Google Authorship is a way for Google to display who the author of the content on that specific page is. Basically in 2005, Google filed a patent for “Agent Rank”, which translates into Google wanting to have content that is produced by trustworthy and popular agents/authors on a higher rank than that of less credible sources. Six years later, Google+ was born. The birth of the portable identity platform is where the Google Authorship idea started to materialize. It was a way for authors, who have content posted online, to verify their identities.
The main point of Google Authorship is to establish a connection between the author and their work. The results will show a photo of the author, a link to his/her Google+ profile, the number of Google+ circles he/she is a part of and a link if you’re looking for more information on the author.
If an author has more social activity on his/her account and if his/her article attracts a lot of attention, the higher that person’s rank would be. Author Rank gives Google the power to remember the authority and the credibility that a person has built over time as an author. It’s not only about the website that’s hosting the content, but the author who produces it.
The reasons behind the release of Google Authorship are four fold. First of all, it makes it easier to eliminate duplicate content and reduce spam. This brings about more quality content in the search results. Secondly, Google’s search algorithm, Penguin, is becoming more and more oriented towards social media. The next reason for Google Authorship was not to have to rely on bots completely. The newest innovation by Google strengthens the search results instead of having to depend on bots to make all the rankings. Last of all, making the connection between the actual author and their content helps improve search results.
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By G+ Author: Erin Washington.
