In today’s marketing landscape as it pertains to SEO, A.I. written content is really taking over. However, the ultimate factor comes down to quality content with some sort of human touch. In short, “quality” content captivates, produces action, and drives. So, as you can imagine, major search engines like Google are looking for content creators that are known for producing quality pieces of content. These content creators are known as “Authors” in Google’s eyes and we feel this will carry weight moving forward. So, if you’re looking to be the “expert” real estate agent for specific niches in your market, city experts, or even luxury experts – then listen up and read about “Google Authorship”.
Google Authorship History Lesson
First things first, let’s give a little history lesson about Google Authorship. Google Authorship is a way to link your online content, such as blog posts, articles, and videos, to you. This connection between content and you creates a sense of authority and authorship, which is important for building a personal reputation. Below is a timeline of how Google Authorship was strongly utilized, rolled-back, and then back into the spotlight:
- 2011: Google confirmed they support “rel=”author” schema markup that allowed users to tag specific pieces of content and link it to their Google+ accounts… Remember Google+? It was the Facebook knockoff and one of Google’s more memorable fails. However, it’s not how you win, it’s how you fail/lose is where true champions are formed. Let’s just say Google learned a thing or two in this expensive experiment.
- 2013: Google Authorship results started to decline within major search results.
- 2014: Google announced the end of this experiment and stopped showing authors within results.
- 2019: RIP Google+ and 100% end to verifying authorship.
- 2020: This is where it gets interesting… Google files the Author Vectors patent to identify authors via internet content creation styles. One would assume it also started tracking “quality” content during this time.
Is Google Authorship still important for SEO?
Now let’s answer the big question – Is Google Authorship still important for SEO? We believe so, but it’s not a transparent algorithm update, we actually need to read the tealeaves. In March 2023, Google’s Gary Illyes confirmed Google is not using Authorship as a ranking factor, but didn’t rule it out in the future. This leads us to believe that early adopters to the practice of Authorship could be rewarded soon in a major way. Remember what we said above about A.I. content being created at an alarming rate – Google wants a way to identify quality curators and reward them.
Authorship + “E-E-A-T” Rule of Thumb
The combination of Google Authorship and E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness) can help Google understand the patterns and quality of content output from a specific person. Therefore, it is crucial to create content that is informative and insightful. Producing great content regularly can help establish authority and expertise over time.
As a result, if you’re a real estate agent looking to be the local expert in a specific city, consider publishing regular blog posts or articles that touch on topics such as new developments, hot neighborhoods, and latest trends in the real estate market. Create informative content that answers common questions about the local real estate market. Use Google Authorship to associate these pieces of quality content with your online profile.
Google Authorship Knowledge Panels
As mentioned, we think Google Authorship is going to be a big deal in the future and the proof of this is Google Authorship Panels. Google Authorship Knowledge Panels are an essential part of establishing online authority. Knowledge Panels can appear in search results for specific people, highlighting essential information about them on the right-hand side of the search page. If you haven’t already, claiming your Authorship Panel is an easy way to establish authority and credibility in your industry.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, Google Authorship may not be the end-all-be-all for SEO, but it is still an essential factor in self-branding and establishing online authority. As a real estate agent, establishing yourself as a local expert can be the difference between steady listing appointments and struggling to close deals. By producing high-quality, informative content and using Google Authorship to link that content back to your profile, you can establish yourself as an authority in your industry. So why not give it a try and start building your authority today?