Do Authorship Images Live On? Search Engine Land Says Yes, Now Google Say No
Image Source: searchengineland.com
Google is the ultimate everything on the Internet, from search engine to social media, they seem to have something for everything. It was no surprise that Google Authorship was a huge hit when first introduced. It held the promise of handing overdue credit to every business or individual who authored a piece of content on the web. It became the way to build credibility and authority while also impacting search engine optimization in a positive way. And then…it changed.
Google made a major change to Authorship. In a nutshell, one of the most coveted features of Authorship went away: the Authorship picture that displayed in search engine results. In a massive update, Google removed this feature, leaving the lowly grey clickable name feature to stand-alone. A lot of us were disappointed, and quite a few of us were out for blood.
Authorship Is Alive
In a battery of stormy outrage, something got lost in the translation and people started to believe Authorship had bit the dust. On the contrary, Authorship was still very much alive and kicking. The real change was that only credible and real authors would be able to acquire it going forward. Simply put, it became a pedestal to strive for, something not within everyone’s grasp. In yet another effort to provide the best possible content in response to user searches, Google made is necessary for authors to publish well-researched, well-written content on an ongoing basis.
Authorship Images Live On
Say what?!? I know, it’s hard to believe. I had to take a second to calm my nerves as I read the latest update by Aaron Friedman of Search Engine Land. But the image connected to Google’s Authorship did, indeed, stay! Yes, Google did remove these images, but only from external sites.
What exactly does this mean? It means the social network so often referred to as a ghost town is now super important! Loyal users have been claiming that G+ is no ghost town, and if you didn’t believe it before, you better believe it now. Google Plus just got a lot more important!
Learn To Love Google Plus
This revelation is huge because it means that Google Plus is here to stay, and it’s a social media outlet you simply must learn to love. G+ posts sporting author images are still appearing regularly within search results for logged-in users.
Now, even Friedman observes that no one knows if this is intentional, something Google missed, or a clever way of drawing attention to and encouraging more G+ use. Regardless of the why, the what is obvious. In our quest to bring the most amount of exposure to ourselves and our clients, Google Plus is becoming more and more useful and worthwhile.
If you Google Plus your blog posts, your authorship image will show! If not, no image. At the end of the day, whether logged in to G+ or not, Google profiles are ranking well on search engine result pages. Therefore, if you aren’t already using Google, it’s time to start.
Not another Profile!
Oh, yes! It’s yet another profile primed for the reception of awesome content. At this point in social media marketing, you might be feeling just a tad overwhelmed. I mean, you’re already coming up with content for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and that’s just naming the popular social networks. Then you’ve got platforms like Medium springing up. It’s like a never-ending attack of spawning platforms! Solution? Hire the best defense with an offensive mindset: a social media manager.
Now, whether you have a social media manager right now or are out to find one, it’s your responsibility to ensure that they are including G+ in all activities. If you post across multiple platforms, get Hootsuite—it’ll simplify the process and make this entire media muddle a lot less muddy. But don’t forget to make sure G+ is included!
The ‘Ghost Town’ Isn’t Filled With Tumbleweeds Anymore
We can’t deny the negativity that has surrounded Google’s social network. Even Marketing Land referred to it as a “social referral graveyard.” Regardless of whether you’ve held to the opinion of G+ being a tumbleweed infested ghost town or a graveyard, there’s no doubt that G+ is becoming a staple of social media and Internet marketing. You just can’t afford not to use it and use it actively.
While it’s too early to tell exactly what factors are ranking posts on Google’s network, it’s not too early to see that Google+ just became a lot more important to content and social marketing campaigns. It is now in your best interests to build a strong presence on Google’s social network. If you’re looking for ranking assets, then it’s time to start posting on G+ and share it publicly with your network of connections.