Google Authorship May Be Dead, But Author Rank Is Not

Google Authorship May Be Dead, But Author Rank Is Not

Google ended its three-year experiment with Google Authorship yesterday, but the use of Author Rank to improve search results will continue.

 Wait — you can have Author Rank without Google Authorship? And just what is Google Authorship versus Author Rank? Come along,

 because they are different things — and Author Rank lives on

What Google Authorship Was

Google Authorship was primarily Google’s way to allow the authors of content to identify themselves for display purposes. You asserted it by making use of “markup,” code hidden from human view but within web pages.

 Google extended from this original idea to link it tightly with Google+, as a step to create a Google-controlled system of identifying authors and managing identities.

Those making use of Google Authorship were largely rewarded by having author names and images appear next to stories. That was the big draw,

 especially when Google suggested that stories with authorship display might draw more clicks. 

What Author Rank Is

Separately from Google Authorship is the idea of Author Rank, where if Google knows who authored a story, it might somehow alter the rankings of that story, perhaps give it a boost if authored by someone deemed trustworthy.

Author Rank isn’t actually Google’s term.

 It’s a term that the SEO community has assigned to the concept in general.

 It especially got renewed attention after Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt talked about the idea of ranking verified authors higher in search results, in his 2013 book

Author Rank Is Real — And Continues!

Schmidt was just speculating in his book, not describing anything that was actually happening at Google.

 From Google itself, there was talk several times last year of making use of Author Rank as a way to identify subject experts and somehow boost them in the search results

Author Rank Without Authorship

Now that Google Authorship is dead, how can Google keep using Author Rank in the limited form it has confirmed? Or is that now dead, too? And does this mean other ways Author Rank might get used are also dead?

Google told us that dropping Google Authorship shouldn’t have an impact on how the In-depth articles section works. Google also said that the dropping of Google Authorship won’t impact its other efforts to explore how authors might get rewarded.

Build a Strong Social-Media Presence

Build a Strong Social-Media Presence

Running a social-media strategy is just like any other process: It takes time. There are no shortcuts, you just need to be agile.

So when you decide to join social media, make sure that your strategy is not just “post and run”.  Be active in the community, follow and reply to your customers. True, there are times when you do not have access to the Internet and you are just happy to be able to get a post out, but to me, that would be the exception. For instance, if you were traveling, you may not have access to the online world 100 percent of the time, but even then, you should check in and respond as soon as possible.

  Another one of my favorite social-media suggestions is to limit your tweets per day.  I’ll admit that I used to tweet way too much, but I now post about one per hour on average.  (That is, unless I am working on promoting an event or participating on a chat.) Do what works best for you but moderation is always a good rule to follow, as it is nice to give your audience a break.

 The Ultimate Guide to Outreach on Social Media

Also, you don't always have to broadcast from your social-media page; you can say your piece by commenting on others’ social-media channels.  I usually hop on all my social channels and watch what others are up to and really engage with them. Try to comment rather than just like or re-tweet, because that does not open the door to starting a conversation.

 Reconsider have all your social-media posts automated. If I hand-selected the content and want to share this with my followers globally but just can't do it right now, it is sometimes better to wait.  I’ve noticed that my fans do not have a problem with me responding at a later time.  We cannot possibly acknowledge, return or reciprocate every social-media transaction, but I do the best that I can.

Things Young Self-Made Millionaires Have In Common

Things Young Self-Made Millionaires Have In Common

there are a few key characteristics that set certain people up to earn big early on, according to Peter Voogd, founder of the Game Changers Academy, who made his first million before turning 26.

"You don't make a million by accident," he says in a recent LinkedIn post. "If it's not a goal you sure as hell won't hit it."

Here are four vital traits that young, successful millionaires share, as observed firsthand by Voogd:

They have a sense of urgency.

Young millionaires become successful so early in life because they constantly work toward success instead of waiting for opportunities to come to them. "Now matters more than any other time, and the 'someday isle' mentality is killing so many dreams," Voogd says. Millionaires make monetary success a top priority from day one, instead of pushing it to the back burner as something they'd like to achieve someday.

They find a strong mentor. 

Millionaires don't reach that status alone, and even self-made millionaires find smart, wise mentors to guide them as they build their careers. "Success rises and falls on who you associate with, so make sure you stay aware of your surroundings," Voogd says. Learning from those who came before you is key to making the right business decisions, and a good mentor will challenge you and help you focus on bigger thinking, Voogd adds.

They focus on leverage.

Time is money, and while the traditional method of trading your time for a proportional payment will earn you a decent salary, it won't make you a millionaire. "At some point you have to focus on scaling and leverage," Voogd says. "Investment properties, membership sites, building a brand, partnerships, affiliate marketing, different types of programs, etc." Young millionaires maximize their time to make sure they're always earning as much as possible. 

They don't care what other people think.

"People who care what others think of them will always be limited to others' opinions," Voogd says. Young millionaires don't waste time trying to please people who don't believe in them or win over those that don't support them. Instead, they focus on their own vision and learn to believe in themselves. To become truly successful, "you must give up the need to be liked by everybody," Voogd warns.