If you have a Google+ account, you can link the content you create for your brand to that account to take advantage of the Google Authorship feature, which will provide you with a byline in search engines. Our SEO company in Los Angeles has seen plenty of data that shows us the value of authorship, such as the higher click-through rate of search results that feature it. This makes sense, because people prefer to click on search results written by people, rather than unnamed entities. How do you enable Google Authorship? Here are the instructions for getting started:
- Create a Google+ account, if you don’t have one already.
- Make your Google+ profile photo a recognizable, professional-looking headshot.
- On the domain you are seeking authorship for, make sure a byline of your name appears on each page of content you author. That byline must match the name on your Google+ profile.
- Then, link the email address that is on the same domain as your content (yourname@yourwebsite.com). If you don’t have an email address on the same domain, Google provides a way to link the content to your Google+ profile (get their official steps ). If you do have an email address on that domain, enter it in the field provided.
- Open the verification email Google will send you. Click the link, and start enjoying Authorship!
The Conditions of Google Authorship
Of course, Google Authorship is not an unconditional feature. For one thing, it is designed for content that is created by a single author. Multiple authors or crowdsourced content cannot have authorship attributed to them. So when you create a blog post for your brand, you want to make sure your byline appears at the beginning. A good SEO company can make sure you get all the credit for your blog posts and other content, even if they or someone else ghostwrites it for you.
Another stipulation to using Google Authorship is that authorship is not meant to be used on pages that list articles, pages that are a feed for articles, or pages that feature product listings. Authorship was only designed for URLs that feature one piece of content by one author. There can be links to other content on the side, of course, but your content should be the only article that is on the page.
Always use a real name.
The final, and perhaps most important condition, of using Google Authorship is that you must use your professional name – not a persona, avatar name or company/brand name. Google feels that using alternative bylines defeats the purpose of authorship, and takes away from the credibility of the content. Always attribute your content to you, not your brand!
What Google Authorship Looks Like In SERPs
If taking advantage of Google Authorship seems like too complicated a task, contact an experienced SEO company that enable authorship and help create content. Crest Media is an SEO company in Los Angeles that specializes in providing these services for businesses.
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