Rel=author?? google auth?
-
Hi everyone, i need some help with this rel=author and google auth which has come into place. Some questions:
1., I write a blog on our e-commerce site, do i need rel=authort?
2., i write on other sites do i need rel=author
If so is there an easy way to implement this, i know it links in with the Google+ profile but i am confussed as i keep seeing different ways to do it.
I've also been told to do good auth, what is this? ive been given a piece of code to use in my site to auth it? is this worth it?
Any help really appreciated
-
Hi Guys,
I just wanted to add to what I have previously said as when I have dug a bit deeper into this, I have found some info that could go against what I have previously said.
You can use the rel=publisher tag alongside the rel=author tag on a webpage. With this in mind it would be a good idea to have the rel=publisher present on every page in your website to enable you to be eligible for Google's Direct Connect feature.
I found this out when looking through a Google forum and one of the Google Trend Analysts confirmed this by saying:
Hi guys
_just a few short comments: it's fine to have both a link rel=publisher and author-markup on the same page. The rel=publisher confirms that your website is the publisher of that Google+ Page; the authorship markup confirms that you (your personal profile) is the author of the content on that page. This markup can be used independently, since the meanings are slightly different. The issue with the Rich Snippets testing tool flagging this as an error is a bug on our side and should be resolved soon (sorry about the confusion caused by that!). _Cheers__John
Just thought I would share this with you all as it might help.
Matt.
-
It certainly makes sense. We are all in the dark at the moment to exactly how it will work, however, there have been a few tests that have been done to show that page authors have a direct effect upon SEO.
I would imagine that this will be the case for business pages too, however, for the likes of blog posts, etc, (i.e. content that is made by a specific individual within the business) it is best practise to author them to the page. Google is having a big push at linking who actually created the content on websites (and rightly so!), therefore they like it when this is done. Not only this, but it can help with click-through rates within the SERPs to have this.
Matt.
-
Say i auth with an individual employee on google+ and get gains from it when the algo takes it into consideration - what happens if they start letting company profiles auth with content? will i have messed the pages up, or do you think i could have reverted?
Surely Google will let you eventually auth a company google+ profile with content it has written, it makes sense as a company should write trusted and quality content.
-
Yes, but it is important to understand the power of authorship toward SEO. Google is placing more and more importance around actual authors of content when they decide up search engine rankings.
My advice would be to have the content of the business authored to a relevant employee (i.e. the CEO, the blogger, etc) and ensure that they are active on Google+.
This way, you can get a headstart on your competitors and have a powerful author rank.
Matt.
-
I want to tell users that our business wrote the content, doesn't seem to be a way to do that yet which is disappointing.
-
Yes, the rel=publisher tag is used for pages that would be displayed giving information about your business. For example, when you search 'SEOmoz', the company profile appears on the left side. This is because they have used the rel=publisher to link to their Google+ business page.
Use the rel=author for pages that have content on that was done by someone specific, i.e. a blog post, or in your case: holiday guides. This is when you link to your actual personal profile page.
Hope this clears things up a bit.
Matt.
-
Hi Matthew thanks for the advice so far. I am a little confused now. we have rel=publisher and rel=author.
I understand schema, so far on our business site we have verified our google+ page with our website by adding some code.
I have no rel=publisher and no rel=author on any pages. I have some fantastic holiday guides however. Can i benefit from using this rel=author feature or rel-publisher?
Publisher i am assuming is used for business pages?
-
Hi Paul,
Yes you are able to do this via the rel=publisher code. This is used the same way in which rel=author is used, however, you link it to your Google+ business page.
To verify it on Google+, all you have to do is place the link to your website within the about section of your Goole+ business page under the 'website:' section.
Hope this helps.
Matt.
-
Hi Angela,
Sorry, I meant the Google+ page for your business (i.e. not your personal Google+ profile).
I would probably avoid using this on individual products pages. Use schema.org markup on those pages to show product images, price, etc within the SERPs.
For your about us page, home, etc, I would use the rel=publisher to link your Google+ business page.
Hope this helps.
Matt.
-
As far as im aware you cannot link up with your business profile on g+ - just the personal one to auth a page content?
-
Thanks Matt. I have an ecommerce site. When you say "business page" do you mean product pages or content pages like FAQ, About Us, Terms and Conditions, etc? Just want to make sure I'm understand correctly.
Thanks!
Angela
-
Hi,
Yes I would do this for your website's main inside pages. Make sure that when you use rel='publisher' that it goes to a business page and not to a user page or it won't work.
For example, the one I use on the Wow Internet website is:
Hope this helps.
Matt.
-
I've set up Google authorship but is it a good idea to set up publisher markup too?
