Google’s About This Result

How to Use Google’s ‘About this result’ for SEO Insights

Google’s ‘About this result’ feature offers powerful SEO insights, helping you enhance your brand’s E-E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) signals both on and off-page. Optimizing for E-E-A-T is challenging because it relies heavily on external validation. What others say about your site carries more weight than your own claims, making third-party endorsements and credible links essential.

While link building has long been a part of SEO, the focus should now be on quality rather than quantity. The key questions are: Which links does Google consider authoritative? Which mentions from independent sites establish trust?

Understanding Google’s ‘About this result’ Feature

By leveraging the ‘About this result’ feature, you can gain a clearer understanding of how Google perceives your site and which sources it trusts. Here’s how to access this information:

  1. Google your website.
  2. Click the three small dots next to your URL.
  3. In the pop-up, click the “More about this page” button.

This reveals Google’s “About the source” page, which includes:

  • Site Description: Information about your site, sourced from Google’s Knowledge Graph.
  • In Their Own Words: A description directly provided by your site.
  • Site First Indexed by Google: The date when your site was first indexed.
  • Web Results About the Source: Search results offering context about your site, prioritizing independent perspectives.

This feature provides valuable insights into how Google and your customers view your brand.

How to Leverage These Insights

Although this feature has been available since 2021, it is still underutilized by SEOs. It can help you understand the sources Google relies on and how your brand is being interpreted. Here’s how you can use these insights to strengthen your E-E-A-T signals:

1. Inform Your Content Marketing Strategy

The ‘About this result’ feature can guide your content marketing efforts. By analyzing the sources Google considers authoritative for specific queries, you can create content that aligns with user expectations and enhances E-E-A-T signals.

  • Identify the top sources Google highlights for your brand. Are these the sources you expect?
  • Compare these to the top sources for your competitors. Are there gaps in your content marketing based on what Google values for your competitors?

2. Guide Your Link Building Efforts

This feature also provides insights for link building. By understanding the databases and third-party sources Google relies on, you can identify opportunities to strengthen your link profile.

  • Which business databases is Google using to gather information?
  • Is all the information accurate?
  • Should you create a Wikidata entry if Google is relying on it?

3. Use for Competitive Research

The ‘About this result’ feature is a goldmine for competitive research. Start by identifying sites that are winning featured snippets or appearing in the SGE panel for relevant queries.

  • Analyze which third-party links or mentions your competitors have that you don’t.
  • Identify keyword gaps between your site and your competitors.
  • Explore new or indirect competitors showing up in organic search results.

4. Incorporate Insights Into On-Page Copy

Google’s ‘About this result’ information can help you refine your on-page optimizations. By better understanding user intent, you can tailor everything from metadata to content to links.

  • Evaluate the search terms Google highlights in the ‘Your search & this result’ section. How do they compare to your site copy?
  • Identify opportunities to reinforce specific search terms in your content.
  • Assess the structure of top-ranking content (e.g., long-form vs. short-form, use of videos/images).

5. Share Your Story

For entities without Wikipedia entries or Google Business Profiles, optimizing the “In Their Own Words” section becomes crucial. Google often pulls from your About Us page for this section, so make sure your website tells a compelling story.

  • Ensure your site has an “About Us” page with a clear, crawlable description.
  • Link to this page with relevant anchor text to help Google recognize it.
  • Use this space to foster trust and make an authentic connection with your audience.

Listen to Google’s Narrative

While the average searcher may not use this feature often, SEOs should take full advantage of it. Beyond backlink analysis, these insights can shape your content marketing, link building, and on-page strategies. By actively listening to Google’s narrative about your brand, you can strengthen your online presence and build a more authentic connection with your audience.

Google’s ultimate goal is to deliver expertise, authority, and trust to users. Make sure your website is doing just that, loud and clear.