Freebase, Google, and Local SEO?

[Linda Buquet]

Has anyone here done anything with Freebase?

Did you know Google owns Freebase?

Did you know Google is pulling Freebase info into the Knowledge Graph, like they do with Wikipedia?

I'm thinking it could be important for Local Search, but honestly have not tuned into it too much until now.

If you, like me are curious, here are some posts.

Why SEOs Need to Pay Attention to Freebase | Bill Hartzer
That one also has a detailed video of a Hangout Bill did about Freebase.

Mike Blumenthal mentioned Freebase back in July:
10 Reasons that the Google Knowledge Graph Sucks More than the Local Graph

Mike wrote: "Typically the Knowledge Graph Panels seem to have different content than a local listing and it is more based on the structured data of Freebase, Wikipedia entries, the CIA Factbook and other sources that are NOT clearly identified. However if an entity already has a local listing then the Knowledge Graph Panel will draw some information (address, phone, reviews) from the canonical local data as well."

Several mentions of Freebase News at Search Engine Watch

Here is a random Dentist listing I found when wondering how business listings look.
Marielaina Perrone DDS, 2551 N. Green Valley Pkwy. #A405, Henderson, NV 89014 - Freebase
Check out the N+A from NAP in title tag - ON a Google owned property.

When you Google her name + address, Freebase ranks #1 above her own site and above her own local listing. So do you think Google thinks that's an important site?

Google: Marielaina Perrone DDS, 2551 N. Green Valley Pkwy. #A405, Henderson, NV

Have not taken time to figure out how to get a listing like that in there yet.

Anyone working with Freebase or open to experimenting and sharing what you learn???

 

[bhartzer]

Linda,
I've see a lot of good from setting up Freebase pages over the years (have been doing it for a while now). It's not as difficult to add a Freebase page as it is on Wikipedia or other Wiki sites.

Essentially, you have to pick a higher category of where your new page should go. Then, edit that page and add a new entry. When you add a new entry a new page is created automatically that you can then go and edit.

Just like other wiki type sites, I recommend editing and adding content to existing pages and being helpful with the site before you go 'hog wild' and add all sorts of self-serving new pages to Freebase.

I try to add real good content on existing topics often and will only occasionally add a new page if needed.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hey Bill,

Didn't have time to reach out to ask you for more info, so am glad you saw your name in lights here.
Thanks so much for weighing in!

So do you suppose that's how that nice dental listing was done?

And is it considered spammy to add your own business directory type listing there do you think?

Was in a rush and like I said didn't have time to look into this much. Just looked at the top of her Dental listing. But lower on the page are a bunch of links to her different sites, FB, Twitter and G+L.

 

[bhartzer]

Linda, I have no problem adding a business page to Freebase, as long as it's linked in the proper place (for a Dentist then there should be links from the Dentist page or the Association that she belongs to or the city page where the business is located).

The travel industry is big on Freebase, and there are topics for accommodations, resorts, spas, and so forth.

At the end of the day, keep in mind that anyone can go edit any topic, it's a wiki.

 

[Daniel C Berman]

Thinking in text here. Hypothesis and conjecture ahead!

Freebase = semantic web equivalent to = Dmoz? Except owned by Google? Though that's not saying much as DMOZ is owned by AOL

Might we be reaching a tipping point where we are going back to centralized databases like Freebase, Factual, aka web directory days that all of the search engines are starting to pull from? Would not this basically lead to the scenario of search engines becoming data aggregators again, although much much smarter than most of the local search aggregators out there these days?

I realize its a stretch but with semantic markup basically turning every single website into a database entry on the worldwide web super database, wouldn't it make since that there would be a "more" trustworthy set of databases to guide the spiders and presumably the search engine users along the super database almost as an index?

So far we have Freebase, Factual, Localeze, Infogroup, Acxiom and to a lesser extent wikipedia and World Factbook as "guide databases." Are there any other databases along the size and scope of Freebase, and Factual that are not aggregators of the previously mentioned databases, but are actively edited and/or cross-checked in such a way that the search engine and even just popular online location finding tools and apps are starting to use theme due to trust, convenience, and/or licensing cost?

 

[Linda Buquet]

Daniel, good points all.

Here is a recent point about "Entity" search and how it fits in with Hummingbird and what's coming.
(Paul mentions Freebase too.)

Future SEO: Understanding Entity Search

 

[Travis Van Slooten]

Bill:

Can you explain this in greater detail?

(for a Dentist then there should be links from the Dentist page or the Association that she belongs to or the city page where the business is located).

Can you provide a little more specific "how to's" on this? I'd like to see if I can get one of my clients listed like the dentist example Linda found. I just don't want to do anything wrong

Travis

 

[bhartzer]

Freebase is a lot more like Wikipedia than DMOZ. Freebase is essentially Wikipedia but with a lot more information. Wikipedia has "connections" between topics and subtopics. So, the Dallas city page on Wikipedia will link to the Texas page and vice versa.

Let's take, for example, a Dentist. The dentist page would have a link to the Dental Association that the dentist is a member of, and the city, as well. The city and the Association page would then also list the dentist, as well.

When you set up a Freebase page, go to the Association page or the City page and list the dentist as either a member of the association or a business in the city. That will create the dentist page and then you can then go edit the dentist page.

Fill out that dentist page as much as you can with as much data as you can. I wouldn't be too promotional with the description, though, as later on it could potentially get flagged for being too promotional. And don't forget about duplicate content (write a new description if possible).

 

[Julian Thomas]

Linda and bhartzer: thanks for the introduction to freebase... haven't used it previously. The interface is a bit confusing at first, but I got myself listed.

 

[Daniel C Berman]

Hoping this doesn't derail this thread but has somebody posted a good "getting started" tutorial for Freebase?

I have an account (https://www.freebase.com/user/dckbid) and I have made a few edits for stuff around my community as I am getting my feet wet but for the life of me I haven't been able to figure how to upload a profile pic for myself.

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hi Daniel,

I just Googled and found this step-by-step guide. Only skimmed so don't know if they have the profile answer but looks like really good info about how the data is organized, etc.

Want to Be on the Knowledge Graph? Get Listed in Google?s Freebase [Full Guide]

 

[Julian Thomas]

Daniel,

I couldn't figure this out either. If you select that element in Freebase, there is no option to change the value. I spent some more time on it and I'm starting to conclude this has been disabled intentional for a long time:
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/freebase-discuss/alNEHISvpAA

Excerpt: "Image upload is not supported, nor is uploading images via freebase.com. ... We're not supporting image upload primarily because of the difficulties that arise with copyrighted images which has been discussed on this thread in the past."

 

[Daniel C Berman]

Hi Julian,
Thank you for finding that Google Groups post. A user profile pic is usually basic site functionality that everybody includes. I am glad to see I wasn't missing something.

 

[billbean]

Daniel, you may already know this by now, but I just confirmed that it is no longer possible to upload images to Freebase.

 

[hottenhausen]

Hello,

Since Google is closing Freebase, and supposedly transferring data to Wikidata, does anyone know if store locations will need to be manually re-added to Wikidata? Also, does anyone know if there is a way to bulk upload several locations to Wikidata?

Thanks in advance!
Heather

 

[mborgelt]

I thought Google was going to shut this down?

https://gigaom.com/2014/12/16/google-is-shutting-down-its-freebase-knowledge-base/

 

[Linda Buquet]

Yep Michael, Google is closing down Freebase. This post was originally done in 2013.

Sorry Heather I don't know about a bulk option. Kind of doubt it but I don't really know.