I remember those days… the good ol’ days of G+ Authorship.
Your picture would show up next to your website/blog, if you set it up correctly, like mine did:
A Little Google Authorship Background
Introduced in 2011, Google Authorship was a service that allowed for the connection of multiple pieces of content with a single author. The idea behind it was to provide a sort of scoring system by which authors could be ranked based on their authority and trust signals. This, in turn, would allow Google users to find content that had been written by the same writer and would help that writer establish legitimacy and credibility.
Although it was introduced as a shining star that would allow writers to stake claim to their own content, it was a short-lived affair. After an extensive series of changes, Google pulled Authorship support from its services in August 2014,, although it threw audiences a loop by telling them to keep Authorship source code alive.
That left many SEOs wondering if Authorship was coming back and, if so, when?
To answer that question, let’s take a look back at the past.
Why Google Authorship Died
When Google pulled support for Authorship, webmaster John Mueller stated that there were two main reasons that Authorship was chopped.
Those reasons were as follows:
Low adoption rates
To put this simply, people simply weren’t using Authorship. Google caught on to this the first year Authorship was launched and, by 2012, Google had made attempts at auto-attribution that would allow content to be attributed to its rightful author even if that author didn’t participate in the Authorship platform. Immediately thereafter, however, it became clear that mis-attribution had become a problem. It was such a problem, in fact, that the service attributed Truman Capote (then dead for 28 years) as the author of a New York Times article. Whoops!
Minimal value to users
In its original inception, Google Authorship didn’t perform and the Google team noticed that the service was producing little difference in click behavior on Authorship and non-Authorship pages. This, combined with the service’s mis-attribution problems, were enough to bury it in a shallow grave in 2014.
Is Google Authorship Coming Back?
Despite its original failings, Google seemed to have a soft spot for Authorship and the team provoked much curiosity when they killed Authorship but told audiences to leave the authorship source code live.
Some people, when asked if Google Authorship is coming back, would argue that Authorship never actually went away. Sure, the author images disappeared from the SERP’s but Google has never stopped their mission to interconnect information.
Since Google seems increasingly hesitant to confirm updates, however, it seems unlikely that they’re going to say anything definitive about Google Authorship until it’s here, or not.
Conclusion
The one thing we can say is that Google Authorship seemed like a promising service. Although it ran into its fair share of trouble in the beginning, it’s not impossible to imagine that the Google search team may choose to resuscitate the platform and use a renewed version of Authorship to do everything from determine author rank to displaying in depth articles in SERPs.
Until we receive further clarification from Google, though, all we can do is wait and wonder.
We’ve really had the run-around on Authorship, thanks to Google’s ever-changing brain. Just when we thought all that hype was only that, we hear that Google has killed it. Completely. In terms of Authorship, this should be your thought now: nada.
I can hear the sound of flags being lowered to half-mast across the globe. Perhaps writers are stirring their lattes sadly, with a teary expression on their face. At times like this, it’s right to spend a moment in reflection. Right, reflection time is over. Let’s have a look at the death of Google Authorship, its causes, and the implication it has for content writers.
Was Google Authorship A Step Too Far?
When Google announced its Authorship plans, it sounded too good to be true. Writers, through the use of rel=author tags, could use their articles, blogs and general brilliance to make themselves more visible, and increase their rankings on search engines. All the writer had to do was to mark up their content on their Google+ account, and leave the search engine wizards to do the rest. That’s easy, huh? Well, for many it wasn’t easy enough, and that’s why Authorship was doomed to fail.
The fact is that many writers are happiest when they’re tapping away at their computer keyboards, letting their fiendish brains take them on flights of fancy, sharing their wisdom with a waiting world. They want to complete their work, put it out there in cyberspace, and then forget about it. Anything that seems too ‘techy’ can see them run screaming to the hills.
The Google+ mark up scheme was simple to implement, but it was still too involved for some authors. As reported in Search Engine Land, a recent study by Stone Temple Consulting found that a remarkable 70% of authors made no attempt to mark their authorship on the content they were producing, and that many of them complained that the rel=author mark up system was too complex or time-consuming.
Why Did Google Create Authorship?
