why authorrank is the future of seo
TRANSCRIPT
Why AuthorRank is
the future of SEO
Introductions »
CHAD POLLITTDirector of Marketing, Slingshot SEO@ChadPollitt
STEVEN SHATTUCKCommunity Manager, Slingshot SEO@StevenShattuck
@StevenShattuck | @ChadPollitt
Agenda »
» The Evolution of SEO» Agent Rank & AuthorRank
» History» SEO Implications» Predictions
» Google Authorship» Impact» Benefits» Setup Instructions & Best Practices
@StevenShattuck | @ChadPollitt
The Evolution of SEO
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SEO YESTERDAY
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SEO TODAY
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SEO TOMORROW?
AuthorRank
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@StevenShattuck | @ChadPollitt
AuthorRank » brief history
“The identity of individual agents responsible for content can be used to influence search ratings.” “Assuming that a given agent has a high reputational score, representing an established reputation for authoring valuable content, then additional content authored and signed by that agent will be promoted relative to unsigned content or content from less reputable agents in search results.”
- “Agent Rank” patent, 2005/2009
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AuthorRank » brief history
“We know that great content comes from great authors, and we’re looking closely at ways this markup could help us highlight authors and rank search results.”
- Othar Hansson (Software Engineer, Google)
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» AuthorRank is a desired ranking factor
» Google plans to take content quality and writer authority into account
» Content without established authorship may be at a disadvantage
this means »
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AuthorRank » this means
“Within search results, information tied to verified online profiles will be ranked higher than content without such verification, which will result in most users naturally clicking on the top (verified) results.
The true cost of remaining anonymous, then, might be irrelevance.”
- Eric Schmidt (Executive Chairman, Google)
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AuthorRank » who will it hurt
» Outsourced authors / content
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AuthorRank » who will it hurt
» Outsourced authors / content
» Pseudonyms / pen names / ghost writers
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AuthorRank » who will it hurt
» Outsourced authors / content
» Pseudonyms / pen names / ghost writers
» Plagiarizers
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AuthorRank » who will it hurt
» Outsourced authors / content
» Pseudonyms / pen names / ghost writers
» Plagiarizers
» Anonymous / corporate publishers
@StevenShattuck | @ChadPollitt
AuthorRank » who will it hurt
» Outsourced authors / content
» Pseudonyms / pen names / ghost writers
» Plagiarizers
» Anonymous / corporate publishers
» New bloggers
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@StevenShattuck | @ChadPollitt
AuthorRank » will it come true?
Probably.» Google already considers other similar ranking signals
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AuthorRank » will it come true?
Probably.» Google already considers other similar ranking signals
» AuthorRank is a natural evolution of the social graph
@StevenShattuck | @ChadPollitt
AuthorRank » will it come true?
Probably.
» Google already considers other similar ranking signals
» AuthorRank is a natural evolution of the social graph
» Authors who publish regularly and are seen as authoritative deserve to be rewarded
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Google Authorship
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Authorship » what is it?
» Google Authorship ties authors to their content
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Authorship » what is it?
» Google Authorship ties authors to their content
» Established Google Authorship is a requisite to building AuthorRank
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Authorship » quick setup guide
1 » Add blog to Google+ “Contributor to” field
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Authorship » quick setup guide
1 » Add blog to Google+ “Contributor to” field
@StevenShattuck | @ChadPollitt
Authorship » quick setup guide
1 » Add blog to Google+ “Contributor to” field2 » Add rel=author tag to blog
Test using the Structured Data Testing Tool:
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Authorship » rich snippets
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Authorship » benefits
» Increased visibility in SERPs
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Authorship » benefits
» Increased visibility in SERPs
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Authorship » benefits
» Increased visibility in SERPs» Higher CTR?
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Authorship » benefits
» Increased visibility in SERPs» Higher CTR?
» Socializes content
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Authorship » benefits
» Increased visibility in SERPs» Higher CTR?
» Socializes content
» AuthorRank (someday)
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@StevenShattuck | @ChadPollitt
Authorship » encourages production
» Places ownership over content
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Authorship » encourages production
» Places ownership over content
» Helps build author’s personal brand and authority
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Authorship » encourages production
» Places ownership over content
» Helps build author’s personal brand and authority
» Creates content champions
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Authorship » author stats
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Authorship » concerns
» What if an employee leaves?
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Authorship » concerns
» What if an employee leaves?
» Multiple authors?
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Authorship » concerns
» What if an employee leaves?
» Multiple authors?
» Other search engines?
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What You Need To Do About It Now
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Action Steps »» Establish Google Authorship for all authors
» Even former employees and inactive contributors!
@StevenShattuck | @ChadPollitt
Action Steps »» Establish Google Authorship for all authors
» Even former employees and inactive contributors!
» Create high-quality content
@StevenShattuck | @ChadPollitt
Action Steps »» Establish Google Authorship for all authors
» Even former employees and inactive contributors!
» Create high-quality content
» Monitor SERPs for authorship rich snippets
@StevenShattuck | @ChadPollitt
Action Steps »» Establish Google Authorship for all authors
» Even former employees and inactive contributors!
» Create high-quality content
» Monitor SERPs for authorship rich snippets
» Encourage internal contributors
@StevenShattuck | @ChadPollitt
Action Steps »» Establish Google Authorship for all authors
» Even former employees and inactive contributors!
» Create high-quality content
» Monitor SERPs for authorship rich snippets
» Encourage internal contributors
» Analyze author stats in Webmaster Tools
@StevenShattuck | @ChadPollitt
To Summarize
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To Summarize »» AuthorRank isn’t here yet, but it will be
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To Summarize »» AuthorRank isn’t here yet, but it will be
» AuthorRank won’t be a magic bullet
@StevenShattuck | @ChadPollitt
To Summarize »» AuthorRank isn’t here yet, but it will be
» AuthorRank won’t be a magic bullet
» Google Authorship is not the same as AuthorRank
@StevenShattuck | @ChadPollitt
To Summarize »» AuthorRank isn’t here yet, but it will be
» AuthorRank won’t be a magic bullet
» Google Authorship is not the same as AuthorRank
» Google Authorship can benefit your marketing efforts today and prepare you for AuthorRank
@StevenShattuck | @ChadPollitt
Resources and Authorities »» AJ Kohn
“AuthorRank could be more disruptive than all of the Panda updates combined.”
» Mike Arnesen
How to Prepare for Author Rank and Get the Jump on Google
» Slides
Why AuthorRank is the Future of SEO - bit.ly/slingshotauthorrank
@StevenShattuck | @ChadPollitt
@StevenShattuck | @ChadPollitt