In the past several months, you might have noticed that, when running a Google search, a handful of results have a nice little picture next to them of an individual, as well as that individual’s name. For example:
This is Google Authorship. It’s a handy little feature of Google’s social network, Google+, that aims to add a “personal touch” if you will, to Google search results. This is a really nice feature for marketers or anyone else who might want to draw a large amount of traffic to their website for a handful of reasons.
The first and most important reason is it simply makes your posts look more trustworthy in Google search results. Not only does having your photo next to the search result make it stand out, but it gives a feeling of importance. Take a look at the following example:
Even though the Google Authorship post isn’t at the top of the Google Search results for our specific keyword, it still stands out to the visitor – and it almost seems more important than the other posts, ultimately luring you to select it.
Beyond just having your photo in the search results listing, Google Authorship also gives visitors who find your site an easy way to learn more about the information you offer online. And not just from one domain, but from all of your domains. Google Authorship is tied to your Google+ account and not to your domain. This means if you frequently write content on several domains, you can link all of these together under one authorship.
If you look closely at the post result that has authorship enabled, you’ll notice an option at the end that reads More by Mick Olinik. When selecting this option, you’ll be brought to another personalized search results page that lists and allows you to search posts specifically created by the author.
This allows for search engine traffic to connect with you directly through Google and all of your authored domains, making Google Authorship a powerful tool for cross marketing and gaining exposure for your multiple online establishments.
In addition to gaining the personal search results area, you’ll also find a “Google Card” for your profile from Google+ on the sidebar of Google when your results are being shown. Please keep in mind that only information you mark as Public in your Google Profile will be shown.
Google Authorship is, without a doubt, a powerful tool for adding a personal touch to the cold world of search engine marketing and cross marketing for your online establishments. If this post has piqued your interest, stay tuned for my next post regarding Google Authorship. I’ll detail everything you need to take advantage of it and how to configure it.
