Apr 13
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You’ve probably noticed that with certain search results, an image of the author appears directly below the link. This is known as Authorship, and is one of the most important elements of Google Plus.
In this installment, we’ll look at the easiest way to establish Authorship in Google Plus, and explain why it’s in your company’s best interest to establish Authorship as soon as possible.
What is Authorship?
Authorship is the process of linking an author’s image and their Google Plus profile to an article they’ve written. It appears when the article or articles appear in search results, and is becoming one of the best ways to establish personal brands while promoting content.
As a 2009 , people are less sceptical of content when it comes from a known source, like a friend. The study shows that while people have some trust in Search Engine Results (41%), they trust the recommendations of a friend 90% of the time – that’s more than branded websites (70%), TV (62%) or Brand Sponsorships (64%). With the increasing amount of spun content and spamming, users are more sceptical than ever, and Authorship is another tactic in increasing that trust and your reach.
WhyIt Matters:
There’s been an increasing amount of interest in Authorship, which makes establishing YOUR authorship a priority. As Authorship continues to grow, the competition to be recognized by the search engines will as well. It’s in your best interest that you are established before your competition, for several reasons:
Establishing yourself as someone who provides fresh, quality content not only benefits your sites’ success, but also allows users to discover more of your work and share it.
As search rankings increasingly move towards valuing quality content, it’s becoming more important than ever to ensure you are producing content that is relevant and valuable to users. ‘Spinning’ material will no longer cut it. Keeping the needs of users in mind is key; give them content that is genuine and to their benefit. That content will often be shared organically.
This process of sharing your work provides organic link building to both you and your organization’s site.
Authorship also provides the opportunity for users to discover more of your content. By clicking the author’s name, it will bring the user to the author’s Google Plus page, and displays links to other material. This creates more inbound links to those sites in an entirely non-spammy way – exactly what Google wants in the first place.
Increasing your following on Google Plus increases your reach, Sphere of Influence and Ripples.
If people like your content, they are more likely to follow you, which is beneficial in several ways. Increasing the people who follow you increases the chances that their circles will be exposed to your material and increases your overall reach. Having a large number of followers who trust your opinions gives you a greater sphere of influence over others. Having larger spheres of influence will also be reflected in your Ripples, which can be another way for new people to discover both you and your organization.
How to Authenticate your content:
I feel this is the easiest way to authenticate content through G+, as it very straightforward; its lack of coding requirements makes it easy for writers to authenticate their content without having coding experience. Both the website and your profile should be prepped; providing information on both sides makes a link easier and quicker to find.
Prepping your Google Plus Profile
- Your profile picture should be a clear head shot
- Set your Profile Visibility to Public. This can be found in the About section. Authorship will not work unless your profile is visible, though you will still be able to filter content to the appropriate people through the Circles function.
- Verify your email address in the about section. You will be able to tell if it’s verified by a small checkmark icon to the direct right site – otherwise, you’ll find a ‘verify’ link. Click on it and follow the prompts.
Or…
Go to and verify your profile through your email. Simply enter your email address in the given field to link the content to your site. This is the easiest way to verify info, especially for those not well versed in coding.
Prepping your Content
- Make sure there’s a clear photo of you, and a byline with your name as it appears on your Google Plus profile.
- Actually, that’s pretty much it
My Authorship’s not showing up. What Gives?
It can take up to two weeks for Authorship to appear on articles. If, after the fourteen days it’s still not appearing, double-check your settings. If you’re still having issues, you might want to try adding a custom link in your ‘Contributor To’ section of your profile, and clicking on the ‘Add a URL’ button. Enter the address of your article or post, and save. If that still does not work, check the website it was published on.
Considering all the benefits, there’s no logical reason for you to avoid Authorship. It increases consumer trust in the content (and its associated brand), allows you to position you and the organization as an authority in your field, and increases your Sphere of Influence and reputation. As one of the most cost effective tactics in marketing, can you afford not to?
Jim Hedger
Jim Hedger is an organic SEO and digital marketing specialist. Jim has been involved in the online marketing industry since 1998 and a SEO since 1999. Best known as a broadcaster, interviewer, content writer and search industry commentator, Jim is a frequent conference speaker and organizer. He hosts the search focused radio show Webcology on WebmasterRadio.FM and is a WebmasterRadio.FM conference interviewer. Jim brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, passion and creative thinking to each project. Preferring a teamwork approach, Jim strives to inform and train his clients and their staff to run and maintain their own search and social media efforts.
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