Author Rank

What Happened to Google Authorship?

by SEO Savvy October 29th, 2014

As you may know, Google announced at the end of August that Google Authorship would be no longer. For many content creators and online marketers, this may not come as a surprise: Of the 50 most influential social media marketers, only 30% actually used Google Authorship, according to Forbes. So it’s safe to assume that very few were affected now that Google has pulled the plug on their Authorship experiment. However, it may be worth taking a look at what happened, and where things went wrong.

What was Google Authorship?

Authorship was, in fact, somewhat of an experiment by Google—like most things in the Internet era. Google began its Authorship project officially in 2011, though its roots stretch back to 2007 with the Agent Rank program. Essentially, Google wanted to be able to link different pieces of content under the digital signature of one author. That way, new pieces of content could be ranked based on an author’s legitimacy, and an author’s ranking would be factored into search engine results.

The idea was a good one, but there wasn’t really a way to link content to authors until 2011, when Google unveiled its Google+ markup formula. Perhaps the end of Google Authorship isn’t due to lack of intention but poor application. One reason that so few content marketers actually used Google Authorship may be that it was complicated and cumbersome to link content back to a Google+ author page. Search Engine Land wrote an entire post outlining the three different methods of becoming a verified author on Google+ and the process was often arduous. If so many web creators grew tired while trying to utilize Google Authorship, then threw in the towel at the amount of effort it required, it was probably a sign that something wasn’t working.

The Beginning of the End

Google Authorship, in the end, failed for two reasons, as explained by the company’s John Mueller: 1) low user rates by webmasters and authors, and 2) low value for searchers. Google authors were allotted a profile photo next to their article in search results, which many of you may have noticed in the last couple of years. This was meant to increase visibility and click-through rates based on author ranking, but the author photo actually posed some problems.

You see, Google now receives about half of all its traffic from mobile devices. Google Authorship, depended upon the use of mobile-unfriendly author headshots, wasn’t feasible when so much of Google’s traffic comes from smart phones. Author photos just didn’t translate well to handheld devices. In fact, when Google first announced that it was going to start removing images from Authorship results back in June, the desire to unify the experience across mobile and desktop devices was one of the stated reasons behind the move. Furthermore, Google recently stated that author photos didn’t increase click-through rates as hoped.

The Future of Authorship

The most important point to bear in mind about Google Authorship’s demise is that the problem was in the execution, not the idea itself. The notion that certain people are more qualified to produce content on certain topics than others is self-evident. Google took an ambitious shot at making this idea a part of their search model, and it just didn’t work out. This shouldn’t suggest that Google or anyone else has given up on authorship as an idea. Someone just needs to come up with a more elegant way of implementing that idea. What that new way will look like is anybody’s guess.

Google Authorship was just another in a long list of projects that the company has done away with unceremoniously. It wasn’t the first, and it certainly won’t be the last. For now, as ever, creating quality content is still the best way to get noticed online.

How to Use Google Authorship for Better Online Marketing

by SEO Savvy July 8th, 2014

Google is on a mission to discover the best content on the web that’s been created by true subject matter authorities. Brands can leverage content marketing to increase brand recognition in online search, delivering the right content, at the right time, to the right customer. One possible solution for this is Google Authorship.

What exactly is Google Authorship? It’s more than a byline; it’s one of the fastest ways for companies to increase traffic to their site, increase click-thru rates, build brand awareness, and improve lead generation. It’s also part of Google’s ongoing push to eliminate duplicate or spam content while pushing its search algorithm to become more social media oriented. Google Authorship increases credibility, which is key to landing more clicks. In fact, Google Authorship can increase click-thru-rates from 30% to a whopping 150%, according to Internet Marketing Incorporated.

While 65% of companies say they are actively incorporating Google Authorship into their current content marketing strategy – according to CopyPress – many of these same companies are unsure how to go about using the service to its full potential. Here’s are our suggestions:

#1: Google Authorship is your “digital signature.”

Google Authorship is a way for Google to show the author of the content in question next to his/her content in search results. Rather than just showing the article title, the search results will also show the author’s name and link to his or her Google+ profile. Google used to also display photos, but they’ve recently done away with this. Google Authorship also includes the number of G+ circles the author is in along with a link to more search results for the Author.

Knowing this, you should be utilizing your Google+ profile, if only to boost your credibility. While it may not seem like a good use of your time to interact on here when you could be reaching more users on Facebook and Twitter, keep in mind that Google+ is the fifth most popular social media site at present, and the benefits related to Google Authorship are worth a little bit of time each week. At the very least, make sure your profile is up-to-date, including your most recent information, and showcases you as a professional.

#2: Your Author Rank may impact the placement of your content in search results.

While Google has yet to formally make a statement on the specific role of Author Rank, we know that the more social activity your articles receive (i.e., the more re-shares, clicks and +1s), the more of an authority you will be seen as. Other factors that can impact Author Rank may include engagement on G+, authority on other platforms, comments, and inbound links. Most critically, Author Rank allows Google to remember the authority and credibility that you have built as an author, which is separate from the authority of a personal blog or company website.

Bottom line: Google Authorship can help your business supercharge its content marketing strategy. To do this, remember that Google Authorship is all about building credibility through relationships. Become a thought leader by harnessing your company’s internal knowledge and putting a face and a name to this knowledge.