client knowledge base

Setting up Google Authorship

18th March 2013

Where Google puts your website in its search results is based on hundreds of factors. These were related to ranking the web page. Things like:

  • Keywords/search terms in the page's content.

  • Unique and good quality content.

  • Other respectable websites linking to your site.

Using these factors Google was assessing your page's "authority". 

Google has since added another factor. Authorship Authority. This taps in to your social media engagment. How far your content reaches across the web.

You may have noticed in search results lately, pictures of people appearing near result links. See an example above.

As you would expect these results are seen more favourably by customers and they tend to be clicked more. So establishing your Authorship will help your content appear in searches and when they do help them get clicked. 

How do I set up Google Authorship?

Google uses it Google+ platform to achieve this.

  1. Set up a Google+ page. With a profile picture and some information.

  2. Go to https://plus.google.com/authorship and verify your email.

  3. On your Google+ page add your website to the "Contributor to" section. See photo above.

  4. Include an author reference on all your articles. For example "By David Carse" or "Author – David Carse"

  5. Link your name to your Google+ page.

  6. Add the variable rel="author" to these links. 

Thats it, you are done. You content is now connected to your Google+ page. Google will now use this relationship to educate its search results.

Now what?

You can now take steps to increase your influence and author authority. Develop your presence on Google+. Interact, share your knowledge, help people out. The more interaction the greater your authority. Include the +1 button on your articles, as in the picture above.

In the same way you wanted your website to be a authority on your industry, you now can be seen as an authority yourself.

My websites objective was a regional NSW web design company servicing local towns. Now my Google+ page can assert my web design authority and help out.

See how you are going

The structured data testing tool lets you check your markup and see how you look in search results. Select Author from the drop down, paste in a url to your article, click preview.

If you need any assistance in getting started, please contact us today.??