How to Strengthen SEO Using Google Authorship

You may have heard the term “Google Authorship” lately, but wondered what it the world it means. Can it help my SEO, and if so, how? I’ve heard these questions a lot from my clients recently and thought I’d use our blog to help shed light on the topic.

What is Google Authorship?

Authorship is a tool or technique that promotes legitimate content written by credible authors. It capitalizes on Google’s new algorithm that was designed to sort the wheat from the chaff and place the good content at the top of the SERP. Using its new algorithm, Google can tell that an actual human being wrote the article or post you’re reading (like this one, for example). Google Authorship is your digital signature, so to speak.

So now who you are is as important as what you write—better positioning you as an expert in your area of interest.

How Do I Use It? Google+ Is the Key

Authorship requires a Google+ page, which is easy to set up. Why use Google+? Simple Business 101: Google wants you to use its platforms. Using this one will attract more attention from Google, which, let’s face it, is the god of the search engine universe.

Once you’ve set up your page, the steps to establishing authorship are relatively simple:

1. Create an “about the author” byline that contains your picture, name, title and area of interest or expertise. For example: James Ussery is CEO of Machus Corp., a white label online marketing provider, with expertise in Web design, SEO and Web applications.

This will be a boilerplate you will use in every piece of online content you write.

2. Add rel=”author” markup to your byline. This automatically links the content you create on other sites to your Google+ page.

Google provides a 21-digit code in your profile URL. Place that number and your name in the following code:

[your name]

3. Insert the amended code in your name at the beginning of your byline using a hyperlink. Then test it to make sure it works.

How Will This Increase My SEO?

Through higher click-through rates. First of all, studies have proven that, at least on the SERP, a picture truly is worth a thousand words. Our eyes are drawn to images first, then text. So if your picture is next to every link of your content, you’re likely to get at least one click.

But that’s not all. One of the ways to establish whose content is better than another’s is by monitoring how long users stay on your page. If a user clicks on the link and then bounces back, Google judges it to be less worthy and will rank it accordingly. But if a user stays on that link for say two minutes or more, Google will see that page of content—and its author—worthy of higher rank.

And it gets even better: If the reader stays on your page of content for a good chunk of time and then clicks back to the Search Engine Results Page, Google will provide even more links to other content you’ve created so they can read more of your stuff.

And if that’s not reason enough to establish Google Authorship for yourself and your trusted employees, I don’t know what is.

James Ussery is CEO of Machus Corp., a white label online marketing provider, with expertise in Web design, SEO and Web applications.

Author Bio:

Machus Corp., A technology solutions company based in Coppell, Texas, provides SEO services , Search Engine Optimization , Internet Marketing Services, Pay Per Click, Web Design and Development Services.