Excerpt...

-- >  Authorship is the way Google knows who the creator of a piece of content is, no matter which site that content resides on.

-- >  Author Rank is the idea – supported by patents filed by Google – that who creates a page of content (and links out from that page), based on their historical reputation for creating content people actually like, would become one of the signals Google relies on when ranking relevant results of a particular topic.

-- >  Google+ is a massive topical network (as opposed to a traditional social network) that provides Google with direct data about what people like and share when it comes to content on the web.

 

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Excerpt...

Though Google is still ironing out some kinks tied with Author Rank (for instance, some brands don't want employees creating content associated with the company) you can get started on building your Author Rank following these six best practices.

1. Claim Your Authorship

By using Google+ as your identity platform, claim authorship of your content to grab a first class seat when Author Rank is implemented. Once claimed, you will get visibility in search results as your content appears in a type of rich snippet, increasing your click-through rate as a result.

2. Use Google+ Consistently

Really use Google+ and all that it has to offer. Know how to properly format each post as Google takes into account details like bold title posts when deciding what appears on Search+.

• Be sure to add the +1 button on your site as well to increase interactions and traffic. Google will be able to see how people are engaging with your content.
• Keep posting throughout the day and interact with the communities that interest you by +1ing and commenting on popular posts. Many members of Google's communities are more likely to add you in their circles when you actively engage with them.

3. Network on Google+

Keep an eye out for fellow authors with high Author Ranks in your chosen Google communities to connect with. Once in their circle, you'll be able to easily share high quality content and increase your Author Rank.

4. Selective Guest Posting

Guest posting by selecting high quality sites with well-curated content will be beneficial to your Author Rank – just like a good backlink would be to your site. You don't want many low quality blog posts but a few high quality guest posts.

5. Find Your Niche

Find your area of interest and stick to it. Author Rank is more variable than PageRank when it comes to recognizing topic diversification. However, you'll be much more likely to rank as a high authority on one subject than two.

6. Create Great Content

As ubiquitous as it is, great content makes or breaks the deal. Create content that's worth sharing. Since the Panda update, link acquisition has evolved into providing great content that audiences care about. Content that would make them want to share on their own.

If you want your content to rank in Google's search results, start building your author authority now. Author Rank is going to be a big deal. Here are some social signals Google can potentially obtain and use that supports the notion of Author Rank.

Key excerpt...

Here is the message: If you want your content to rank in Google, build your author authority ("Author Rank") now. Google hasn't taken this position solely to create a binary signal (got a profile, you're good; no profile, you aren't). How much authority you have as an author is going to be a big deal.

In fact, I think of rel=author as the markup/signal that Google created for the purpose of finding a meaningful way to extract useful ranking data out of social signals. I don't believe that +1s, shares, Likes, or tweets are treated like links.

Synopsis...

Three myths and realities about AuthorRank:

• Myth #1: Your AuthorRank is dependent on the number of Google+ circles you are in.
• Reality: Even if AuthorRank did exist (which I will stop stipulating from here), Google wouldn't create such a poor system given its knowledge of webspam. Since YouTube contributors also have Authorship Markup, you could just as easily say that it is entirely dependent on the number of video views you have.

• Myth #2: Your Authorship Markup showing in search results (and the power of your AuthorRank) is heavily reliant on how much you post on Google+.
• Reality: Take a look at the below image from my Google+ profile (see above). I haven’t updated it since either, yet my Author Markup shows clearly on every posts I’ve ever published.

• Myth #3: AuthorRank exists... at all…
• Reality: Well it didn’t according to Web Master Trends Analyst John Mueller in a Google Hangout on 18th January. Here he is explaining that he is: “not aware of anything specific around that at the moment”

Will AuthorRank ever be important?

For the reasons stipulated above, it’s difficult to say whether or not AuthorRank will really become the game changer it’s being touted as – and almost certainly not during 2013. It seems likely that it will become a more relevant signal at some stage, but creating a viable system around online identity that also creates a ranking system is an extremely tricky business, and relies very heavily on third parties getting the implementation correct.