Google+ author tags and product descriptions - Can we author tag it to protect it if its custom written?
-
Hello Google+ experts
We run a eCommerce (magento) site with ~140 different products.
We manufacture all of our own products and therefore the product descriptions / content is written by us for us, however there are smaller operators that can scrap it, adjust it and use it on similar products. Can we author tag our own custom product descriptions or will goggle not like this?
I have read a hand full of blog about author tags v's publisher tags, and most bloggers state that eCommerce product pages should not author tag as content is normally generic product spec information.
Our product content is fresh, custom and written by a real author it's similar to a blog post so why can't we tag it to protect it? (The descriptions include a product - Overview / Benefits / Suggested use)
If we do Author tag it will Google spank us and damage our SEO or because it fresh and custom advance are SEO?
-
Hi Steve,
You've asked some good questions! Say, would you mind opening a new thread for each one (i.e., one question at a time)? Please be as specific as possible when writing the headline for a new thread, as well as the question itself. Thanks!
Christy
-
Cheers Samuel,
So in a nut-shell "Author tags" for Blogs posts only - got it.
How about the Publisher tag option? Or is there no SEO or copy protection benefit from this option either?
My theory from all I have been reading on the topic of SEO, is SEO these days needs to honest and we need to build a community around our branding / site. So my theory is if we can tie our content to our G+ which ties it to our you tube, blogger, FB, site blog and shop etc etc then Google can easily join all the dots together are see we have an establish community, that we're active in it and then have better access to our content and keywords etc.
It's just my untested theory. FYI - I'm no SEO expert and its all new to me, maybe that's a good thing given all the changers from google. Does anyone really know whats going on and how to rank these days?
We have spend 10s of thousands with SEO companies in the past a lot of it has been a waste now given all the updates and the cost in man hours in "insurance" in cleaning up possible bad history to avoid negative SEO in the future.
Its seems the good old fashion marketing ways now prevail aka: quality products and service in the hope that the customer talks and spreads the work aka: "word of mouth", however as we're in a tech-age it's via an online social avenue.
Add to that high quality blog content with internal key links that again come with the hope someone will like, + and share it with your www related community.
I receive newsletters from the SEO companies I have used in the past and now all strategists seem focused on cleaning up back-links and then hand picking just the a hand full or quality back-links from competitors and then try and work out how to get that same link.
Apologies this has gone a little side ways from the original question but related all the same.
If any of the MOZ SEO experts are looking for a hot topic blog post here's a great heading- **The 101 to ranking in 2014: DIY guide. **Because it seems to me that SEO needs to be more personal rather than 3rd party.
I'm guessing though, if everyone did the same thing then the strategy would be less effective.
-
I agree with Samuel. I also don't think that adding an author tag would have the benefit that you want. It's not going to stop them from stealing your content and repurposing it.
-
1. Can we author tag our own custom product descriptions or will goggle not like this?
Google will not like it. Google's guidelines on Google+ Authorship state the following (see the last two paragraphs especially):
What kind of pages can be used with authorship?
Good question! You can increase the likelihood that we show authorship for your site by only using authorship markup on pages that meet these criteria:
- The URL/page contains a single article (or subsequent versions of the article) or single piece of content, by the same author...
- The URL/page consists primarily of content written by the author.
- Showing a clear byline on the page, stating the author wrote the article and using the same name as used on their Google+ profile.
Can I use authorship on my site’s property listings or product pages since one of my employees has customized the description?
Authorship annotation is useful to searchers because it signals that a page conveys a real person’s perspective or analysis on a topic. Since property listings and product pages are less perspective/analysis oriented, we discourage using authorship in these cases.
I highly suggest using rel=author only on pages and/or posts that have individually-authored content such as blog posts and white papers.
