Ever seen those profile pictures that appear alongside website links in Google’s search result pages? Sure you have! These are possible via a unique Google Authorship markup that links you Google+ account to your website and blog posts.
Aside from the visibility benefits it provides, this practice also results in better SEO and increased brand authority. If you are yet to jump into the Authorship bandwagon, here are 9 reasons why you should:
Increased click-through rates
The most obvious, and welcome, advantage of this practice is that it allows your content to stand out in search results. Always a good thing, because it usually results in higher-click through rates and an increased amount of visitors.
Improved brand authority
If you run more than one website, or multiple blogs, this added exposure helps in improving your brand authority. The more your photo appears in search results for specific keywords, the more people see you as an expert figure on that particular niche or subject.
Enhanced trust
Everyone (well almost everyone) prefers to read content that is created by a real person they can connect with. This holds particularly true for blogs. Having your face appears in search results build rapport and enhances trust with your readers, even before they click to visit your link.
Higher search rank
Content that is highly valued by users gets placed higher in the search results by Google. And what better way to show Google that your visitors are interested in your content then by having a high click-through rate? This is a simply effortless way towards better SEO.
Company branding
You are not just limited to using a personal profile here. Connect a Google+ business profile with your company logo as the picture in Authorship, and even if users do not click on your listing, they will still see the logo, and in turn be positively exposed to your branding.
Personal branding
This here is the main advantage, for most online marketers. Linking your personal Google+ profile with Authorship nets vast personal branding benefits. The more people see your face, the more they will be able to recognize it in the future.
Instant expertise
One great feature of this markup is that Google displays your Google+ followers in the results pages. If you have thousands of followers over there, you can easily use this to your advantage, as it instantly portrays you as an expert in your field. The larger the following, the more users will be inclined to click.
More Google+ followers
Google+ is, without doubt, Google’s favorite social network. Links to your Google+ profile are displayed underneath the titles of your listings in search results, and this increases the likelihood that visitors will view your social profile too. This ultimately brings in more followers.
Overcome plagiarism
Since the markup is automatically activated every time Google indexes your website, it basically notifies Google that you are the original creator of the content in question. This helps your content rise to the top of the rankings, conquering all other duplicate (scraped or spun) copies.