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As of the last week of August 2014, Google is no longer supporting Google Authorship, a free tool that allowed web content to be linked to a Google+ profile.
Authorship was achieved by using "rel=author" markup in HTML code (and of course having a Google+ profile set up for the author). Once implemented, the author's name would show as a link in search results and on the article itself, both linked to the author's Google+ page. The idea behind Authorship was that web content would be more trustworthy/credible with an actual "author" standing behind it and websites could garner organic page rank because of this credibility. It was also a way Google could proliferate its social platform, Google+.
We've been recommending Google Authorship it to our clients for the last couple of years and so wanted to help publicize this recent change. Google isn't saying much, yet (see here), but here are some helpful articles if you'd like to know more:
It’s Over: The Rise & Fall Of Google Authorship For Search Results (Search Engine Land)
End of Google Authorship (Forbes)
Google Authorship should not be confused with Google Publisher which is still supported and functions similarly: The difference is Publisher links entire websites to a company's Google+ profile, verifying brand identity rather than individual authorship.
If you have questions about how this change affects your digital strategy, Contact Us.
