About a year ago, I googled my own name out of curiosity, and to my surprise, I found a Knowledge Panel about myself. According to Google, I was a “Recording Artist.”
At first, I was puzzled. Sure, I had recorded an album about seven years ago, and yes, it was online on Spotify, YouTube, and a few other platforms, but nobody really listens to it. I figured this was just some outdated info.
So, being the proactive person I am, I decided to update my Knowledge Panel to reflect what I actually do now: create content online, write, and interview people about mental health. I filled out Google’s feedback form, thinking this would be a quick fix.
Here’s part of what I sent them:
“Can my knowledge panel be changed from ‘Recording artist’ to ‘Author’? I’m the founder of Tracking Happiness, where I’ve authored over 500 articles and conducted over 100 interviews about mental health. While I uploaded music years ago, that’s not really what I do anymore. I write, conduct studies, and speak about mental health and happiness…”
I submitted this and waited. A few days later, I got an exciting email:
Good news: ‘Hugo Huijer’ is being updated in response to your feedback.
The email said:
Good news: “Hugo Huijer” is being updated in response to your feedback. Keep in mind that changes to the Knowledge Graph can take a few days to appear, and that not all information may appear for a particular search.
We appreciate that you took the time to help improve Google Search. If you’d like to provide additional feedback, take a look at these guidelines for specific tips.
If you have any questions about this email, please contact support.
Thanks for your help,
The Google Search team
Great! I thought. I was sure I would now be known as an “Author.”
But when I checked again, Google had updated my title to… “Musical Artist.”
Uh… Okay?
Well, maybe I just have to wait before Google’s algorithms figure it out?
Fast forward a couple of weeks, and my Knowledge Panel disappeared completely. I went from being a recording artist to a musical artist… to nobody. at all
Yup, no more knowledge panel, no more recognition. No more bragging rights.
Needless to say, my world collapsed. What do I even talk about at the coffee machine or on birthdays?
In hindsight, I probably should’ve just left it alone! But the story doesn’t end there.
After months of silence, I randomly checked again— and I’m back, baby! The Knowledge Panel reappeared. Though, once again, I’m labeled a “Musical Artist.”
Ah well, I guess Google really likes my old album. Maybe I should lean into it and rebrand!
