How to Implement Google Rel=Author Markup

It is really beneficial for you to claim the authorship of your online content. When your author information appears next to your content, it stands way too prominently and looks much more credible in search listings. And this results in you getting higher click through rates, for free! Google rolled out rel=author markup last year. If the author was popular, credible and had his content +1ed by influential peers, then his content would be ranked high by Google.

How Rel=Author Works?

The entire concept is based on the blending of search with social. Author markups allow the writer of a specific webpage to link the page to his Google Plus profile page. This linking is a two way verification process and the Google+ page has to link back to the author’s webpage. Once the linking is done, the search results change dramatically. Author’s content will show up in search listings with a snippet of their name, Google+ profile image and the link back to the profile. The authorship image has been proven to be a great resource to increase click through rates.

Opting for rel=author will make your article stand out as Google will know you as the author and will rank the original source of the content higher. Seeing an author’s picture next to the article is a great way of earning the surfers’ attention and even their trust. This said, there are not many authors who have claimed their spot because a recent study has shown that only 1 in every 5 Google searches shows author markup in the top 100 results.

What You Stand to Gain from Author Markup?

The benefit in one line- your search result look credible and you get higher click through. Google has always emphasized the fact that it likes the pages with rich snippets better as people find them more informational and are highly likely to click on them. Rich snippets due to author markup highlight your listing, making it stand apart from the other results with no author markup attached.

The author information and photo (visible to even logged out users) of a verified Google+ profile comes with a lot of authority. The mark up is an excellent way for you to spread yourself on the social level as people can follow you to your Google+ profile page too. URL so if people like your article they can easily visit your profile.

Google has also launched the Author Stats program in Webmaster Tools where authors can get to analyze the number of impressions and clicks every post got.

SEO Benefits:

Google thinks of author markups as trust indicator for both their users and their algorithm. Google uses the information on credibility of authors as a ranking factor. The concept of Author Rank has risen out of the Rel=Author attribute. In other words authors who are verified will be trusted more and given more authority; and will find higher places in search results. Google wants to push forward quality content, not optimized content.

How to Implement Author Markup

The two requirements for implementing the Rel=Author attribute are: your blog/content source and your Google+ profile. Here is how Google tells you to do it:

1. Create Google+ Account

You can also create a Google profile. For this, you must use an email address with the same domain as your blog. Then you will have to verify the account by responding to an email sent from Google+. Fill up the profile details and provide your email in the ‘Work’ section of the profile to get your profile verified.

Now, when you will post with the same name you have on your Google+ account, and on the domain mentioned in your email, your posts will be linked by Google to your account.

2. Link your Google Plus profile to your blog

You can easily link from the ‘Profile’ tab on your Google+ page. Follow this route:

Edit Profileà Contributor toàEnter in your blog URL in the edit box

3. Link your blog to your Google+ profile

You must attach the link to your Google+ profile in the author box on your blog. Or you can also place this link in your “About me” section too.

The code you have to type for the same is:

[description of the link]

4. Link your individual content to your Google Plus profile.

You can also link every article/post to your Google+ profile by linking your name in your byline. This effort is not needed on WordPress because you can use plugins like the Author Box Reloaded- to add the markup for you automatically.

If you are not on WordPress then, the code you need to hyperlink your byline is:

[Name]

5. Test the linking

You can use this testing tool by Google to verify your Rel=Author markup and even see how your authorship snippet will look in search results.

Follow these easy steps and claim your authorship. See your posts in search listings with much higher credibility than ever before.