Google Authorship is No More, Google+ Gains Momentum
A little over two months ago, we said goodbye to Authorship photos, those tiny little profile pictures next to your Google search results. No matter if you loved them or hated them, Authorship photos were proven to boost click-through rates. So we all panicked, at least a little, wondering how these changes would affect SEO. Well, Google is at it again, just when you started to think you were safe…
Google Authorship is No More
That’s right. According to Google, Authorship results are being removed from search and the rel=author tag data won’t be tracked any longer. And the changes seem to be immediate. But don’t panic. According to Google Webmaster Tools’ John Mueller, “removing Authorship generally does not seem to reduce traffic to sites.”
Why is Google Authorship Getting the Boot?
According to Mueller, Google Authorship is getting the boot for two primary reasons: low impact and low adoption.
- Low Impact: According to Mueller (and three years of test data), Authorship wasn’t that helpful for users. In some instances, it even distracted users. Simply put, Authorship wasn’t getting the results Google had hoped for.
- Low Adoption: Authorship adoption was slow. Period. And many of the people that were “using” Authorship did not have it set up properly. That’s a double whammy!
Google+ Gains Momentum
Despite the loss of Google Authorship, this does not mean we are reverting back to Google circa 2011. Instead, Google+ is taking on an even greater role in searches. Now, users will start to see Google+ posts from their connections in the main results and in the sidebar. And these posts will look eerily similar to those Authorship posts we all knew and loved.
Time to Ramp up Your Google+ Presence
With Google+ taking on a much bigger role in search, it may be time to give the social media site the same sort of attention you do Facebook…maybe even more. The solution: Adventure Web Interactive. We will develop and maintain a custom social media campaign for you that includes Twitter, Facebook, Google+ (of course!), Pinterest, LinkedIn, YouTube, and more. Our campaigns also include a custom-skinned blog and weekly blog posts, all in an effort to increase brand awareness and, most importantly, SEO.
Call now for a free Social Media evaluation!
If you have any questions about Google Authorship or SEO, please contact Adventure Web Interactive by calling (410)-788-7007 or by clicking here today! For more information about web development, contact Adventure Web Productions now!
