There has been a lot of buzz lately about Google Authorship. Should virtual assistants really care? Absolutely! For any VA who has a website, blogs for themselves, or blogs for clients, they should understand how to establish authorship for original content to earn higher page rankings in the search engines.
Penguins and Such
With the latest algorithm updates like the 2013 “Google Penguin,” shady SEO practices from the last 10 + years are finally being penalized. What this means is that any person or company who “took” an article, spun it, and redistributed as their own is finally getting their due…they are losing credibility. Today’s internet readers and shoppers want quality, informative, ORIGINAL, content and Google is stepping up to the plate.
With Google being the preferred search engine provider – holding approximately 2/3 of the market over search engines such as Bing and Yahoo – they are placing individuals and companies who value quality content in the forefront. These content creators are experiencing:
- Greater recognition and exposure
- Improved page rankings
- Protection against future algorithms updates
- Credibility and establishment as an “expert” in their niche
Producing Quality Content is No Great Mystery
There really is no great mystery to creating quality content. The secret is value. Don’t waste reader’s time with fluff or regurgitated content. Besides writing quality content, here are some other organic ways to increase your author rank and credibility.
- Be seen – increase your interaction by commenting on relevant blog posts
- Share relevant content with other peers, social media groups, and connections
- Avoid shady link schemes – only link to other quality and relevant sites
Establish authorship for yourself or clients
As a virtual assistant, you can easily establish authorship for yourself or clients. So how do you go about it? To start with, set up an account with Google+ and develop a profile for yourself or any of your clients. Once this is done, you can then establish authorship on most content created for blogs and websites. Here is a handy, easy to digest Google authorship guide that takes you through the steps of setting up a Google profile account.
Social Media Giant
There are other rewards with a Google+ account than establishing authorship. Google+ is rapidly becoming a social network giant among the likes of Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Virtual assistants can network, share content, generate leads for prospective clients, and more. Add Google+ to your social media arsenal and you will create a powerful online presence. Google+ happens to be one of my personal favorites for connecting with peers and clients.
To boost your credibility or to shine in the eyes of your clients, a Google+ account just may be the ticket to establishing yourself or a client as an expert in their field. Google is showing preference to those individuals and companies who produce quality, original content through higher page rankings. Who couldn’t use a little help these days?
About Out of the Office Virtual Assistance:
At Out of the Office, we offer ideas and ways to increase your productivity, decrease your workload, and work more efficiently. We nurture a successful business relationship, while continuing to grow as your business partner. We are focused on streamlining your administration, social media planning and execution, and offering creative solutions for your business success. Join me at the Google+ Virtual Assistants Community to share information and network with like-minded professionals.
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