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24 December 2013

Google Plus Authorship: Taking The Credit

Google Plus Authorship

Google Plus Authorship typewriter

Whilst using search engines especially Google you may have noticed that some of the results feature an image of the content’s author directly beneath the link. This is what is known as Authorship; being registered as the content’s official author. Google Plus Authorship is quickly becoming one of the most important elements of Google Plus.

This article explores ways in which a user can establish Authorship with Google Plus. In addition, providing an in-depth explanation of why Google Plus Authorship is in your company’s best interests will also be provided.

What is Google Plus Authorship?

Google Plus Authorship is the process of linking an author’s image and their Google Plus profile to an article or blog post they have written. This component appears when the article or articles appear in Google’s search results.  Authorship is fast becoming one of the best ways in which to establish your brand’s name whilst also promoting content.

The positive psychological effects of Authorship were demonstrated in a 2009 Neilson study. The study demonstrated that people were found to be much less sceptical of content if they could see that it came from a known source, such as a friend. The study demonstrated that 41% of those surveyed had faith in search engine results. However the same sample group were found to trust a friend’s recommendation 90% of time. This level of trust is far greater than the results for television (64%), branded websites (70%) and branded sponsorship (62%). Due to the increased levels of spam and spun content on the internet, users are becoming increasingly sceptical. Authorship is an excellent tool to combat this scepticism whilst also increasing the trust users have in your brand and your company’s overall reach.

Why does Google Plus Authorship matter?

Google Plus Authorship has attracted a large amount of interest since its introduction on the social media platform. This means that it is becoming increasingly important for you to establish your own Google Plus Authorship. As Authorship continues to grow, so too will the competition for search engine based recognition. It is in your best interest to register for Authorship for the following reasons:

Using Google Plus Authorship as a tool to establish yourself as an individual who produces fresh and good quality content not only improves your site’s success, it also enables users to discover more of your content

As search engine rankings continue to place a greater precedence on quality content, it is becoming increasingly important to ensure that you are producing content which is both relevant and of value to users. When producing content, keeping the needs of your readers in mind is essential. Providing users with content which is genuinely useful means that they are far more likely to share your content.

The process of sharing your work and content provides both you and your site with organic links

Authorship provides users with a far greater chance of discovering more of your content. In addition, when users opt to click on the author’s name they will be directed to the author’s Google Plus page, which displays links to other content. This process creates a greater number of inbound links to your sites.

Increasing your following on Google Plus drastically increases your reach and sphere of influence

If users like your content they are far more likely to follow you. This is beneficial in a number of ways. Increasing the number of people who follow you increases the chance that their Circles of contacts will in turn be exposed to your content. This increases your overall reach. When you gain a large number of followers who trust your content and opinions you also gain a far greater sphere of influence over other users.

How to create Authorship on your account:

In order to establish Google Plus Authorship for your account it is imperative that both your profile and website are prepared. The next section explains how to prep booth your account and website.

How to prep your account:

  1. It is important that your profile picture is a clear headshot of you. If this is not the case it should be rectified prior to setting up Authorship.
  2. Set your profile visibility options to public. Your visibility options can be found in the “About” section. Simply put, Authorship will not work unless your profile is visible.
  3. Go to the “About” section and verify your email address. You can easily discern if your email address is verified, by the small checkmark icon which will appear in the right hand side. If your email address is not verified, a “verify” link is provided. Simply click on the link and follow the instructions provided.

Alternatively:

Go to the following link: https://plus.google.com/authorship. Once here you can verify your account via your email address. This method is simple, enter your address into the provided field in order to link your content to your Google Plus account. This is the easiest way for users to verify their content, especially for users who are not familiar with the complexities of coding.

How to prep your content:

Prepping your content is simple and can be done quickly. Ensure that there is a clear photo of you and a tagline with your name as it appears on Google Plus.

Google Plus Authorship why is it not showing up

Why is my Authorship not showing up?

Authorship does not necessarily appear immediately on articles. The process can take up to two weeks. However if Authorship is still not appearing after fourteen days it is worth going and rechecking your settings. If the problems continue it may be worth adding a link to your “Contributor To” section of your Google Plus profile. Ensure that you also click on the “Add a URL” button. Enter the address of your content and then save. If problems still persist it may be due to the website which the content was published on. Due to the overwhelming benefits which Authorship provide there is no reason to avoid it. Authorship is fast becoming one of the most cost effective marketing tactics currently in use.  In addition, Authorship increases the levels of trust which users have in content, provides you with a means of positioning your organisation as an authority within your field, whilst also dramatically increasing your sphere of influence and reach.