – in fact, the opposite, particularly with the rise of AI-powered search.

Today, your social media efforts play a far more foundational role in your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy.

When your brand is recognized as a credible entity in the knowledge graph, it becomes more likely to be surfaced as a reliable source in AI-generated answers and featured snippets.

It’s no longer just about visibility on social platforms; it’s about establishing your brand as a credible and authoritative entity in the vast web of information that search engines use to understand the world.

What is a Brand Knowledge Graph? The Foundation for AI Search

To understand social media’s new role, it’s crucial to grasp the concept of a knowledge graph.

Think of it as a complex, interconnected map of information that search engines like Google use to understand the relationships between different entities—people, places, organizations, and things. These entities are linked by various relationships, painting a comprehensive picture of how everything connects.

As a former educator, I know the power of a good lesson plan. Think of a brand knowledge graph—or entity graph—as the most important lesson plan Google has. It’s an interconnected web of data points the machine uses to prove that your business is a real and trustworthy entity.

Unlike traditional search, which primarily indexes web pages based on keywords, AI-powered generative search increasingly relies on this knowledge graph to provide direct, comprehensive answers to user queries.

Instead of just listing websites, the AI synthesizes information from trusted sources within the brand knowledge graph. This means that to be a go-to source in this new era of search, your brand needs to be a well-defined and trusted entity within that graph.

Primary Channels: Your Brand’s Digital Footprint

Your main social media profiles—the ones most customers would readily find, such as your official Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages—serve as crucial primary channels in building your brand’s knowledge graph.

These profiles provide the fundamental, consistent information that helps search engines confirm your brand’s existence and legitimacy.

A key part of this is ensuring your NAP—Name, Address, Phone Number—is identical everywhere. It’s the digital version of having your name on your mailbox: simple, but crucial for people to find you.

Think of them as digital business listings on steroids. They clearly state your brand name, your location, your industry, and a brief description of what you do. Consistency across these primary channels is key.

Ensure your NAP, website URL, and brand messaging are identical across all platforms. This consistent data acts as a strong signal to search engines that you are a real and verifiable entity.

The Power of Secondary Channels: Building a Coherent, Verifiable Source of Truth

While your primary social profiles lay the groundwork, leveraging secondary channels can significantly strengthen your brand’s knowledge graph. These are platforms where you have a presence but might not be your direct, main profile. This is where you can truly build a “coherent, verifiable source of truth”.

Official Socials vs Secondary Socials

What are secondary channels?

Essentially, anything outside your official brand socials. For most brands this would be:

• Writeup Cafe
• 2nd Pinterest Accounts
• 2nd Instagram Accounts
• Reddit
• Quora
• Additional WordPress Blogs
• Google Entity Stacks
• Press Release Channels
• …the list goes on.

Examples of Secondary Social Media

For example, imagine a fictional hat company called Vintage Hats. While their main Instagram is full of high-end product shots, they might create a separate Pinterest board or a profile on ScoopIt to curate content about hat history and fashion trends. These secondary channels help Google understand that Vintage Hats is a knowledgeable entity in the broader world of hats.

Here are more examples of secondary channels and how brands can use them:

• A fictional travel company, Peak Adventures, uses a Medium blog to republish thought leadership and share expert travel tips, extending its reach and reinforcing its expertise.
• A local auto detailing business, Shiny Finish, creates profiles on industry-specific directories and local listing sites to provide valuable citations and context within their niche.

Mentions as Citations: Corroborating Your Brand

In the context of knowledge graphs, every time your brand is mentioned online, it acts as a citation. Just like in academic research, these mentions help to corroborate the information presented on your primary website and social profiles.

When a reputable third-party website, an industry blog, or even another user in a social media post mentions your brand, it adds weight to your brand’s authority. For example, if a blogger writes a list of “Best Accessories for Spring” and mentions Vintage Hats, that signals to search engines that another source recognizes and acknowledges your existence and expertise.

Links as Relationships: Mapping Your Brand’s Connections

While the SEO value of nofollow links has been debated, in the context of building a knowledge graph, they still play a crucial role. Links, even nofollow links, help AI algorithms map your brand’s relationships across the web.

When you link to other authoritative websites, industry resources, or even relevant social media profiles from your own content, you’re helping to define your brand’s context and its connections within the broader digital ecosystem.

Similarly, when other credible websites link to your social media profiles or your main website, it reinforces those relationships and strengthens your brand’s entity graph. Think of these links as the threads that connect the different entities within the knowledge graph.

As a sailor, I know the importance of a strong, interconnected rig. Just like a ship’s rigging holds all the sails and masts in place, these links hold your brand’s online presence together, making it stronger and more resilient in the digital currents.

Conclusion: A Trusted Entity in the Knowledge Graph

Ultimately, the goal of a unified social media strategy that extends beyond vanity metrics is to help your brand become an unambiguous and trusted entity within the search engine’s knowledge graph. By consistently providing accurate information across your primary and secondary channels, earning valuable brand mentions, and building a network of relevant links, you contribute to a stronger, more coherent online presence.

Brand Tips

• Be Consistent: Use the same brand name, logo, and bio across all platforms.
• Get Mentioned: Try to get featured in articles, podcasts, or interviews—Google notices when others talk about you.
• Claim Your Panel: If you see a Knowledge Panel for your brand, claim it and keep it updated.
• Use Structured Data: If you have a website, add schema markup so Google can better understand your content.

When your brand is recognized as a credible entity in the knowledge graph, it becomes more likely to be surfaced as a reliable source in AI-generated answers and featured snippets.

This not only boosts your visibility but also establishes your brand as a thought leader and a trusted resource. So, move beyond the likes and start thinking about how your social media efforts can contribute to the foundational SEO of building a robust and influential brand knowledge graph.