May 2024 Google Leak Emphasizes Author and Publisher Credibility

The May 2024 Google leak revealed the increasing importance of author and publisher entities in SEO. This means Google is now focusing on who creates and owns the content, pushing SEO professionals to update their strategies accordingly.

Beyond Websites to Publishers and Authors

For more than three decades, SEO efforts have mainly been about making websites and their content better for search engines. While this approach remains valuable, the recent Google leak highlights the necessity to expand SEO strategies to include optimization for website owners (publishers) and content creators (authors).

 This lets Google understand and trust who is behind the content. When Google trusts them, they get a special ID called kgmid and a place in Google’s Knowledge Graph. This is important because it makes their content more visible in searches and helps with AI-generated results.

For those new to SEO, Google back in 2013 had a feature called Google Authorship, which displayed the profile pic of the author along with the name within the search results. 

This feature was initially introduced to allow authors to link their content to their Google+ profiles, potentially enhancing the visibility and credibility of their articles in search results.

Though this SERP feature was deprecated back in 2014, Google’s algorithm was using it as one of the ranking signals. Of course, with plug pulled off the the Google+ project, Google may be now relying more on the other social profiles and the author’s publishing reputation based on signals from other sites.

Impact Analysis

The leak didn’t list specific ranking factors or machine learning elements but confirmed that Google’s algorithms successfully detect and evaluate the credibility of website owners and content creators. This development presents a significant opportunity for SEOs to enhance their strategies by focusing on entity optimization, ensuring that their websites, authors, and publishers are recognized and trusted by Google.

To remain competitive, SEO must now focus on three key tiers:

Tier 1: Traditional SEO

The foundation of any SEO strategy remains the optimization of website content. This includes technical SEO, link building, and content creation. These efforts drive traffic to the website and convert visitors into customers.

Tier 2: Optimizing the Website Owner (Publisher)

The Google leak introduced the concept of isPublisher, aligning with changes in the Search Quality Rater guidelines. Mentions of “website” were replaced by “website owner,” highlighting the importance of understanding who is behind the content. This entity acts as the guarantor of the content, making trustworthiness crucial.

• Step 1: Understandability

The first step in optimizing the website owner entity is to ensure Google clearly understands who they are, what they offer, and who they serve. This involves creating consistent, accurate, and comprehensive information across the entity’s home page and company profiles. The goal is to secure a kgmid in Google’s Knowledge Graph, signaling that Google has a solid understanding of the entity.

• Step 2: Credibility 

Credibility, or N-E-E-A-T-T (Notability, Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness, Transparency), is critical for entity optimization. Companies need to demonstrate their market leadership, historical involvement, and relevance through multiple credible sources. This involves ensuring the content is discoverable and easily analyzable by Google.

• Step 3: Deliverability 

Deliverability ensures that the content reaches the right audience across various online platforms. While not directly the responsibility of SEO, it supports marketing strategies by packaging content for optimal Google understanding and distribution.

Tier 3: Optimizing the Content Creator (Author)

The concept of isAuthor from the leak corresponds with the increased emphasis on content creators in the Search Quality Rater guidelines. Google evaluates the trustworthiness of authors, making it essential for SEOs to optimize author entities similarly to publishers.

• Step 1: Understandability

Similar to publishers, author entities must ensure Google understands who they are. This involves creating a consistent online presence and linking all references back to an entity home, establishing a clear identity in Google’s Knowledge Graph.

• Step 2: Credibility

Authors must demonstrate their expertise, experience, and notability within their niche. This requires transparent communication of their qualifications and achievements, making them recognized authorities in their field.

• Step 3: Deliverability

Authors need to maintain a consistent presence across platforms frequented by their target audience. This ensures they are visible at every stage of the user’s online journey, offering relevant content and solutions.

Historical Context

SEO has come a long way since its inception – from a focus on basic keyword optimization to the integration of complex algorithms that consider multiple factors in determining search rankings. With each advancement, the goal has been to improve the relevance and quality of search results for users. The introduction of entities such as authors and publishers marks the latest shift in this journey. This reflects Google’s ongoing effort to better understand and evaluate the trustworthiness of those responsible for creating and publishing content on the web.

Implications and Predictions

The emphasis on entity optimization will likely lead to a more rigorous look over for content creators and publishers. SEOs must adapt by focusing on building comprehensive, credible, and understandable profiles for these entities. This approach will become increasingly vital as search engines continue to prioritize trust and authority.

Practical Advice

To stay ahead, SEO strategists and website owners should ensure that all information about publishers and authors is clear, accurate, and consistent across all platforms. They should establish notability through citations, links, and mentions from authoritative sources, and strategically place content across various platforms to reach the right audience effectively. Doing this can help build a great online presence that Google can recognize and trust, build trust with users and search engines, and ultimately drive greater engagement and revenue..

Key Takeaways

• Focus on author and publisher entities beyond traditional SEO.
• Make sure Google clearly understands who the content creators and publishers are. Authors and publishers need to prove their reliability by getting mentioned and linked from credible sources.
•  Ensure content reaches the right audience across the digital world.