Google is changing the rules again. They are trying to cut down the overwhelming number of ghost written posts that are trying to trick the system. Their latest move to provide the best search results for their users is to give a higher priority in the search results to trusted authors. They call it Google Authorship.
Here’s what Google’s chairman Eric Schmidt says in his upcoming book The New Digital Age:
Here’s what an industry expert has to say: “Within search results, information tied to verified online profiles will be ranked higher than content without such verification, which will result in most users naturally clicking on the top (verified) results. The true cost of remaining anonymous, then, might be irrelevance.”
Using Google Authorship Authors
Google Authorship authors have linked their websites to their Google+ profiles. Meaning that all the content they write about will appear in Google results pages along with their photo showing their Authorship status. So if they write about your company on their website, it will show up with Google and link back to your site.
Industry analysts estimate that adding content using authors who belong to Google Authorship can increase traffic to your site by as much as 500%.
How it Works
Let’s look at how this works. Have you noticed lately that when you do a Google search, it pulls up a search results page showing people’s photos next to some of the listings? Wonder how they do that? They link and then add the Google Authorship markup to one of the links. That’s a “Rich Snippet” – a Google verified profile. It makes the listing really stand with a lot more visibility. And it’s all courtesy of the Google Authorship program.
By signing up on Google+ Authorship, content authors are now able to link their content to Google results pages along with their photo, via their new G+ Authorship Profile. This gives higher search results in a much shorter timeframe.
Big Payoff
Think all the fuss isn’t worth it? Well, according to one study, the number of clicks on a results page listing increased 150% once the rich snippet was initiated. So you get higher ranking and more click-thrus…a wonderful one two punch. That’s why Google Authorship and rich snippets gives you a tremendous advantage with Google searches.
How to Get Started With Google Authorship
By joining the Google Authorship program yourself, you will easily increase the value of your domain. And it also protects your content. By signing up for Google Authorship you can link content you publish on your domain to your Google+ profile. Meaning your content is now linked to Google. If someone cuts some of your content and pastes it to their website – Google will know. Here’s how to get started:
- Set up your Google+ Profile Page. If you use Gmail you may already have a Google+ account. If not, sign up on Google+.
- Add contributor links. Go to your Google+ profile page and click ‘Edit Profile’ then the ‘About’ tab, then scroll down until you find the profiles. Click ‘Add Custom Link’. Add links to wherever you post content or wherever on the web you connect with others, including social media accounts.
- Post frequently to your Google+ page. This builds a history of fresh content. This is important for Google to track you as a topic authority, and it gets people to look at your page.
- After you’ve created a Google+ Authorship Profile, wait a few days for Google to recognize the changes. Then you should start seeing your Authorship photos appear in search results. You’ll also want to provide your Google+ ID when guest-posting.
The new Google Authorship program offers a great way to increase the value of your domain by generating more a huge increase in clicks per post.
If you’d like to take a shortcut to Google authorship and get traffic from multiple sites where content is written by authenticated authors check out www.AuthorLinks.net for a turnkey solution to this powerful new traffic generating concept.
Danny Sullivan from Search Engine Land went into good detail about this at his talk at Webfest. He gave even more info at our lunch. Worth the price of admission just for his insight.
Although I agree that authorship/microdata is a great thing, I don’t see the connection between that and the increased value of a domain name.
The only sentence in the article to address that states:
“The new Google Authorship program offers a great way to increase the value of your domain by generating more a huge increase in clicks per post.”
The authorship is tied into an author, not his website. The authors image can appear on a website that he does not own, but simply one that he writes for. This will provide an increase in traffic, but not an increase in the value of the website (not the domain name)
it might seem there doing this for search but to me it looks like they’re doing it for google. when antitrust comes it will hit them hard.
Hello Owen,
My question on ” Trusted Authors ” is really not the correct phrase in my opinion. I personally know that many Trusted Authors from time to time employ Ghost Writers such as myself. How can Google or anyone else screen such practices?
By the way this is the same Google that assures End-Users its constant Algorithm changes gives pure unbiased search? Another myth.
Gratefully, Jeff Schneider (Contact Group) (Metal Tiger)
Thanks Elliot for a very valuable post! I’m going to set this up on my Google+ right away!
I don’t think this helps a domain names value. Yes, it helps your website’s value if you have a website and post articles on it. But for a domain that is sitting around at a parked page… not so much.
Sorry Hello Elliot
I’ll use it for my blogs and twitter accounts to start. Twitter accounts, and other social networks also let you post your url in your profile, so if someone visits your Twitter page they may click through to your site. I don’t plan to use it for things like mini-sites or parked domains, just pages where there is regular content updates.
Hey Bill, have you check the “real-time” Google+ feature? “The more you do with Google; the more Google will do for you”… no doubt!
Looks to me like Google’s primary goal is to pump up Google +.
Eric’s got it right.
The fact that someone other than the site/ domain owner didn’t write the article/ create the content doesn’t mean it isn’t relevant … or worthwhile … to the site visitor.
They’re just trying to shoo away the buzzards circling the convulsing Google+.
It doesn’t directly actually boost your domain’s value. It just increases the chance that your content will be ranked higher on search results thereby increasing your traffic. That wont affect a parked domain but it will increase the value of the website.
One of the things I loved most about the net in the early days was the anonymity.
Not in the sense that it allowed you to do or say nefarious things, but in the sense that what truly mattered was the content of what you said, not who you were.
Gray haired professors discussed complicated theories and obscure philosophies with kids, crazy people, closet geniuses and everyone in between without any idea of who was really behind the screen name. You knew who gave sound commentary and advice by (gasp) reading what people had to say.
Sometimes great ideas came from people with no real world “credentials” who would never have otherwise been listened to. If someone started crazy talk, you ignored them.
I understand the need for *certain* topics to be covered by true authorities in a particular field and the need to shield minors from predatory adults, but I truly think Facebook and Google have almost completely killed off one of the most beautiful things about what the net used to be and moves like this just seem like more nails in the coffin of brief glimpse of the free internet culture that almost was.
I got on the net to participate in a new kind of culture. It saddens me that most only seem to want the net to be an extension of our old offline culture. One that I’ve always felt to be lacking something.
Oh well, identify yourself or go away I guess. Now let me see your papers…
I completely agree.
The internet’s ‘anonymous’ and ‘level’ playing field has allowed me to compete with others in so many ways. It doesn’t matter if I’m a homeless guy – I can get online, and through an email, a web site, or various other presentations…can truly interact and influence people and events who otherwise might totally be out of reach. Wouldn’t even listen to me (or you, or you, or you…) otherwise, but on the internet, if you have a good idea, something important to say…it can really be noticed by people who matter.
This reminds me of a book. Gosh, I’m reaching, I just woke up, but I believe it’s one of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation books, where two very smart children use the anonymous nature of their ‘internet’ to influence events, build political power, etc… Fun read.
Thomas @NE1UP
On the subject of authorship, Elliot, I’m baffled by who wrote what in this post.
I first assumed that you wrote the first two paragraphs and then launched into an odd, extended quote from Eric Schmidt’s book – odd not only because it’s so long but also because the quote seems to start with Schmidt quoting “an industry expert.”
But since there’s an “About the author” box at the end and the piece promotes Aurhor Links, I now assume that the whole thing is a guest blog by Bill Hartzer.
It should be made clear that this isn’t advice from Eric Schmidt about how to increase your traffic but advice from a businessman who uses Google+ in his business.