What Google Authorship Means for SEO

62 thoughts on “What Google Authorship Means for SEO”

1. Thanks Stuart, I thought that rel=author will just give me a mug shot on the search engines but now I know that this gives me more than just good seo. But, I am doing it differently though in my wordpress blog. I use plug in for authorship, is that ok? Do I get the same benefit still?
   Alice Cornelios recently posted..Are You Running Out of Ideas to Blog?

2. Hi Justin,
   That’s an interesting question. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen author profiles in the Google search results from posts in forums. I’ll keep an eye out for that in the future. Meanwhile, maybe some else here knows the answer to that.
   Sherryl Perry recently posted..Sitizens Online Social Game – My Top Referral Traffic Source

3. Thanks for the article these while seeing in search I am confused and I do not know how name and face image of the author or website is published. Now I come to know that it is very simple I will implement right to my website.Thanks for writing in very simple English.

   1. Hi Vandhana,
      Thanks for letting us know that you found Stuart’s post easy to read. I personally strive to write in English not Geek. 🙂 Good luck with getting your Google Authorship to work. If you encounter problems, I replied below to Heather with the solution that worked for me. I hope to write a follow-up post on authorship that’s more of a how-to article to compliment this one.
      Sherryl Perry recently posted..4 Basic Steps to Better Blogging, Better Branding and More Business

4. So I guess I am a little lost on this subject and need to research it more. So your article and others seems to suggest putting up the rel: author tag on each article on your website. However through google plus you can accomplish the same thing with 100 people following you in your circle and signing up for their authorship.I am not much to adding code so the google method really works. Am I mistaken?ThanksWayne Melton

   1. Hi Wayne,
      There is a lot of confusion surrounding this topic but it’s really more straightforward than people think. Once you set up Google Authorship and you configure it into your WordPress blog, it’s done and you don’t have to worry about it again. The rel author tag will automatically be assigned to the articles on that blog.

      If you were to start writing for another blog, you would just add that blog to your profile. As for the relationship of Google+ in all this, it’s simply a matter of setting up your profile. You don’t have to be active on Google+ for this to work.

      Thanks for letting me know that you still feel a little lost on this subject. It’s become clear to me that I need to delve into this a little deeper in another blog post.
      Sherryl Perry recently posted..How to Change a WordPress Theme and Keep your SEO Meta Tag Data

5. I work at a SEO company and I couldn’t agree more with your article. Staying on top of Google algorithm changes is crucial, and it seems like they’re somehow getting even sneakier about their updates. :/
   Jennifer recently posted..NYC’s Supervillan Gold Vault Escaped Sandy’s Wrath

   1. Hi Jennifer,
      I think there’s a lot written about the different algorithm changes that Google makes. The challenge is trying to keep up with them. Bottom line, I think what’s most important for bloggers is to write fresh relevant content that resonates with readers. Optimize it the best you can for the keyword phrases that you want to be found for but remember that we’re writing for humans not bots.
      Sherryl Perry recently posted..How to Change a WordPress Theme and Keep your SEO Meta Tag Data

6. I love seeing my image next to articles on search, but I have to say that I haven’t noticed any increase in traffic for any of my blogs since it started showing up. Maybe I need to figure out how to look like a supermodel. lol
   Mitch Mitchell recently posted..Are You An Online Troll?

   1. Mitch,
      In the past few months, I’ve been noticing a significant increase in organic search traffic. Now, I may just be getting better at SEO but I attribute at least part of it to setting up Google Authorship.

      I know it’s not scientific but I just did a quick analysis of my GA based on the period when I first set up the rel=author (July 20th) compared to the prior time period. The number of visits that I received from organic searches has increased by 95%. I’m sure there are other contributing factors but I didn’t consciously make any significant changes to my SEO strategy. Maybe changes to Google’s algorithm actually helped me. What do you think?
      Sherryl Perry recently posted..How to Change a WordPress Theme and Keep your SEO Meta Tag Data

      1. It could be changes in other things. The reason I don’t think it’s the authorship is that around the same time on one of my blogs, I’m Just Sharing to be precise, I was also approved for authorship, and I was running an experiment on posting times. And my traffic didn’t increase in any significant numbers during that period at all, either with the authorship or the test.
         Mitch Mitchell recently posted..Posting Times – The Experiment

         1. A lot of it may just be good content that’s well written and optimized. When I took another look at which articles are getting the most views, I found that 4 of the top 10 articles on my blog were written by guest bloggers. I set up guest bloggers as authors. So, authorship is not having an affect on them.

