Google Authorship was first introduced in the summer of 2011, however, many people have never heard about the unique program until now. Although the program was slow to get started, it is catching on fast now that the benefits of the service have become widely recognized. Google Authorship is a program that gives web content a face. Have you ever heard someone say, it’s nice to put a face with a name? Well essentially that’s what Google Authorship does. Before Google Authorship, content was simply associated with a domain. Now, through the use of Google Authorship, content is also associated with a particular author.
Why Google Authorship is Important
Google Authorship is important for a variety of reasons. For one, Google Authorship boosts author’s profiles. It also helps Google eliminate spam and bad content. Secondly, this unique program helps build a personal brand. Studies show that people rather take the opinion of someone they know and trust rather than someone they have never met. Authors who use Google Authorship can build this type of relationships with consumers, which means they can influence people’s decisions, even if they have never met them.
How to Sign Up for Google Authorship
Getting started with Google Authorship is easy. If you don’t have a Google+ account, you will need to set one up first. It’s free and easy to do, so there isn’t really any reason not too. Once your account is set up, you will need to upload a personal head shot. You can’t use a scenic photo or a generic photo, it needs to be your real photo. The last step to Google Authorship requires you to link your Google+ account to your blog. If you don’t have a blog, you can still link your articles through email. When linking articles to your account, make sure your byline is on the articles because that is what Google will be searching for.
Benefits of Google Authorship
Nearly two years after being introduced, Google Authorship is really beginning to take off. Experts state that content that is linked to the Google Authorship service has higher click-through rates. Many believe this increase is due to consumers access to authorship data. The fact that the content has a face, which in turn symbolizes a real person, attached to it, makes it more reliable to consumers.
With the success of Google Authorship, which was once thought of as a fad, is here to stay. Eventually, consumers will get more accustomed to associating a real person with the content they write. Due to the comfortableness that this relationship fosters, consumers may begin to seek products and services that have content created by a writer associated with Google Authorship. To make sure your business is ready to compete with other companies that are already using Google Authorship, get started today. It’s free to join, and has an abundance of advantages associated with it now, and likely many more to add in the future.
Do you need help setting up Google Authorship? We can help.