Believe it or not, there’s nothing that Google loves more than connecting its users with the content they want. They don’t spend their days trying to find new ways to move their parameters, or looking for new ways to make things more difficult for bloggers and writers. That’s just a by-product.
Google has said time and again that they want to promote high quality content, and they saw the Authorship scheme as a way to do this. If a writer consistently produces exciting and informative content, and had a track record of writing blogs and articles for leading sources, then it’s only right that they should be connected with the public. Google Authorship would reward writers who consistently created content that people wanted to read. That reward came in the form of enhanced search visibility, rather than a maxi-sized blueberry muffin, but it was still good.
Is that the only reason that Authorship was created, or was there another underlying cause? Some cynics may imagine that Google wanted to find another way to add value to its Google+ channel. Since its launch in 2011, Google+ has failed to slay the giant that is Facebook. If authors could increase their search rankings by using G+ more fully, then surely they’d interact with it more often, right? What do they say about the best laid plans of mice and men? That cheese has well and truly moved.
The Death of Google Authorship
The announcement was made to a less than shocked world on August 28th, when John Mueller of Google Webmaster Tools announced that Google Authorship was no more, it had ceased to be. It was an ex-scheme. So why did they carry out this technological infanticide?
Put simply, it wasn’t providing the advantage to searchers or writers that Google had hoped, because of the low take up. Google had attempted to address the problem by auto-attributing work, but this in itself caused problems when work was incorrectly attributed. Famously, they attributed a work to Truman Capote that was written nearly three decades after his death. Capote wouldn’t mind, he did, after all, often claim authorship of his friend Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, but it was symptomatic of the problems besetting Google Authorship.
The Importance of Blogging, Post-Authorship
It’s a fact that Authorship wasn’t used as much as it should have been, but to those who did use it, it was very helpful indeed. It was like getting a free popsicle from Google at the end of every day, and now they’ve snatched it away. So what can writers do to ensure that their content is still getting the attention it deserves on the SERP merry-go-round?
We all know that it’s impossible to second guess Google, or decipher their ever elusive algorithms. What we can, and must do, however, is to listen to what they’ve been sating to us over and over again. They want high quality content, not content that consists of meaningless backlinks with a few words to flesh them out.
We’ve lost the magic trick that was the Google Authorship program, but by concentrating on turning out informative and content rich blogs and articles, we can still maintain our content authority and reach a wide audience. Rest In Peace, Google Authorship, you’ll be sadly missed. But only by 30% of writers.
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.
In a nutshell, here’s what’s actually happening to Authorship. First—no, it isn’t completely gone; Authorship still exists. Secondly—yes, Google has made a major change to it, and yes, that means our Authorship pictures will be deleted over the next few days. And yes, that is quite a big deal.
What the $*&^, Google?
Really?! My profile image, linked to my Authorship from my G+ profile, is not going to appear in search results anymore?
It’s true. The announcement has been sourced from John Mueller, Google’s Webmaster Trends analyst. John shared an official support.google.com link an official G+ status, just days ago on June 25.
What’s happened is that the Authorship picture, which normally looks like:
…is now completely gone from SERPs. So is the listed amount of Google circles in the search results. Authorship is still there, but in the form of just a light grey clickable name:
Google News results are slightly different. Author profile pictures will still appear in News, but their G+ count is gone.
Basically, Mueller said that Google’s efforts in deleting Authorship is to improve the visual appearance and design of their SERPs overall…especially on mobile. Ah, mobile improvement! A straw we can grasp at in the overall disheartening picture of bye-bye Authorship pictures. He also basically stated that click-through really won’t change by removing the Authorship picture in SERPs.
(That is directly against the human nature—John, really? Seeing that little image next to a search result definitely influenced viewers to click that link. SearchEngineLand agreed, stating the Author picture led to more visibility and clickthroughs.)
In the official Google Support page about the huge change to Authorship, Google again claims it is only “helping users discover great content.” It also lists how to get Authorship going.
The REAL Reason Why
Wordstream authors did some internal research and discovered that Authorship clickthrough rates were taking away significantly–and interfering with–Google Adwords clickthroughs. By removing Authorship pictures, Google came up with a tidy little solution to their Adwords distraction–just delete them.