            Anyways, I’m very happy with the growth in organic search traffic and I’m done trying to analyze it any more (at least for now). The good news is that by taking a deeper look at the content, I found which guest posts are doing well. (BTW – I was debating whether or not to continue accepting guest posts.)
            Sherryl Perry recently posted..How to Change a WordPress Theme and Keep your SEO Meta Tag Data

7. From the standpoint of a reader, I think Google Authorship has changed the way I look for content. I have already added quite a few bloggers to G+ circle and of late I check their blogs for any updates first and then go browsing on the search engine. I am finding more valuable content and thankfully, sites that repeat the same content are being kept off my search list. Thanks for sharing this Stuart.

   1. Hi Joseph,
      Thanks for letting us know that you enjoyed Stuart’s post. I appreciate the Google Authorship myself. There are so many bloggers who I recognize and trust now that it’s almost a relief to recognize their profile pics in the search results. There are certain people who I know I can count on to provide valuable, accurate information. So, often, it saves me time when I’m searching for a resource.

      Thanks for weighing in on this topic.
      Sherryl Perry recently posted..Are You Using Google AdWords for Pay Per Click Advertising?

8. It’s nice to see that your are trying to let people know of the advantages of having Google authorship. For many people, I think it hasn’t quite sunk in just how big of a deal this is. It could be your ticket to making a good online reputation.

   1. Megan, you are so right. I think only a small percentage of people are using it and know the benefits.

9. Hi Stuart, Google Authorship does mean that your ranking on a search engine will go up. It means more people will read your content, more traffic will be attracted to your site and more people will subscribe to you. Thanks for sharing this. I hope more bloggers will take advantage of Google Authorship.

   1. It really helps with CTR and branding both from a personal and company stand point.

10. Hey Sherryl, thanks for posting this. I think Google Authorship is one of the best things that could have happened to the blogging world. A blogger can gain a lot of online reputation through this. He can also get the credit he deserves for the hardwork put in to make his posts authorship worthy. Thanks Stuart for sharing this with us.

11. Hi Stuart and Sherryl, Thank you for sharing this post with us. I think a lot of people are not yet aware of what Google Authorship can do for bloggers in terms of page ranking, upsurge of traffic and also in terms of giving authors an online reputation. The readers are also benefiting as they get to see the most relevant content according to their search and can get much more to browse through because of Google Authorship.

    1. You bring up a great point. It is increasing the user experience and users are able to find related content via the authors.

12. Hi Stuart, Great post. I set my Google Authorship just recently and I have seen an upsurge in traffic. The number of views has increased so have the comments. And mind you, these are not generic comments. Most of these people have a lot of inputs that make the post better and the conversation more meaningful. I am not really active on Google Plus but I’m sure if I check that profile now, I’ll see an increase in the number of people who have added me to their circle. Just goes to show how authorship is helping both bloggers and readers.

    1. Yes! Great example of how it’s done right. I know when I first implemented it we saw an decent increase in our CTR. Evey little bit helps.

13. It sounds interesting, but how do you add yourself as an author on google?
    Heather recently posted..Big Bangles

    1. I tried watching the video but the first few minutes the speaker just talked about how important he was, and videos just take forever to upload. I much prefer reading about how to do something new as its faster and easier to understand.
       Your article discusses the benefits of google authorship, but is very vague on how to actually do it. I find so much of google is like that. It’s incredibly confusing unless you know what you’re doing, if you don’t you’re stuck watching endless videos and reading tutorials.

       1. Heather,
          It can be confusing to verify Google Authorship and get the Rel=Author tag to work. I attempted writing an article for my blog explaining how to go about this (and I abandoned it). The problem is that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution because there are so many different themes and plugins that can cause something to go awry.

