How to Add Google Authorship in Blogs and Websites

Hub Updates

Added a section for integrating google authorship with the new profile layout of Hubpages. - 8/10/12

What is Google Authorship?

This fairly new feature of Google enables you to associate your online content with your Google Plus profile. Through this feature, you get to verify and claim authorship of your hubs, blogs and web content. And to top all these, it enables you to have a photo of you in search engine results which increases your online visibility.

Google Authorship and Search Traffic

By having a photo appear in the search engine, your articles will have a higher chance of getting noticed. And thus, Google Authorship has the tendency to bring in more traffic to your hubs. With this, even if your articles don't take the first 2 or 3 spots of the search results, you will still have a good fighting chance of being visited. In my case, upon implementing. And if you are under the Google Adsense program, you will be able to monetize those increases in traffic.

(Note: With Google Authorship, I've noticed a good increase in my Google search engine traffic.)

The Google Authorship Advantage

With Google Authorship, you will also going to enjoy the following benefits aside from a possible increase in traffic:

• Enables you to distinguish your content in search engine results
• Increases your followers in Google+ since readers will have easier access to your profile
• Helps your readers discover your other content on the web (in some instances, there will also a link appearing beside your photo saying "More from the Author")
• Engages your readers by connecting them with your Google+

Now, let's get to the core of this article and explore how you can claim your Google Authorship.

<a href="[profile_url]?rel=author">Google</a>

Replace [profile_url] with the your Google+ profile URL, like this:

  <a href="https://plus.google.com/109412257237874861202?
   rel=author">Google</a>

Special Case: Linking Profile Without HTML

If you can't edit the HTML of your page, you won't be able to add up the rel=author tag (without this you won't be able to verify your authorship). Here's the remedy, insert a hyperlink on your name (the name similar to your Google+ Profile) using this link:

[profile url]?rel=author

For Hubpages, check out the photo below.

Here's the step by step guide in order to have your Google Authorship implemented:

1. Have a Google Plus Account.It is only through a Google+ account that you will have an authorship claimed. So, if you already have one, you can now proceed to the next step. But if you still have no account, create an account now.
   
   Don't forget to include a good, recognizable headshot as your profile photo. This is a vital requirement to have your authorship claimed. So if you have other picture not representing you, change it with your own photo.
   .
2. Write a good description of you on your profile. This is also very important. Google wants you to have a good description of you as an author and perhaps some interesting facts about you.
   .
3. Register your account. Go to plus.google.com/authorship, sign up with your email (preferably your Gmail Account) and click on the verification link Google will send you.
   .
4. Link your Google+ Profile from your webpage. After setting up the prerequisites, you now have to link your profile from your webpage (e.g. Hubpages or Blogger). Check out the format on your right. All you need to do is copy the code anywhere in your webpage and replace the [profile_url] portion.
   
   There is some cases where you can't edit the HTML of your page (like Hubpages). But there's a remedy to this. You may check it on your right (after the "Linking Google Profile"). All you need to do is to insert a hyperlink on your name using the said format.
   .
5. Link Back from Google+ Profile. Add a reciprocal link back from your profile to the sites or pages you just updated.
   • Go to the Contributor To section of your profile.
   • In the dialog that appears, click Add custom link, and then enter the website URL (use the url of your main page).
   • Click Save.
     .
6. Verify Google Authorship. Go to the Rich Snippets Testing Tool.Type in your page or website and click on Preview. Check out the photo below.

Easy procedures to link Hubpages to Google Profile

Even if there had been changes with the layout, it is still easy to have your Google Authorship claimed/re-claimed (i.e. linking your Hubpages account to your Google Profile). Here are the easy steps:

1. On your new profile page, click on Edit Profile. You will be brought to a page where you can edit your personal detaiils, featured hub and social network accounts.
2. Scroll down until you reach the Links category. You will see there Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and etc.
3. Fill in the input space with a link to your Google Profile with some additions to the url. For this step, you may refer Special Case: Linking Profile Without HTML above.
4. Click on Save Changes.
5. Verify if you got it right by going to the rich snippets testing tool. (Kindly see the Step 6 of the above procedures).
6. You're all good!

I hope you find all these steps easy to follow. Take note that you need to wait for about a month or so before it takes effect. It's not an instant process, so don't get frustrated if you won't see your photo in search engine results. It takes some patience too in order to get your authorship claimed.

Good luck! Don't forget to leave a comment in case you have some inquiries or in case you just want to share your success in having your Google Authorship.