How Google Knowledge Panels Build Trust in the Age of AI

Search is changing fast. In a world where AI summaries often appear before traditional links, law firm leaders can not rely on website rankings alone. Visibility and credibility are increasingly established before a click.

This episode explains how knowledge panels act as a proof-of-authority snapshot for attorneys and other professionals. Furia Rubel’s Chief Innovation Officer Leslie Richards joins Jennifer Simpson Carr to explore how panels reinforce trust with prospective clients and with generative engines that decide which sources get cited in AI answers.

What Is a Knowledge Panel?

A knowledge panel is the right-side information box you often see on Google when you search a person’s name. For attorneys with enough published, verifiable content, the panel can display:

• Headshot or photos
• Publications, platforms, and appearances
• Social profiles and book listings
• A consolidated, credible snapshot of expertise

Panels mirror business profiles, but for people. They aggregate your public footprint, signaling “this person is a recognized source” in their domain.

Why Panels Matter for Law Firms (and GEO)

GEO (generative engine optimization) focuses on being cited in AI-generated answers. Author authority is a major signal. A strong, accurate knowledge panel:

• Reinforces human trust and digital credibility
• Helps AI systems evaluate your authority
• Increases the likelihood your work is cited as a source in AI answers

What You Can—and Can’t—Control

Unlike websites, you don’t “edit” a knowledge panel directly. You can:

• Claim & verify your panel when eligible
• Monitor & suggest corrections via Google’s feedback tools
• Feed the panel by consistently publishing authoritative content on third-party sites
• Maintain cross-channel consistency (website, LinkedIn, conference bios, articles)

You can’t:

• Force a panel to appear on demand
• Manually set or reorder everything shown in the panel

How Attorneys Build Toward a Panel

You don’t need celebrity status. You need a visible and sustained body of work.

• Publish articles and insights with reputable third-party publishers
• Speak at conferences and syndicate recaps on owned and social channels
• Maintain an active, professional LinkedIn presence
• Ensure bios and credentials are consistent across platforms
• When a panel appears, claim it, then monitor for accuracy

The Takeaway for Law Firm Leaders

Knowledge panels are fast becoming a prerequisite for digital trust. Encourage and support attorneys in building a distributed content footprint beyond the firm’s website. Panels validate expertise for people and for AI, improving the odds of being cited in generative answers and shaping reputations before a click.

Resources

• GEO vs. SEO: How AI-Driven Search Is Rewriting Law Firm Visibility: https://www.furiarubel.com/podcasts/geo-vs-seo-how-ai-driven-search-is-rewriting-law-firm-visibility/
• AI Just Changed Search Forever: Here’s What Law Firms Need to Know: https://www.furiarubel.com/podcasts/ai-just-changed-search-forever-heres-what-law-firms-need-to-know/
• How to Rank in the Age of AI Search: https://www.furiarubel.com/podcasts/how-to-rank-in-the-age-of-ai-search/
• Why No One’s Reading Your Thought Leadership (And How to Fix It): https://www.furiarubel.com/news-resources/why-no-ones-reading-your-thought-leadership/

Coming Up: The billable hour has long been the yardstick of law firm success, but is it holding firms back? In next week’s episode, International Faculty member Deb Ruffins joins us to explore why law firms must rethink revenue growth beyond hours logged, and how clients are signaling they want deeper partnerships, not just legal services.