Google Authorship was launched by the search engine giant in 2011. The idea was to allow the author’s brand or reputation to influence page rankings. Authorship was verified by linking a Google+ profile to your content, where a by-line (and even an image of the author) would accompany the search result. What would happen is that credible authors with high scores could influence the page rankings. However, in August 2014, Google removed Google Authorship completely, and all the by-lines disappeared.
A shift in focus has seen the spotlight moved to Author Authority, which means becoming a trusted source in your area of expertise and building your credibility and reputation as a content creator.
Should you be worried?
The simple answer is no. You can still build your authority in many other ways. Although Google Authorship no longer exists, Author Authority, still exists. The idea here is that if Google knows who wrote a certain piece, it can still give the ranking a boost if the author is reputable.
Why Author Authority matters?
Personal branding is extremely powerful. The more valuable your content is, the more your brand will grow as a credible and authoritative source. Make your content stand out by ensuring that it is original and highly shareable. Get to know your readers and what they are interested in, and understand how you can combine this with the relevant keywords to boost SEO.
Building a brand of authority can help grow your following and makes it far more marketable to new users. This will help your content attract more backlinks and social media shares.
How can you utilise Author Authority?
Build your social media presence – use these platforms to push to unique content from your site, and grow your following. You can also help search engines by creating visible by-lines on your website and linking your content back to the author.
While Author Authority can help your website become more visible, it is just a way to supplement your existing SEO and content strategy. The latter are long-term commitments that will yield more certain and substantive results.
