Web developers and online marketers know that being at the top of Google search results means more potential revenue. Getting a high page rank in Google is considered online currency, and that’s why many website owners pay top dollar to invest in search engine optimization (SEO).
However, if you’re strapped for cash, not all hope is lost. A lot of techniques in boosting your website’s SEO can be implemented without spending a single cent. In fact, some of the available methods have been designed by Google itself, one of which is Google Authorship.
In a nutshell, Google Authorship is a method of linking your site content with your Google+ account. By establishing Google Authorship, you get to have ownership over a particular website content, which is displayed in search results with your name attached to it. Once the authorship has been successfully completed and the search bots have indexed your site, your site links will appear in Google search results with your name, your Google+ profile picture, and a link to your Google+ profile page.
Google Authorship has made its way as one of the most important SEO techniques because of the following reasons:
- The unique look of your link makes it pop out in Google search results.
- Search users tend to click links when they see a person attached to a particular search result. It makes the link more personable.
- It serves as proof of your reputation and expertise in the field that you are working on.
- The search result can serve as a gateway to your Google+ profile page and perhaps give you more followers.
- The service is made by Google, which puts a high premium on your links when time comes for them to be called via search.
Excited to reap the benefits of using Google Authorship? Here is a short guide in setting up Google Authorship in your WordPress site:
1. Create an account in Google+, and make sure to complete the information in the profile page. Don’t forget to upload a headshot image that you want to appear in your profile page and in Google search results.
2. Login to your WordPress Admin Dashboard and install the Jetpack by WordPress.com plugin. If you already have Jetpack installed, skip to the next step.
3. From the Dashboard left sidebar, click Settings > Sharing.
4. Scroll down the Publicize panel to find the Google+ Profile connection. Click Sign in to connect your WordPress blog posts to your Google+ profile.
5. Go to your Google+ profile page, and click the About tab. From there, scroll down to the Links panel and click Edit.
6. On the Contributor To section, click Add custom link. Enter the details for Label (or website name) and URL. Once you’re done, click Save.
7. Head on to this link to process the link between your Google+ profile and your website content. Enter your email address in the space provided and click Sign up for Authorship.
It may take some time for Google+ to process the linkage and propagate your Google+ profile to the search engine index. You may check back often via Google search if your links get attached to your Google+ profile.