(Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Today’s guest post was written by Kymeshia Morris. You can learn more about her at the end of the post.
*********
Lawyers should use Google Authorship to establish ownership of the content they create on their website. Google Authorship allows lawyers to claim their content by linking their website to their Google+ profile. Read on to learn more about why lawyers should use Google Authorship and how to set it up.
Google Authorship Establishes Content Ownership
A key feature of using Google Authorship is establishing content ownership. Previously, when search results appeared in Google, there were no known authors associated with the content. Now, Google Authorship allows authors to claim their content in search results.
Lawyers who add the Google Authorship markup to their content will have their Google+ profile image, name, and follower count displayed next to their verified website link in search results. Google Authorship is a great tool for lawyers to prevent unauthorized content infringement and to receive credit for the content they create.
Google Authorship Increases Online Visibility
When authorship markup appears next to a website’s search result listing, that listing will have a higher click-through-rate than an imageless listing. For instance, according to Web Marketing Today, search listings that contain authorship markup have an increased 15% click-through-rate than non-markup listings.
Based on recent trends, lawyers who utilize authorship markup should expect to receive an increased amount of traffic to their website. Prospective clients will be able to associate a lawyer to a particular website in search result listings. This is a great tool for lawyers to use to promote their image online.
Google Authorship Builds Trust, Readership & Online Authority
Lawyers who utilize Google Authorship will be able to build trust among their readership and enhance their online authority. When a lawyer consistently publishes noteworthy content, he/she will gradually build trust with his/her readers as a reputable source. This will help a lawyer grow his/her online authority regarding the subject matter of his/her content.
How to Set Up Google Authorship
If you are interested in establishing Google Authorship for your website, follow these two basic steps:
Step 1
First, create a Google+ profile. Next, edit the contributor section of the profile. Click “add a custom link” and enter the website URL that you would like the authorship markup to appear for in search results.
Step 2
Next, insert the following code into the <head> section of the selected website:
<a href=”[profile_url]?rel=author”>Google</a>
Replace [profile_url] with your Google+ profile URL, like this:
<a href=”https://plus.google.com/u/0/106033272235068994235rel=author”>Google</a>
Use the structured data testing tool to see an example of your author data in Google search results. It generally takes about 3 days to see your authorship markup in Google search results.
Kymeshia Morris, Esq., is an attorney who provides legal content writing and social media marketing services to lawyers and law firms at San Diego Esquire. She is an active legal blogger and enjoys helping lawyers market their legal practice on various social media channels.
Brian M. Fishman
June 19, 2013 — 1:33 pm
Great post, Kymeshia. Thanks so much. One quick question: Should the code have “?rel=author” at the end of the Google+ URL or just “rel=author”? I see the example where it says to insert your Google+ profile has the “?” but then the example one with the Google+ URL added does not have the “?”. Thanks in advance for answering my question.
Kymeshia Morris
June 19, 2013 — 1:48 pm
Thank you for the feedback @brianmfishman:disqus. To answer your question, yes the code must include the “?rel=author” parameter. After you add the code to your website, use the structured data testing tool to make sure it works. It usually takes a few days for Google to show your Google Authorship markup in search result listings.
Luke Ciciliano
December 13, 2013 — 8:54 am
Thanks for writing this Kymeshia. Another important point to make is that Google is now, and will be expanding, the role of authorship in the “online authority” context you mentioned. The more someone is seen as an “authority” in their field then the more likely they are to rank highly in organic search. G+ is a great place to build this authority. So the benefit of using G+ can be higher conversion rates (due to the reader trust factor your mentioned) as well as higher ranking in organic search. Your thoughts?