Do you have any desire to become better known in 2013? Google is making it easier for you to set yourself apart and draw attention to the fact consistently add value to the web.
You’ve no doubt noticed that you see authors photos next to their content on some of your Google searches. This happens when Google recognizes the content to be from a trusted author. There are two additional advantages to becoming a verified author besides having your beautiful face on display. First is that your name is listed under the link, branding the link as “by Your Name Here”, second is the link that shows all of your content that is linked to you.
stolen laptop search engine result page
Having a search result with a face next to it increase clicks. Yes, it’s actually that simple. As humans we are drawn to look at other human faces. Clicks can increase up to 200%! Google’s personal search makes seeing a friendly face even more compelling.
By now you’re hopefully asking, “How do I get my photo to appear in the search results?”
Here is a simple 3 step process.
- Create a Google+ account. If you are already using a Google application (like GMail,) you’re about 90% of the way done.
- Link your existing websites where you create content to your Google+ profile
- Link your Google+ profile back to your websites.
For more information, check out these free resources:
- Local Google+ expert Mark Traphagen’s post on How to Show Your Author Photo in Google Search Results
- KISSMetric’s post on Google Authorship Markup
The beautiful part of this authorship program is that if you’re an author on more than one blog, it allows people to see your entire portfolio rather than just by site. It also may help unscrupulous scrappers from stealing your content and getting credit.
This is one of those things that you’ll be kicking yourself over if you don’t get it taken care of. Make 2013 the year where you build out your personal brand by appearing next to your photo in the search results.
