Applying Google’s rel=author Markup Attribute

Google recently introduced the rel=author markup attribute, which allows content authors to claim pieces of content as their own by simply adding snippets of code to links that point back to their author page. Now being referred to as “personal PageRank” or “AuthorRank,” the new attribute gives Google a new signal to use to identify influential voices online. This means that online authority is no longer harbored at the domain and page levels. Authoritative voices now carry credibility and relevancy signals that can contribute to higher SEO performance. Google also introduced the rel=me markup, which tells Google that all author profiles (e.g. personal website, social profile) link to the same author page. What does this all mean for your organization? In order to gain stronger backlinks and higher rankings, companies must publish strong, credible content, whether that comes from a guest blogger or an employee with a leading online voice. As part of your SEO and content strategy, you may want to consider grooming the online personas of your current content authors or hiring guest bloggers in order to produce highly credible content that will rank well in the SERPs, and employ the rel=author markup to your pages.  For more information on how to start using Google’s authorship markup, contact your SEO team.