2. If we do Author tag it will Google spank us and damage our SEO or because it fresh and custom advance are SEO?
It may, but we don't have a definitive answer on that. I'll refer you to this post by Dr. Pete on declining levels of authorship in the SERPs and why Google might be doing that in response to abuse of the authorship tag. Basically, I'd suggest following all of Google's guidelines and NOT use authorship on product pages or descriptions. Unfairly or not, if you want to play in Google's yard, you have to abide by their rules.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Social media signals and their roles in Google rankings
Hello, I keep on hearing that social media signals have a role in the way Google ranks pages and sites, but for now, I haven't seen any hard evidence of that. Like any other company, we have pages on facebook, linkedin, google plus and twitter, to which we post daily. No, there are no clients coming in from social media, so I was wondering if it's worth investing time in adding every day updates, unless those count in ranking on Google. What do you think, is there a link between social media and Google rankings, and how much does this weight in ranking my sites? Thank you
Social Media | | anitawapa0 -
Trying to link a Legacy Youtube account to a Google+ Page, the option isn't available...
Hello,
Social Media | | allstatetransmission
I am working on one of my clients projects and would love some advice before making some changes to their Google+ and Youtube account. We created the youtube account before Google+ and Youtube combined so we have a seperate name for the Youtube and Google+ Profile. They were created using separate emails, but both emails are managers of each others "account." We can't combine the two as it won't give me the option, only the option to create a new Youtube channel based on the Google+ Profile. But I already have videos loaded up on the Older Channel that I would like to keep and use for my current Google+ Profile. I have tried to disconnect the Youtube channel to hopefully get the option to link the two, but it just says it is a unavailable option. So my question is:
What advice do you guys have with any of this type of Youtube and Google+ mismatch profile/channels? I am not finding much online besides links to unattaching accounts but that is giving me a message saying that it isn't possible. Or would creating a new channel linked to the Google+ page and just reuploading the videos/transcripts be my best bet? Thank you for your feedback, and if you want anymore details (I know this description when not looking at the accounts might not be enough info, feel free to ask.) I really appreciate it. J0 -
When with Google+ bio area backlinks get devalued if we have everybody link to our site
Hello, As you know, Google+ bios, if they have a link in them are dofollow. I'm doing a link building campaign, and we already linked one of our Google+ pages to our home page and top 2 articles. My question is, to get links, can we have family and friends add links in their bios too for a total of 6 links to the home page (6 people) and some links to our articles? Or will Google devalue them because we are family and friends? How many is too many? Thanks.
Social Media | | BobGW0 -
Google Plus Cover image
Does anyone have any tips on getting a super crisp cover image uplaoded to G+? I have a clear image, full dimensions of 2120 x 1192, but once I've uploaded it, G+ appears to compress it and it loses sharpness / quality. I have turned auto-optimise off, and and tried both JPEG and PNG files - PNG seems to work better, but still not quite there. Example: https://plus.google.com/116325067504054061939 (scroll up to see blurry text) Thx!
Social Media | | David_ODonnell0 -
How can I optimize my Funny Pictures website [off-page]
I am trying to optimize my funny pictures website off-page. These are the things I have done so far, please add your suggestion ... 1. Added the website to high ranked website directories. 2. Created a twitter account. 3. Facebook fan page. 4. Google plus fan page. 5. Add social sharing buttons. I would like to get relevant links, but it seems impossible,
Social Media | | FarrisFahad
please check out my website and write your suggestion ... http://www.picturepunches.net Regards
FarrisFahad0 -
SEO Moz Page authority and Domain authority do not correllate wih SERPS
I have checked the competitive landscape and the rankings with the keyword difficulty tool. E.g. for "Schuhe" - google.de - the rankings do not correlate with MOZ Page authority and Domain authority. What are the reasons for that and what are the important factors currently not reflected in SEO Moz Page and Domain authority?
Social Media | | delphinus0 -
How can I create product page in Facebook to sell products?
Today, I found interesting stuff in Google result. I found that few Facebook fan page have created product page in Facebook to sell products via Facebook like follow. http://www.facebook.com/notes/-buy-best-price-123/-low-price-uttermost-21006-vetraio-6-light-chandelier-oil-rubbed-bronze-finish-o/123586901083141 So, How can I get it done?
Social Media | | CommercePundit0 -
Google News Application
I am wondering what I can do to get my site into Google News. I have followed their guidelines but had my site declined. I have a news sitemap, a staff page, a contact page with all info provider, etc etc. But my application was denied. One my largest competitors just got accepted so I would love to get in.
Social Media | | NoahGlaser780