Google are putting power in the hands of artists to control how they show up in google searches with direct posts.

Google have given artists the power to edit their ‘Knowledge Panel’ the section that appears at the top of Google searches with information and links about what they’ve searched before showing URL results. Artists can now add images, videos, GIFs and text posts to show up when fans search them on Google.

YouTube’s global head of music, Lyor Cohen says: “Google and YouTube’s goal is to support and empower artists across the board. Giving artists the ability to manage how they show up on Google when fans are searching for information is critical, so I’m really pleased to see this new feature be made available to artists worldwide.”

The feature will roll out to any artists who have a Google Search Knowledge Panel in their results. To take control of it artists will need to do a search of the name they want to claim then click on the sentence under the Knowledge Panel that asks if you manage the online presence. Then follow the instructions to take control.

Once an artist has claimed their knowledge panel a blue check mark will appear next to their artist name to show that their posts are official. You can find out more from: posts.withgoogle.com