There is no denying the fact that SEO is headed in a different direction but contrary to what cynics and critics say, the future of SEO is definitely bright. However, with more stringent norms being introduced by the leading search engines, not every tom dick and Harry SEO company can help bolster your online presence.
So what exactly is 'Author Rank'?
'Author rank' is a concept introduced by Google that has been making a lot of noise in SEO circles recently. There is a lot of debate on how it's going to affect rankings and if it is something that can be avoided.
Eric Schmidt, Google's head honcho has been hinting of it for quite sometime and now with his book "The New Digital Age" due to be released in April he has certainly made his point clear-only quality content can get a website high rankings in SERPS.
Aside from other important issues such as tech companies and anonymity his soon to be released book talks about how author rankings are going to be the all-important factor in deciding a website's rankings.
The concept of author ranking is not new. Back in August 2005, Google had filed a patent for 'Agent Rank', according to which the reception to the content associated with a particular Agent was to decide the rankings of that particular website. This could have meant an end to spam and irrelevant content flooding the internet
However, at that time there was no way to identify agents, but this was soon to change. Few years later Erich Schmidt had emphasized that Google would still be eyeing to get the agent rank idea converted into reality.
In September 2011, Google filed a continuation patent that included "portable identity platform" which in many ways is pretty similar to Google+. The picture had started to become clear then. Now with the roll out of Google authorship (attaching content to the Google+ profile), the concept of Agent Rank or Author Ranking, whatever you may call it has started to take shape.
Is it worth all the fuss and do you as a website owner need to worry?
The Author Rank is all set to change the world of SEO. If web masters are to be believed the Author Rank will be bigger than the panda and penguin combined.
If you have the facts right you can tactfully use this new offering by Google, to your advantage. In fact, author rank can actually be a blessing in disguise.
All you need to do is follow four simple steps and establish authorship by means of Google+.
Step 1: Sign up with Google+
Step 2: Add links to the top of your profile.
Step 3: Add your Google+ to your word press account
Step 4: Be patient and allow Google+ to show the changes.
A word of caution: Never ever forget to provide the Google+ id while guest posting. The main advantage of author rank is that Google gives you credit for writing the article. In case, someone tries to copy paste your article onto his website Google will catch hold of the malefactor and penalize him. |
