Google Authorship is a fantastic project by the search engine giant that allows content authors to associate their verified and original content on the internet, and their Google Plus profile.
Once you have setup Google Authorship, authors have their profile picture and an “Authorship Rich Snippet” displayed alongside search results.
But why should you bother setting this up? Well, the benefits include;
- Helps prevent plagiarism – Because the content has been verified as yours, Google will know that it is original and display your results before that of scrapers.
- Grabs attention – Get a higher click rate with search results that stand out and have more authority.
How do I setup Google Authorship in WordPress?
Whilst there are many ways to do this, we reckon this is the easiest method. Before you start you’ll need a Google+ profile, a WordPress blog or website, the All In One SEO plugin.
Step One – Add your “Contributor to” link
To do this, login to Google Plus and head to your “About” section, then scroll down to the “links” section.
Press “edit” and under “Contributor to” press “Add custom link”.
Enter the name of your website and then its URL.
Step Two – Add your Google+ Profile Link
Login to your WordPress Dashboard, and click on “Your Profile” under the “Users” link on the main menu.
In the “Contact Info” section, paste the URL of your Google+ profile which will look like this:
Press “Update Profile” to save the changes.
Step Three – Verify the Link
Head over to the Structured Data Testing Tool and enter the URL of your website or blog and press “Preview”.
The tool will then tell you if you have successfully linked your site to your Google Plus profile.
Things to remember!
Don’t forget that it takes time for Google to update its search results so the changes you make now won’t take effect immediately.
photo credit: bre pettis via photopin cc