Now, Google denies that clickthrough distraction was the answer, but our talented Rand from Moz called them out on their BS:
I am frustrated @JohnMu saying that it will not cost CTR. Either Google lied about the increase in CTR with photos, or they're lying now.
The important takeaway is that Authorship still exists and is very strong and very much alive still (the Google Support page itself helps you get Authorship going, if you haven’t already).
But, only credible, real authors are going to be able to acquire Authorship, going forward. This isn’t a new thing. Google reduced their Authorship results just last December to only show “more authoritative authors”. The drop in Authorship across the board was big, with a lot of stagnant author profiles no longer being featured with their image in SERPs.
Simply put, Authorship is going on a pedestal. It’s not within everyone’s reach anymore. You need to publish well-researched content on an ongoing basis; and you need to interact on a regular basis in social media (this includes your G+ profile), so Google regards you as an author credible enough to grant Authorship status to (which they’ve now minimized to just a linkable name). Publishing high quality content for your niche that gives you an authority voice is crucial.
Ann Smarty, Internet marketing expert, also says that:
Authorship markups can now show up in results multiple times — instead of your headshot just showing up once, your author name will appear multiple times for multiple pages in one page of SERPs.
Google will look at Authorship asone more foothold for credibility when determining how to rank you.
Helpful Resources
View Google’s Support page with the official details on the Authorship change. Need to get some ideas on how to publish quality content? One of our blogs this year addressed how content is setting the Google trends (and talks about how you can publish that type of content); and in this SiteProNews piece, we addressed how to focus on quality content in line with Google’s new updates.
So, you’ve set up a Google+ account! Now you’re on your way to legitimacy in Google’s eyes. But you’re not there yet. That’s where Google Authorship comes in. A few years ago, Google created Authorship as part of its goal of showcasing their products in search results. Ever see some random person’s face in your search results? That’s Authorship. Like most Google products, it doesn’t take much to set up Authorship, so let’s walk through it. But first…
What is Google Authorship?
Let’s go back to open house at elementary school for a minute. Remember how excited you were to show your mom or dad your macaroni artwork hanging on the bulletin board? Filled with pride, you’d grab their hand and lead them closer for a better look, pointing up at your carb-loaded masterpiece, turning in anticipation of witnessing their reaction. Well, Google Authorship is sort of like that for grown-ups. And instead of your parents, it’s your peers and potential clients. Demian Farnworth of Copyblogger put it this way: “In essence, Google is saying … we want to make sure that you are a real human being … we want to stamp out anonymity and spam … we want to regard you as someone who is willing to put your name on the line for the content you create and share.”
Why Google Authorship?
Build Credibility
The big reason you want to be verified by Authorship is to build credibility with both users and Google’s search engine itself. And this makes both you and your website more reliable from Google’s point-of-view. In fact, Jayson DeMers of Huffington Post says in his complete guide to Google Authorship that, “It’s widely believed that Google Authorship is the first step toward verifying author identity, which will be used to calculate Author Rank, which I believe is the future of Google’s algorithm.” So, let’s say you’re a florist who publishes blogs fairly regularly on various topics about buying flowers. If someone’s husband searches for “best flowers for anniversary,” then Google will position you higher in the results based upon your positive rank and credibility. In other words, Google Authority helps users find those in-the-know and helps those in-the-know (and who go about setting up Authority properly but we’ll get to that in a minute) attract new fans and hopefully, new customers.
Increase Visibility
Remember how we said it’s important to have a good Google+ profile photo? Here’s one more important reason. Google Authorship helps your website get better click-through rates. Let’s go back to this hypothetical florist and the husband-in-need searching for “best flowers for anniversary.” When the husband presses SEARCH and sees the results, his eye is going to go to the result with a picture, specifically your picture, beside it. It’s widely accepted and proven that Internet users engage more with posts and pages with captivating images (more on this later). Once they click on your link, they can then be exposed to more of what you and your website have to say. But like we said above, you’ve got to tag things correctly to get the full benefit of Google Authorship.
