Having content appear at the top of search results (SERPs) is a source of pride for a team and company. However, have you ever written an article outside your area of expertise? Many articles are written carelessly, some even solely for AdSense ad revenue, without considering quality.
Often, content writers don't care about the accuracy of the information presented, let alone the safety of their readers. Therefore, a content writer's authority begins to play a crucial role in the quality of your website's content. In this article, we'll address some myths surrounding content writer authority and its importance in the world of content writing.
What Is Author Authority?
Author authority refers to the level of authority or influence an author holds in a particular field. In the context of SEO, author authority is often associated with the author's reputation, experience, and expertise in writing content. This concept emerged because Google has E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) guidelines, which emphasize the importance of quality content written by competent and trusted authors.
While this concept is quite popular among SEO practitioners, not all experts agree that author authority actually influences site rankings. Some experts believe that author authority is only an additional factor that can increase content credibility, but is not a primary factor in Google's ranking algorithm. Meanwhile, some other SEO practitioners argue that author authority can influence user perception and contribute to user engagement and retention rates.
However, even though author authority is not a primary ranking factor, Google still pays attention to who wrote the content. This is done through various methods, such as analyzing writing style, using structured data, and processing author profile data. However, Google does not disclose the details of how they use this information in their ranking algorithm.
Why Is Author Authority Important?
Simply put, there are several things you need to pay attention to if you want your article content to achieve high rankings on Google. This is one reason why author authority is so important. By understanding and applying these principles, you can increase your article's chances of competing in search results and attracting more readers. Here are some of them:
1. Content Quality and User Trust
Content written by content writers with high author authority tends to be more trusted by users. When audiences see that an article is written by an expert or professional in their field, they are more likely to trust the information presented. This is especially important in fields that require specialized expertise, such as health, law, and finance.
2. Compliance with E-E-A-T Guidelines
For your information, Google emphasizes the importance of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) in assessing content quality. Author authority contributes to all three of these elements. Content articles written by reputable and recognized content writers in their field are more likely to be considered high-quality by Google, which can improve SEO rankings.
3. Impact on Organic Rankings
While author authority isn't a direct ranking factor, there's a clear correlation between a content writer's reputation and organic rankings. Content written by reputable writers tends to receive more backlinks and social interactions, all of which contribute to better search engine rankings.
How Does Google Measure Author Authority?
When discussing author authority in Google Search, it makes perfect sense for Google to consider author authority as a ranking factor, especially since the introduction of the E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) guidelines.
But do search engines really care who wrote the content? And does that author influence the ranking algorithm?
In short, author authority isn't a ranking factor. However, Google does have guidelines that help them identify the author for a particular page. In August 2005, Google filed a patent for Agent Rank. If you'd like to learn more about the patent, please read Bill Slawski's review here.
In short, Google's patent uses "digital signatures" to rank content based on reputation scores. Then, on June 20, 2011, Google confirmed that it now supports authorship markup.
Here's a sample code:
author": {"@type": "Person","givenName": "Apri","additionalName": "Opray"}
For the complete code, please see this schema markup page. In 2014, Mark Traphagen conducted a study on "authorship adoption to show authorship adoption by authors was slow." He found that 70% of authors didn't connect their authorship to the content they wrote.
Then, in 2014, authorship markup was officially removed. Then, in 2016, Gary Illyes stated at the SMX conference that Google "no longer uses authorship," but they still know who the author is.
The question arises: how does Google know who the author is? The answer is in this video: Google looks at a number of factors (e.g., links to profile pages, structured data, and other visible information) in a process called reconciliation.
Another interesting piece of evidence comes from John Mueller's confirmation that Google does not use author reputation as a ranking factor. What about E-A-T? Please note that reputation is different from "expertise" and "authoritativeness."
Reputation is how other users perceive an author. Expertise and authoritativeness are characteristics Google uses to evaluate authors. However, recent patents show how authorship is evolving. For example, in March 2020, Google filed a patent called Author Vectors to identify authors through internet-based writing style.
When evaluating the patent, Bill Slawski explained how author vectors work:
“Different authors can have different writing styles, different levels of expertise, and different interests in different topics.
Google is trying to tell us with this new Author Vector patent that it might be possible to identify authors of content without labels.”
In fact, we all know that Google has gotten better at determining who might be the author of “qualified” content with updates to their Quality Rater Guidelines. But we don't know why or how they use these guidelines to support Google's ranking factors.
One thing we do know is that Google recommends including author URLs in the article schema. Remember, Google uses a variety of factors to assess author authority, including:
1. Content Quality
Informative, relevant, and well-written content will enhance a writer's reputation.
2. Engagement and Interaction
The level of user interaction with content, such as comments, shares, and likes, can be an indicator of trustworthiness in the writer.
3. Publication History
Content writers who frequently publish on trusted platforms will have a better reputation. Google pays attention to where content writers have previously published and how often they do so.
4. Backlinks and Resources
Backlinks from high-quality websites pointing to your content also contribute to author authority. This indicates that the content is considered valuable by other sources.
How to Increase Author Authority
Now that we understand the importance of Author Authority and how Google measures it, the next step is how to improve it.
1. Build a Strong Writer Profile
Did you know that every article or blog post should include the Content Writer's name and bio? This explains your skills and experience. This helps users and search engines understand the author's credibility.
2. Use Schema Markup
Yes, implementing schema markup for Content Writers can help Google identify important information about the author, including background, affiliations, and previous work. Therefore, this can increase the chances of the content being recognized as high-quality.
3. Participate in Communities and Forums
Being active in industry forums, social media, and other platforms can help Content Writers build their reputation and increase their visibility. Contributing to discussions and providing valuable insights can increase audience trust.
4. Produce High-Quality Content Consistently
Finally, don't forget that content quality is key. Content Writers should focus on creating content that is informative, relevant, and tailored to the audience's needs. High-quality content not only attracts attention but also increases the likelihood of backlinks and engagement.
Conclusion
Author authority is a crucial element in today's SEO strategies. While not a direct ranking factor, a content writer's reputation can influence how content is perceived by audiences and search engines, like Google.
By building author authority through quality content, active engagement, and a strong reputation, content writers can increase their visibility and credibility in the digital world. Thus, author authority isn't just about who writes, but also about how the writing is trusted and valued by readers and search engines.
Author background has long been a hot topic. With the introduction of Google's Quality Rater Guidelines, which address E-A-T, author authority has entered a somewhat obscure area for SEO practitioners.
Essentially, while author authority doesn't directly impact SEO, following the Google Quality Rater Guidelines is a smart way to maintain the credibility and quality of your article content.
