If you're just joining us, I highly recommend you read Part 1 and Part 2 of this series. Otherwise, you'll only be gettin' half the picture.
Previously, we defined author rank and set up a Google+ profile. Now we need to connect our Google+ profile with our blog or website so Google knows we're the author.
Step 4: Grab your Google+ profile URL
In the next step you'll need to paste your G+ profile URL (the web address of your G+ profile) into your site, so we've gotta grab our URL.
Some people simply copy the URL in their address bar.
What I don't like about this method is that the URL isn't very clean. It's got extra stuff. For example, "posts" is added to the URL above. Sometimes I've copied and pasted it and I get this:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/118120703275040844737/posts
What I'd really like instead is this:
https://plus.google.com/118120703275040844737
So, how do you get the second one without manually deleting things and risking a broken link? Easy peasy.
First, click the little down arrow to the right of your profile image at the top right of your screen.
In the dropdown menu, click the "Privacy" link.
On the next page, you'll see something like this:
Note the URL underneath your profile image. That's the nice, clean version. Highlight and copy.
You might also want to save this somewhere so you can find it quickly later, because whenever you reference your Google+ profile, this is the link you'll want to use. (Google is rolling out vanity URLs like Facebook so eventually we will all have something like google.com/+AmyLynnAndrews.).
Step 5: Connect your WordPress site to your Google+ profile
Now you have to make sure Google knows you are the author of your own site. This connection between your content and your Google+ profile is what ensures you are who you say you are and no one else can pretend to be you.
There are a couple of ways to do this, although I have a personal preference (this method assumes you are using WordPress):
If you're using Genesis (if you're not, skip down)
If you're using an updated version of Genesis for your theme (it's what I use), this could not be simpler. It's built right in.
From your Dashboard's left column, click on Users –> Your Profile. Scroll down until you see the appropriate spot for your Google+ URL and paste it in.
While you're here, you might consider changing your email address to the Gmail address your Google+ account is attached to. It's possible this might help give you an edge with Author Rank (although I'm not sure how much of an edge, if any).
Don't forget to click "Update Profile" at the bottom of the screen to save your changes!
If you're not using Genesis
My next recommendation would be to use the WordPress SEO plugin by Yoast. There are other plugins you could use, but this is definitely my preference. If you do use the plugin, you will follow the same steps described above. First grab your G+ profile URL. Go to your WordPress Dashboard –> Users –> Your Profile and paste it into the G+ field.
If you've followed this blog for any length of time or if you saw my favorite plugins post, you may already be using it.
Not only is Yoast very knowledgeable and trustworthy, you'll also get the excellent SEO options he's worked into this one. Talk about killing several birds with one stone. I'm not a fan of plugins in general so the fewer I have to use, the better.
Step 6: Check your work
To verify you've done everything correctly, use the Structured Data Testing Tool (formerly known as the Google Rich Snippets Testing Tool).
Go to a post or page on your site and copy the URL. I'll use my How to Blog intro post as an example. Paste it into the field in the tool. Click the "Preview" button.
You should see something like this:
Green indicates everything is all good. (If you're having trouble, use the links in the left column for troubleshooting tips.)
Special note:
Note that you won't necessarily see your picture immediately. And actually, the general consensus is that there are still hiccups in the system and it's still in the testing phase. I've noticed myself that my posts don't always show up with a picture. I'm not worried. I figure it'll eventually get smoothed out. The important thing is to get established now so you'll be ahead of the game when they do.
Stay tuned for a list of tips and best practices for Google+ and Author Rank. If you're new here, have I convinced you to subscribe yet? 
Thank you for all of this information! I just joined Google+ and I followed all of your steps to connect my blog to it. I wasn't able to verify it, but I'm working on it. I love finding info for WordPress users!
How do we do this with Blogger? I've been searching and having a hard time finding good answers.
Thanks for all this information! I've been on Google+ for a while, but only the last couple months started really using it.
Debbie
I'm also on blogger and I if you go to your dashboard and click on little down arrow key that you can click on to get to "overview", "stats", "posts", "pages", etc. theres one for google + click on that and just follow the links. The main thing is that it will use your google connect profile as your profile on your blogs instead of the one you already had. I like have different profile snippets for different blogs/venues so I got around this by unchecking the "add profile to this blog" in the blogger profile gadget and then only my picture and "click here to view complete profile" showed up. Then I used a text gadget to write a welcome that was suited to each blog. Hope that helps.
That was so helpful Amy! Thank you! I just fixed it myself and usually I have trouble following along! Thank you!!!
Hi Amy, I have been following you and your blog and I am very thankful that I'd found you. Have been modifying my Google+ as you showing us. With the latest post, I have a question though… I have blogger instead of WordPress, so do I go about the same ways adding my profile URL to it? Thank you for all the great tips
I'm also on blogger and I if you go to your dashboard and click on little down arrow key that you can click on to get to "overview", "stats", "posts", "pages", etc. theres one for google + click on that and just follow the links. The main thing is that it will use your google connect profile as your profile on your blogs instead of the one you already had. I like have different profile snippets for different blogs/venues so I got around this by unchecking the "add profile to this blog" in the blogger profile gadget and then only my picture and "click here to view complete profile" showed up. Then I used a text gadget to write a welcome that was suited to each blog. Hope that helps.
Thank you, Angi.
Hi Amy,
I've been folllowing your posts and you are so helpful! I have been contemplating whether or not to start a blog and the info you share is really giving me the push to just get started! Thanks for motivating me and making me realize this isn't hard!!
