If you are a website owner or an online marketer then you may have heard of Google’s AuthorRank but then again maybe not. It is a relatively new occurrence but some people in the know believe that we should all be paying more attention to it as it could be an important ranking factor in the future. So what exactly is AuthorRank? Is it important and should we be preparing for it?
It’s Another Way Of Prioritizing Content
We all know that quality of content is an extremely important ranking factor for Google so it makes sense that they would want to roll out something that helps them to evaluate an author and the overall quality of the content that they produce. Knowing that you are reading material from a trusted author will give that content a certain level of legitimacy and authority which is exactly what Google wants.
We’re Moving Away From Links
Google is attempting to move away from links being the huge ranking factor that it used to be and so AuthorRank which is all about the trust and reputation of an author seems to be a logical ranking factor for the not too distant future. So if your SEO strategy is heavily reliant on link building and not so much on creating quality content then you should take this time to repent and change your wyas before it’s too late.
What You Can Do?
To prepare yourself for this likely algorithm factor you can create a Google Authorship which will provide you with the platform you need to assign all of your content to yourself. Basically you will be asking Google to give you credit for the awesome content you have created and you can even assign it to content you have already created and published so it’s definitely worth setting up. If you are currently creating high quality content and resources that others will want to share and talk about then you are already on the right track and you should keep doing what you’re doing. Remember to stick to what you’re good at because you will receive different author ranks for different subjects.
How Will It Affect Us?
It is not thought that the introduction of AuthorRank will have a huge impact on us on the same scale as the Panda and Penguin updates although those who have prepared for it in advance will reap the benefits and those who start working on it after it has been made a ranking factor will already be way behind so be warned. It’s hard to say when it will be introduced by Google, it really depends on when they feel ready and are able to totally trust its results that could be today or it could be in 6 months’ time but there is definitely a growing feeling that it is coming.
Stuart Cooke is a SEO Consultant based in Northern Ireland. He has recently begun to prepare for AutoRank as he feels it will be a ranking factor in the future.