The 2013 Google Author Rank prophecy

Although we were all eager about the Mayan predictions of the world’s end, the SEO world is all in a buzz about a new “genesis” that was recently unveiled by Google, called AuthorRank. This newest addition in the list of Google’s army means new metrics, new algorithm and a new way of judging a site’s reputation and ranking.

Many SEO (search Engine Optimisation) experts are asking: Is AuthorRank going to be the next SEO revolution? This has been the newest debate in town, and opinions are flying off from the four corners of the SEO scene. But whether it is indeed the start of a new revolution, the best thing to do is to be prepared. First things first…

What is AuthorRank?

AuthorRank is a new algorithm being used by Google to measure the authority of a websites author through the use of Google+. It also measures a site’s readership value and relevance to the search terms being entered by Google users. This means that in order to score a high AuthorRank, you need to claim authorship of your content through Google’s social media site, Google+, and you need to link your content to your Google+ profile.

Apart from taking ownership, it is also important to increase your profile’s reputation and quality by publishing unique, interesting and high-quality content. Great content will result to more Google+ shares, comments and likes, which are also equivalent to more interaction with your target audience. These are some of the factors that Google would take into consideration when it comes to AuthorRank.

Revolution or not?

Given this newest algorithm change by Google, it is indeed a revolution, a way to further promote Google+ to the SEO world and driving a campaign towards high quality content. It is not all about quality links nowadays, it’s how well you create your content, the author of that content, and how it appeals to your audience. This criterion is of course, query-independent, since it measures your content’s authority. A mixture of social and link metrics, AuthorRank is indeed Google’s biggest blow in the SEO world after the Panda and Penguin update.

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