So far we have covered how Google will take over the Multifamily ILSes’ business with their Apartments Knowledge Graph. But, property management companies (PMC) can get more leads from Google by building their Apartments Knowledge Graph.

How Can a PMC Build Its Apartments Knowledge Graph?

Google does not single-source the data for its Apartments Knowledge Graph. Here is an example of the different sources needed to build Google’s Apartments Knowledge Graph:

Let’s dive into how you can use each source to position your apartment well with Google’s users.

#1. Fill in the Info Section on Google My Business

Your first change should be made in Google My Business:

1. Go to Google My Business
2. Pick your location
3. Select the “Info” section 
4. Fill out the fields to make your knowledge graph as complete as possible

#2. Write a Wikipedia Article

Next, write a Wikipedia article about your property. Google loves to use Wikipedia as a resource and will use it to enhance your knowledge graph.

For example, here is the description of a property from a Wikipedia article being displayed in its knowledge graph:

#3. Push Information to Google Using Structured Data on your Website

Google uses structured data to assemble its Knowledge Graphs.

Structured data is a machine-readable format to pass information to Google. Here is an example:

The following steps are slightly technical, but not crazily so. In general, web developers should provide this functionality out-of-the-box, so you don’t have to do this.

If your web developer does not provide this, you can build one yourself:

1. Go to schema.org/ApartmentComplex. Identify the fields you want in your Knowledge Graph
2. Build & test your script in Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool
3. Place the script in the “< head >” section of your property’s website

#4. Encourage Positive Reviews

Finally, we get to the Reviews section of the Apartments Knowledge Graph. This has been covered in many other places, so we will not get into this in detail.

Is an Apartments Knowledge Graph in your Future?

As Google takes over the multifamily industry, PMCs can get ahead of their competition. If PMCs can help complete Google’s knowledge graph for their apartment communities, Google will help them get more qualified leads. If that happens, Google may completely overtake the ILSes.

In our next article, we’ll break down the Multifamily Customer Lifecycle. (To catch the next article in this series, make sure you subscribe, below!)

Your turn now. What other questions do you have about the Apartment Knowledge Graph? Comment below!