          I tried one solution that sent me down a course where I was encountering errors verifying my authorship on Google. I found the solution that worked for me here: http://dempseymarketing.com/relauthor-plugin-for-wordpress/. Not only has Robert Dempsey created a plugin, he walks you through it step-by-step. Hopefully, it will work for you. (If it doesn’t, let me know and I’ll try to find you another solution.)

          BTW – In most cases, I prefer reading a succinct tutorial over watching a video too.

          1. Thank you Sherryl! That’s really helpful. I’m glad I’m not the only one that finds Google impossibly confusing.
             Heather recently posted..A Convertible Bag by Skinny Vinny

             1. Hi Heather,
                Thanks for letting me know that you found that link helpful. Being able to write well and make it easy for someone to tap into a tool like Google author is a real talent. There are lots of articles on how to do this but (as I mentioned above) it is not a one-size-fits all solution. The good news is that once you get it to work, you can forget about it and move on to the next challenge. 🙂

14. I have heard about this of late. I appreciate how you explain what it is and how it could be of benefit to a blogger like me. My next steps are now to figure out how maximize the opportunity this represents.
    Susan Cooper recently posted..Guest Post by Patrick Huff – Bitches Brew: Beer

15. i am not a SEO expert but i think Google authorship is good for click through, anyway Stuart McHenry the video is great it explained every thing in such a short time thanks for this great post and keep up the good work…

    1. Yes, Chris Countey gave a great presentation on Authorship and it really makes it easy for people to understand.

16. I have never heard of google authorship and look forward to investigating further. This blog has been one of the best places to pick up helpful information about maximizing blogging and web presence!

    1. You must go and implement it as soon as possible. It will increase your CTR and to be honest… having your picture in the Google results is kinda cool.

17. It\’s a great idea to have a real author tag due to the weight it carries in Google authorship and author rank there is a possibility that it might become an important part in Google page rank algorithm.

    1. Andreas, you are correct. Once Google starts getting more and more people using it I’m sure they will use the signal more for ranking purposes of a page.

18. I think Google Authorship is a great way to get maximum attention to yourself as an author. Also, you can target quality audience via authorship. From the point of view of a reader too, it has great benefits. You can look up the various articles written by the author and also get a better understanding of the knowledge area and the quality of articles of the author by checking other articles as well as followers of the author.

    1. Google does make this so easy. You can click on a link next to the author image in the SERPS that will then show all the posts by that person.

19. I still have to get this done and I can see benefits. The funny thing is when I see someone’s picture I think they have a video rather than an article. Stuart, I know you said there was a higher click through. Are there any studies that show this result and if it leads to sales or subscriptions etc?
    Susan Oakes recently posted..Do You Use Simplicity For Competitive Advantage?

20. Agree with you that it is a good idea to have a real author tag. Did it recently and if I search on articles already published it works. Published another post about an hour ago. When I search on it my photo is not yet next to it. So it seems it takes a while for it to work:-)

    It’s too early to tell how much impact it has on the amount of clicks I get.
    Catarina recently posted..Are you bilingual and have overcome adversity?

    1. Often, it’s difficult to pinpoint the impact that a change like this makes but I have noticed a significant increase in my organic search traffic since I implemented Google Authorship. It certainly has to help brand you and build awareness of your blog. There are still so many people who haven’t implemented this yet that I think those of us that have really stand on on the search result pages.
       Sherryl Perry recently posted..Is Cloud Computing Safe for Your Business?

    2. There are other factors as well. If there are too many pictures already shown in a specific search I’ve noticed that they only show 2-4 of them and leave a few out. Plus, if one is already yours they usually won’t show a 2nd one.

21. Hi Stuart and Sherryl,
    I agree about the importance of Google Authorship and Author Rank. I feel that eventually this will become a part of the Google Page Rank algorithm also.
    I recently took part in a panel discussion on the topic over on Google + and some interesting questions came to the surface as a result. One thing that Google wants is for people to use a head shot in their profile pic. If you are using a logo or a cartoon, it won’t to through. I think Google is using some type of recognition software for this.

    Thanks for bringing up the topic!

    1. Hi Ileane,
       It’s great to see you here. Thanks for the link to the article about your workshop. That will be a good resource for some of the readers here.

