Every company should have an SEO plan in place. Search Engine Optimisation is absolutely vital to making a success of your online business as it enables people searching the web to find your website. The more optimised your website is, the higher in rank and the higher click through rate you have. In other words, SEO equals website traffic.
There are over 200 ways to optimise your website to increase rankings and that list is growing every day. Google has introduced a new system called Google Authorship Markup, although not directly for SEO, can benefit your business in search engine rankings.
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What is Google Authorship Markup?
Google Authorship Markup is a way for authors to claim credit for their work. The markup allows authors to link page content they’ve written to their Google+ page and to attribute their name and profile link to the piece. Google then displays selected portions of that work in search results with a link to the author’s Google+ page.
The result of this is that authors can connect all their online published work together via one forum, making it easier for readers to find work they’ve written.
Why is It Good for SEO?
1. The Google +1 Button
Google+ has become a social media forum which links everything together under the umbrella of a search engine. If you have a Google+ profile, you’ll appear higher in rankings to those who have you in their circles or who have +1ed the same things as you.
By combining the Google +1 Button onto your content with the Google Authorship Markup, you’re tying the two together and making it easier for people who like the article to find similar pieces – most likely pieces linked to your website.
2. The Panda Algorithm
The Panda algorithm came into place to give harsher punishments to those who copy content from other websites. The idea is that Google wants to rank the original piece highest to give credit to the author and to provide authenticity to the website.
With the Google Authorship Markup, it allows authors to claim their work as the original instantly, meaning that they will gain extra points under the Panda algorithm to push their article up the rankings – more visibility and traffic for your website.
Secondly, it means that any websites who copy that content will be sent to the bottom of the rankings or shut down from Google altogether. By giving author authentication to your pieces, you’re helping to shut down your competition, which of course, boosts your rankings in Google.
3. More By
When people search for something in Google, authors on Google+ will come up first in the rankings. Firstly, and obviously that’s a bonus for your website. However, say it’s not related to your website but a completely different article topic, perhaps you sell Dyson vacuums and this is an article about Scuderia Ferrari watches, this also helps your cause.
Underneath the title of the article in the ranking is a ‘search for more by this author’ button. People can click this to find other pieces written by the same writer. This is extra visibility for the articles the author has written for you, and more chance that the reader will click on your website providing extra traffic.
4. Circles
By your author having a certified author status through Google on their Google+ page, they can build up circles of people who read their articles. The wider their circles are, the more visibility their articles have online, both through search rankings and on Google+.
The benefit of this for you is that more people are searching for keywords which bring your articles to the top because your author is registered through Google+ to have written the piece. In other words, if someone is connected to the author in their circle, and they search your keywords, they’ll find your articles.
Although at first this seemed like a far-fetched concept of improving website traffic, it is actually an extremely effective way of generating hits on your website. It’s another way that your keywords are used, it’s reaching a wide variety of connected people likely to have a real interest in what you’re selling and it only takes five minutes to do!
Are you utilizing the Google Authourship Markup? Share your experience in the comments below.
on
James,
In search results (https://www.google.com/#q=%22michael+cohan%22+different+mba+programs) it shows my picture and name (Michael Cohan) but not the number of Google Circles I am in (like for other people). Do you know why I cannot see ” in # Google+ circles” like I can see for other people’s articles. Thanks.
on
Well. Google really had a brilliant idea with google + claiming it as the newest social network and to think that they had everything planned to be linked together. They have implemented it in a way closely related to what they are: a search engine. genius…
on
What about if you want to stay anonymous, can you use a username or alias? This is my main concern. Some would want to reveal there identity which all bloggers would love to do if only they would still have that freedom of writing to their heart’s content.
on
By claiming authorship you are also getting your (or your company’s) logo or image next to your entry in the SERPs and anything that makes a SERPs entry stand out is always a good thing. Also, if you are using rich snippets (either for breadcrumbs or for recipes and similar content) then you need to claim authorship before the rich snippets appear.
It should also be noted that as an author your get AuthorRank based on the subject matter of the topics you’re claiming. The more you write on a subject the more AuthorRank you get. So do not expect the boost that claiming authorship gives you to be evenly spread over everything that you write.