Google’s Authorship markup was recently discontinued. They have been working on this project since June 2011. The goal of Authorship markup was to enhance the user’s experience by having a known face or name with the content in the search results.
What is Google Authorship?
This was Google’s way of showing relevant and quality content from a credible source. After typing in keywords you would see a listing in the search results with a picture of the author and a link.
Why did Google get rid of Google Authorship?
Google got rid of this because they realized that it wasn’t as useful as they thought it would be. The Authorship results were seen as a distraction and weren’t getting clicked on.
What is the next step?
The next step for your business is Author Rank. Author Rank is a ranking where Google knows who authored the story. It might change where the story shows up in the search results, if it comes from a credible source. Information that is tied to profiles that are verified will be ranked higher than profiles without. Google will look for clear bylines on your story naming the writer of the article.
This still is only one factor of many that will help you improve your search results on Google. Another factor is having your Google My Business page completely and accurately filled out. We can help you verify and fill out your shop’s Google My Business page with our Pro+Connect package. Contact us at 866-665-1605 for more information!