Are you using SEO plugins or updated meta tags on your blog(s) for better search rankings? Does Google recognize you as the author of your blog(s)? Some of you might be surprised.
Google Authorship
First, let's discuss Google Authorship. What does it mean and why is it important?
Google wants to know that your blog is legitimate and written by you. This means that you must take a few extra steps to prove that your blog is owned by you and not hacked by someone else. By doing this, your photo will be linked with your posts in search results and it will stand out among worded results that have no image. It's like a free ad. According to a study on Catalyst, it increased click through rates by 150%. Below is a preview of what my search results look like when I did a search on the title of my new 3-book series "The MacGregor Legacy". The first image is of my personal Google+ account and the second image is of my Google+ author page and is why the images are different. Notice how having an image stands out from the rest of the search results almost like an ad.
Also, by being legit according to Google's standards, it allows Google to recognize when people try to copy your posts and paste your words as their own--taking credit for your work. Who doesn't want to help fight the war on copyright infringement and piracy?
Search for yourself on Google. When you see your blog or website listed, is there a photo beside your post? If not, you need to link your blog to your Google+ profile. If you do not have a Google+ profile, you need to create one. Please note, that if you have a Gmail, YoutTube or Blogger account, you can use that same account to set up your Google+ profile. Go here for more information.
SEO & Meta Tags
It used to be that we inserted a long list of keywords in the meta tag area of our websites and blogs. Things have changed and that is history. Keywords are now more important in labels and hashtags. If you have a Wordpress blog, you need to insert SEO plugins. Here is a great article on which ones to research: 10 Essential Wordpress Plugins to Improve SEO & Usability.
If you have a Blogger blog, there are no SEO Plugins, but you can enable the meta data on your blog. You need to login to your Blogger account, go to your dashboard and click "Settings". Scroll down and click "Search Preferences". Click the box for "Enable" under the Meta Tag heading. A text box will open allowing you to type in a summary of your blog. You only have 155 characters--similar to a tweet. Think of it as a slogan for a commercial. According to iAcquire, 43.2% of people click on a search result link due to the meta tag description.
Was this helpful? What steps have you taken to improve your SEO? Post your questions in the comments below.
