Google is deprecating the use of social profile markup, which was once necessary for social media buttons to display in knowledge panels.
Going forward, Google says it will automatically discover relevant social media profiles and include them in knowledge panels
Anyone with a claimed knowledge panel will be able to suggest social media profiles that do not get added automatically.
That can be done by searching for your knowledge panel in Google and clicking on “suggest an edit.”
If you don’t see that option then you might not be signed into the same account that has verified ownership of the knowledge panel.
After suggesting an edit, Google will review it for accuracy by checking if the social profiles are associated with your brand elsewhere on the web.
If accepted, the suggested edit will then appear in the knowledge panel.
What if I don’t have ownership of a knowledge panel?
Only the verified owner of a knowledge panel can suggest edits. If you don’t own your own knowledge panel, gaining ownership is a fairly simple process.
First, search for the entity you represent and find the knowledge panel you wish to claim. Then click on “claim this knowledge panel” at the bottom.
In order to claim ownership, Google will ask you to sign into other profiles associated with the entity such as Twitter, YouTube, or Search Console.
After you sign in you’ll have ownership and will be able to manage your own knowledge panel.
Google notes that the order in which the social profiles are listed in a knowledge panel cannot be changed. You can only suggest the addition of new, or edit existing, social profiles.