       That’s an interesting point about Google wanting head-shots rather than logos or cartoons. There is always something going on with Google and their search algorithms. Have you ever heard anything about the value of sticking with the same profile pic? I’ve been hesitant to change mine because I feel so many people recognize me that I might lose them if I changed it.
       Sherryl Perry recently posted..How Start Ups Can Benefit From Geo-Targeting

       1. I did actually see a cartoon or logo in google search today yet. Maybe a few slip through yet. Most of what I do see are head shots. I have been using my little logo image for several years and I am just not ready to use a head shot even if it means less exposure. One of these days I may do it.

          I think selecting a good image and using the same one consistently is the route to go. I know I get used to seeing a familiar face and if it were to change it would take me a while to realize it’s the same person. It would depend on how much it changed though.
          Ray recently posted..Facebook vs. Google

          1. Ray – Ana Hoffman had similar concerns when she changed her profile pic recently. She let her readers choose from two different images and now she even has the new one showing on her blog header. I know this was a huge deal for her since everyone was familiar with the old look of Traffic Generation Cafe. But she agreed that changing the profile pic was partially responsible for getting her Google Authorship. The other thing she did was change her settings on Thesis to “index” her author page.
             Ileane recently posted..How to Use Pinterest to Drive Traffic to Your Website

             1. Changing her settings on Thesis to “index” her author page? Thanks for the tip. I’ll do that right now!

          2. Ray,
             We’ve been sharing each others content for a while now and I have certainly grown to recognize your Gravatar. Having said that, I try to check my new Twitter followers daily to follow back those who I feel are legitimate people (not spammers or spambots for example). I have to admit that if I’m really strapped for time, I sometimes skip over the profiles that have logos for their profile pic. Obviously, I found and followed you but it may have been because your shared one of my posts.

       2. Sherryl, it’s fine to change it as long as it’s a front facing headshot. Here’s what I would do – change it on Gravatar and Twitter first before changing it on Google + That way, even if Google has a “human” algorithm they will see that it’s really you! 🙂
          Ileane recently posted..5 Free Google Tools That Everyone Should Be Using

          1. I’ve learned 2 thing from you today Ileane. 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to come back and answer my question. I’m sure a lot of readers here will appreciate what you’ve added to the conversation.

22. I don’t know about SEO, but I know that Google Authorship has improved my clickthrough from Google. People see your image and are automatically drawn to clicking the link next to it.

    1. Ian,
       Thanks for letting us know that using Google Authorship has improved your clickthrough rate. I agree that people who recognize you, are more apt to click on your link in the search results than that of someone who they don’t know. It’s all part of the name/brand recognition that we’re striving for.

    2. Yes, our click through rate on blog has dramatically increased. It’s great for those of us utilizing it.

23. Hi Sherryl and Stuart

    I first noticed my Google Authorship picture about 4 months ago in Google search. I just had to double check that it was still there before reading this article. I have noticed a sudden rise in my G+ followers but I have no idea if it is just a random thing. Or if it is down to my new Authorship status. I suppose only time will tell.
    Paul Profitt recently posted..3 Myths About Traffic That You Should Not Believe

    1. Hey Paul!

       I believe my followers are coming from the SERPS. Plus studies have shown that the picture helps with CTR in a huge way.

    2. Hi Paul,
       I’ve noticed a rise in my organic search traffic since I’ve set Google authorship up. I’ll have to check my G+ followers. I maintain a presence on G+ but I confess that I’m not as active on there as I should be.

       1. Hi Sherryl

          My organic search traffic has gone down by roughly 20% since I’ve set Google authorship up. But my referral and direct traffic have both gone up by about 10% each. So I now have a much more even spread of my traffic sources.
          Paul Profitt recently posted..Why Does Affiliate Marketing Suck?

          1. Paul, Don’t you suspect that the drop in traffic may be due to Google’s recent algorithm changes? You don’t think it’s related to setting up Google authorship do you?

             1. Hi Sherryl I’m not sure if Google’s recent algorithm change had anything to do with my traffic stats. If it has, then I thank them. Because it means that I now, don’t have to be so dependent on Google for my traffic.
                Paul Profitt recently posted..Why Does Affiliate Marketing Suck?

                1. We all need to be less dependent on Google Paul. Thanks for the reminder. 🙂

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