by | Jul 9, 2014

Nothing ever remains static in the world of online marketing; it’s important to keep up with ongoing changes to ensure you are optimizing your online marketing efforts.

Case in point: Google’s recent announcement that the photos on search results for those using Google Authorship will no longer be shown.

What Does This Mean for You?

We have previously talked about how important this feature of Google Authorship was. The click-through-rate (how often searchers click a certain result) was increased by the presence of a high quality photo next to the search result.

Unfortunately, it seems that this feature, and the resulting benefit, is going to go away. However, that doesn’t mean that Google Authorship is not worth setting up.

Google Authorship has other advantages beyond the placement of your photo next to your search results:

  • Added credibility from the perspective of searchers
  • Added authority from the perspective of Google
  • Allows Google to use your Google+ social activity to inform them on the relevance and popularity of your content
  • Builds your reputation as a thought-leader in your industry
  • Google search results with Authorship will still feature a byline about the author, helping distinguish them from other results

It’s still important for you to set up a Google+ profile and enable Google Authorship if you are regularly producing and disseminating good content (which you should be).

Beyond the short term benefits of authorship mentioned above, Google Authorship is a wise long term strategy for those business owners who want to distinguish themselves online. Google is not giving up on Authorship, and it is likely going to play a big role in how Google ranks content in the future.

Google needs a way to cut through the content clutter that has accumulated online, and one of the best ways to do that is to privilege content associated with reputable individuals who consistently publish quality content in their areas of expertise.

For more information about Google’s decision to remove photos from Google Authorship search results, I recommend Search Engine Land’s article, “Google Removes Author Photos From Search: Why And What Does It Mean?”.

>> Core Online Marketing can help you implement all the building blocks you need to successfully market your business online (e.g. Google Authorship, regular blogging, etc.). Attend our complimentary online marketing seminar or contact us today to get started.

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Ben Molfetta
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