Diversify Authority
What’s great to keep in mind about all this Author Ranking within Google Authorship is that you’re not cornered into being an authority on one topic. Back to the florist analogy, you don’t have to be the go-to for just “flowers.” You could also be an expert in “gifts for women” or “orchids.” Author Rank breaks things down into categories when determining who the authorities are. So, don’t feel limited. However, that doesn’t mean you should try to grab up all the topics you can think of. Try to focus on only two or three topics as an author.
Avoid The Copycats
If you’re the original author of your blog and you properly use Authorship markup (tagging), then your blog post is pushed to the top of a user’s search results. This will further convince users of your authority and other authors are no longer able to capitalize on your hard work.
How to Set Up Google Authorship
The first thing you need to do is determine who all on your staff will be submitting blog posts for your website. Whoever they may be, they all need to set up individual Google+ accounts with their individual Gmail accounts to participate in Authorship. According to Google, here’s how to link content you write to your Google+ page:
Make sure your profile photo is a recognizable headshot.
Create a byline that has your name in it, like “By John Smith.” It should appear on all of your blog posts.
Your byline name should be the same as the name on your Google+ profile.
Check that you have an email address (like johnsmith@johnsmith.com) on the same domain as your blog posts.
If you don’t have an email with your specific domain, here’s what you do:
1. Make a link to your Google+ profile from your website, like this:
<a href=”[profile_url]?rel=author”>Google</a>
2. Replace [profile_url] with the Google+ profile URL:
In the dialog box, click Add custom link, and then enter the URL.
Click the drop-down list to edit who all can see the link.
Click Save.
But is that it? To just get started – yes – but there’s more to it than that if you really want to stand out. That’s where we our advice comes in! Here a few ways to further optimize your blog so you can bump up your authority level.
It’s Who You Know As Well As What You Know
You’ll notice that each authorship result will show your Google+ circles. If you were the above-mentioned hypothetical husband looking for flowers, what author would you trust more: the person with 3 circles or the person with 20,000 circles? If you guessed the 20,000 circles, then pat yourself on the back! So, this is yet another vital reason to be involved on Google+ with other users. Take some extra time connecting with others and in return, expand your brand’s reach and increase your chances of receiving more credibility as an author by Google. It’s a win-win-win!
Looks Are Important
As mentioned above, your Google+ profile picture or headshot is very important in attracting users to click on your blog post, thus increasing your credibility to Google. Because of this, you should really invest your time, energy (and maybe your money) into getting a professional, friendly, and inviting headshot. Don’t believe me? Just ask Cyrus Shepard of The Moz Blog, who increased traffic to his content by 35% just by updating his profile picture.
Keep in mind; this is for a personal Google+ profile for your writers, so this should not be the company logo. When we say headshot, we mean it. Save the company logo for the company page. As Ann Smarty of Internet Marketing Ninjas puts it when discussing Google+ profile pictures, “Social media connects human beings. Your logo may scare off some of the potential followers and thus screw your profile building efforts.” In other words, people trust faces more than logos, so keep that in the back of your mind as you create and edit your personal Google+ profile page.
In Conclusion
The Future
Recently, Search marketing expert AJ Kohn confirmed that Google has said that in addition to all these benefits mentioned above, there’s another very exciting benefit to Google Authorship. When a user comes back to the search results once they’ve read an Authorship-tagged result for a given amount of time, Google adds three more links to similar articles or blogs from that author below the link they clicked on in the first place. That means more attention on your work, which could mean more traffic to your blog, which could ultimately mean more business for you and your company.
Like many of Google’s products, Authorship will evolve to better fit the growing needs of users finding the most reliable content. If fact, it wouldn’t shock this writer to find that Google will eventually verify websites and businesses with the same authority it gives individuals based upon their Google+ profile.
The Present
To recap, Google Authorship is a way to bring the most relevant and reliable content to a user’s search results and in turn making credibility the competition factor among writers instead of using cheap SEO tricks. It’s important, as with most of content marketing, to always keep the user in mind when setting up any public profile, especially with Google+. Google Authorship in 2014 is becoming a must for all website owners when developing their content strategies. Using this philosophy and following the guidelines mentioned in this article, you’ll be well on your way to gathering authority on your industry and getting more traffic.