-
Hi Paul,
My advice would be that you don't want to have rel=author on your e-commerce pages, i.e. for product pages. You should have different schema data for those pages to let Google know that it is about a product, the price, etc. You can check most of this info out at http://www.schema.org
With regard to how you actually go about setting up the rel=author to your Google+ profile, you can check out this blog that I wrote on the wow internet blog.
I would stick to using this on blog posts and information pages on your website, i.e the homepage, about us, etc.
Hope this helps,
Matt.
-
Apologies for the delayed reply - I've just spotted your question.
Rel=author is really easy to implement on your own site or on guest posts.
1. You have to make sure you are a contributor to the website you're writing for and that you have a link to that site on your Google+ profile.
2. Then, you have two options - the meta tag or a rel="me" part of a link which credits you for the post.
There are good number of guides on the web - two good ones are here
http://www.blindfiveyearold.com/how-to-implement-rel-author
http://www.pr2020.com/blog/claim-your-content-how-to-set-up-rel-author-tags
I'm afraid I can't advice on 'Good Auth' but if you have a decent blogging platform you should be able to get a good plugin to help you with implementing rel=author.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
QUESTION! Does anyone have any information about using an API to create Google Posts?
We have a client that has over 150 locations. They are using a software to post to all of their accounts at once with an API for different platforms. We are wondering if there is anyway to do this to post to their Google My Business Page.
Social Media | | Brie.E.Anderson0 -
Google+ author tags and product descriptions - Can we author tag it to protect it if its custom written?
Hello Google+ experts We run a eCommerce (magento) site with ~140 different products. We manufacture all of our own products and therefore the product descriptions / content is written by us for us, however there are smaller operators that can scrap it, adjust it and use it on similar products. Can we author tag our own custom product descriptions or will goggle not like this? I have read a hand full of blog about author tags v's publisher tags, and most bloggers state that eCommerce product pages should not author tag as content is normally generic product spec information. Our product content is fresh, custom and written by a real author it's similar to a blog post so why can't we tag it to protect it? (The descriptions include a product - Overview / Benefits / Suggested use) If we do Author tag it will Google spank us and damage our SEO or because it fresh and custom advance are SEO?
Social Media | | supps1 -
Trying to link a Legacy Youtube account to a Google+ Page, the option isn't available...
Hello,
Social Media | | allstatetransmission
I am working on one of my clients projects and would love some advice before making some changes to their Google+ and Youtube account. We created the youtube account before Google+ and Youtube combined so we have a seperate name for the Youtube and Google+ Profile. They were created using separate emails, but both emails are managers of each others "account." We can't combine the two as it won't give me the option, only the option to create a new Youtube channel based on the Google+ Profile. But I already have videos loaded up on the Older Channel that I would like to keep and use for my current Google+ Profile. I have tried to disconnect the Youtube channel to hopefully get the option to link the two, but it just says it is a unavailable option. So my question is:
What advice do you guys have with any of this type of Youtube and Google+ mismatch profile/channels? I am not finding much online besides links to unattaching accounts but that is giving me a message saying that it isn't possible. Or would creating a new channel linked to the Google+ page and just reuploading the videos/transcripts be my best bet? Thank you for your feedback, and if you want anymore details (I know this description when not looking at the accounts might not be enough info, feel free to ask.) I really appreciate it. J0 -
How do i change primary mail in Google?
By a mistake, Google have added on of our employeers gmail as the primary mail, that are attached to our YouTube channel. We want to delete that gmail, but without loosing our data, and all the information we have on our channel. We also want to connect to G+ with a new gmail, but now it seems that Google have created a G+ profile related to the "wrong" gmail. Have anyone got experience with this problem, and have a solution for this?
Social Media | | Petersen110 -
Google+ I set up a profile as my business a while back. Should I change to a page NOW?
A while back, can't remember when, I set up a profile page under my business name. It has recently started picking up a bit of momentum but I am concerned it is not in line with Google's policy and will eventually get removed. I don't want to invest any more effort into this profile if this is likely so am looking at moving my efforts to a page. Any ideas / recommendations? Thanks,
Social Media | | Cornwall
Chris0 -
Any Google+ marketers on here?
Any Google+ marketers on here, just have a few questions for anyone who knows about Google+, the way the system works and successful strategies. Thanks
Social Media | | activitysuper0 -
Google Search Plus - Which is more valuable?
Would you rather have someone +1 your homepage or add you to their Circles? Which one will help you out more in the SERPs ?
Social Media | | znotes1 -
Are Facebook page updates indexed in Google search?
I seem to remember an update where Google said it was going to include Facebook page updates into Google search, but perhaps that was a deal that fell through? If updates ARE appearing in Gooogle search, how do I troubleshoot a Facebook page where they are not?
Social Media | | KatherineWatierOng0