A few months back, Google launched a new thing (thing #479!): Google Authorship. So… what’s the big deal? Google launches a lot of things, and some of them are very useful and get traction (like Google Drive or Docs) and some of them… not so much (remember Buzz? Or Wave?). Lots of people would say that even Google+ is a failure, but I think it’s finally starting to take off (or maybe my attitude towards it is changing?).
So… back to Google Authorship. Which column does it go into? Hit or miss?
I think it’s kinda cool. In a world where many people are curating content (not that there’s anything wrong with that–I do it too), or even scraping or stealing content (not cool), you want to stand out as someone who is creating original, excellent content. Google Authorship helps you to do this in searches.
Here’s an example of a google search:
What you’ll notice is three things:
- My photo (which immediately makes me stand out above all the other search results without photos)
- My name
- My website and a brief description of the post/article.
In addition, you get access to really detailed analytics through Google’s Webmaster tools.
For example, over the past month, the top 10 searches where my blog showed up in search results (impressions) were “monetize your blog” and “create a cool email signature.” This is great information to have–I can now make sure those posts are maximized for lead capture (like making sure I’m encouraging people to subscribe) and I can also write more posts like that, because it’s what my audience wants.
It’s only been around for a few months, so we don’t know the full extent of its impact. But I think it’s worth it to sign up for authorship. Google is the #1 search engine on the internet, and playing their game is probably not going to hurt you in search results.
Here’s two articles that walk you through the process of applying. Just note, mine took quite a while to be authorized.
FYI, you need to have a G+ profile to apply, if you don’t have one yet. Add me to your circles!