Google Wants Authors to Own Their Content By Linking Websites to Google+
Another glimpse of Google’s search moving towards a more social approach was seen when the Search Engine stated that it had streamlined the process of connecting websites to the search giants social network, Google +. A post appeared on Google + giving details about the update on June 12. This upgrade was part of the Google Authorship program which was launched last year with the intent of giving creators of online content ownership and better search engine visibility. The latest attempt shows that Google thinks users are more likely to take recommendations from their circle of friends, family and coworkers more seriously than ones coming from algorithms.
Ever since its launch, Google Authorship has tried several different methods to make sure content is attributed to the correct author. At first Google used a method that asked the author to imbed code into web pages. That did not work out to well because open source platforms like WordPress required extra steps to get the code to work and confused many non-developers. The latest upgrade seems to be step towards making the process less code intensive and easier so that everyone can benefit.
Google Authorship is still being tested out by Google but is an important step towards better results from the Search Engine. The system benefits authors because it gives them credit for their work. It also offers an opportunity to brand their content. Another plus point is that in search results an authenticated author gets to show their name and picture, making the result stand out and entice users. Google gets something out of the whole equation too. If they are able to get authors to verify their own content, then the search results improve. This is Google’s core business and better results mean that advertisers get better return on investment making them likely to spend more with Google.
