Fact: Google is making huge changes around, utilizing the Google+ feature to affect search engine results. If you haven’t realized it yet, it’s time you wake up and smell the coffee. The idea is simple: to establish a clear division between verified, credible writers and poor, unreliable ones. Priority will be given to writers who have authority in particular topics.
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And how will this be possible? It can be dubious, what with spammers and SEO schemers being able to trick their way to PageRank. This is where Google+ - Google’s social networking baby - comes in handy. Through Google+, bloggers and webmasters can link their Google+ profiles with their content and become a verified author through Google authorship.
Once a writer has signed up for authorship, his website will be automatically linked to his Google+ profile so that every time a user searches for relevant keywords, the writer’s website, along with his photo and byline will appear on the search results. By lined content tend to rank higher because users find them more credible and thus get higher click-through rates – as much as 40% than usual.
Google has always been known for its credibility as a search engine – reason why it’s searching for result is more efficient on Google than elsewhere on the Web. Cynics may argue that Google is simply trying to ace the social media arena and rival Facebook, but many SEO experts agree that all Google is trying to do is wipe the slate clean. Rid the net of spam, link forgers and poor content, and enhance the search engine experience for users through quantifiable and reliable data. After all, spammers are too lazy to bother messing up with a Google+ personal identity.
This recent development has serious implications on content makers, that’s for sure. Way back, the intent was to simply create content that’s fresh, original and relevant in order to maintain ranking on search engine results and engage readers. Companies seek the aid of content writers for that, most of them ghost writers trying to find a decent pay. Nobody really paid much attention to the identity of those writers. So long as the content passed Copyscape and was viewed as original by Google, it was good enough. But now Google wants those writers named.
Before, byline and social influence were not considered by Google to be as good as algorithmic tools and processes, until shabby websites found a way around the system. Now even bigwig media companies can’t hold on to the guarantee that their stories end up on the top 10 search results. With Google Author Rank, success is up to the writer’s credibility, authority and influence. Pretty much like forcing the hand of spammers and content makers, but as we say, if you want quality and fame, you have to earn it.