Very inspiring post you got here. I like this steps easy to understand for me. Thanks
It worked! http://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/richsnippets?url=www.kmlogan.com&html=
I have Yoast, but I'm not sure how to add my Google+ URL to that plugin. Any tips?
I'm sorry I didn't make that clear, Kat (I updated the post now). Once you install the plugin, go into Users –> Your Profile and paste it into the G+ field (the same steps as described in Step 5 for Genesis users).
I'm admitting I didn't read the whole post…I WILL…I just need to find out how to get that vanity URL for google+ I share a name with another 'famous' person and I want to be the first on this one and claim that vanity url with google+. How can I do that? Pretty please. I feel like I'm in a race. UGH!
Unfortunately you can't at this point. It's being rolled out, mostly to people who have been circled a lot (as far as I can tell).
UGH, It's highschool popularity contests all over again. So those with more time in google+ will have been more circled? I don't even know what that means? Can you clarify 'being circled"?
Thanks
You can follow people on Google+. But G+ gives you a very handy way of organizing those you follow by putting them in circles. Here's more.
Thanks for the Structured Data Testing Tool tip. I got the authorship business settled a couple weeks ago but did not know I could test it. Thanks!
Amy, would there by any reason why I don't have the same options as you do? Mine stops at Google+ with no Twitter or Google URL option.
If you're using Genesis, make sure you are using the most updated version. If you aren't using Genesis, install Yoast's plugin that I linked to in the post. Then check again (you might have to log out and log back in).
I guess I should have clarified that I am using Genesis. I noticed that you had Twitter and Google Profile URL as options after Google+ and I do not. I made sure I had the latest version of Genesis but that still wasn't an option. So, I put the link in the Google+ field and it tested fine. So, I guess that is where I have to put it. Thanks so much. Hopefully, I will figure Google+ out, but even if I don't you have given me enough info to make sure I get credited for posts I have written. Thanks!
Ah yes, I'm sorry about that. The Google+ field is where to put it. I think mine is pulling "Google Profile URL" from Yoast's plugin. Same thing though.
That makes sense now. Thanks so much. I don't have Yoast so that must be it.
Thanks for this, Amy! It worked fine with one of my sites (the non-Genesis site) but the other one isn't working correctly. Any suggestions? I also saw on the Troubleshooting that you can add a code to your homepage. Any ideas on how to do this?
Jenae, are you using the most recent version of Genesis?
Thanks a lot Amy! Your posts have been very helpful.
You're welcome. Glad they're helpful!
Done! Thanks for the tips Amy!
It's another reason I'm glad I finally followed your suggestion to make the switch to using Genesis. Thanks for all the help, Amy! You are amazing.
Thank you for the tips! I'm all set up.
Thank you so much! I think i have it working, although the Structured Data Testing Tool page looks a bit different for me. Where your's says "Author" and has the green Verified button underneath, mine says "Authorship Testing Result" and then
"Authorship is working for this webpage".
It does have my picture in the preview though! Thank you so much!
Thank you! I got the authorship working, but the email verification isn't..are you going to show that in another post, I hope I hope?
Amy, I've joined google+ and am working through your steps. I've run to a issue. I did a giveaway on my blog (using comments) and when I click on the winners name, it directs me to their google+ profile. But since she is not in my cirles I can't contact her. Does google+ only show our profile with people who are in our circles?
I wonder if her settings are private? Hmmmm…not sure. Can you publish a post asking her to contact you? I know it's not ideal, but if you can't find her any other way, I'd probably do that. You might first try googling her name and finding her on FB or Twitter (or even a blog, if she has one).
Thanks! I have been hearing so many people talk about this and many have tried to explain it to me but I truly did not understand it until reading your tutorials! Thanks for being such a step by step visual tutorial person! I love it!
So glad it made sense, Victoria!
Is this something to do once per blog, or for each person working on the blog? I'm a VA for a blog writing a lot of content, but not the blog owner–would we do this for each of us, or just once as an umbrella authorship for the entire site? Thanks so much for all the great information
Each author should do this.
HELP! On my WordPress them>dashboard> profile..I dont't have "google+" but "jabber/google talk" do I paste my URL there? whats up with that?
Janeen, are you using Genesis? If so, make sure you're using the most updated version. If not, use the plugin I mentioned.
I started doing this process last year but found it a bit confusing. You made it easy to understand and it worked for me. Thank you.
Glad it helped, Mildred! You're welcome.
I have my personal Google + account and then I made a page for my blog. Should I just be using the standard Google + account because when I try to edit the profile on the page I made for my blog it doesn't have an authors area where you can add sites you contribute to. I'm so lost when it comes to Google +.
A lot of brands are creating pages and I think in some instances that's a great idea. For me, I'm just using my personal profile. Then again, my brand is myself (AmyLynnAndrews.com) so it follows. Unless your brand is a strong one (a company, for example), I would start with your personal profile until you get the hang of it and then start a page down the road.
Couldn't sleep, pulled up this series and have worked through every single step. Finally, another piece of the elephant is gone!
I've read several other how to's on this topic, but none made it so simple … and I'm pretty geeky myself on most things internet, but sometimes the google and blog stuff gets heady even for a geek-in-waiting. ; )
Thank you!
Way to go, Susan! You're so welcome.
Thank you for this tutorial!
How to we attach articles we've written on websites for clients/owned by others?
I am a contributing writer on a site that I do not own. I added that site to my Google+ profile – is there anything I can/should do on that site to be sure it connects to me?
Hi Rose,
Hopefully yes. First, I would ask the owners of those sites if they will allow guest posts or contributors to add their G+ info. They could add Yoast's plugin so everyone could add their link to their User profile.
If not, I would definitely link your name to your G+ profile in your bio.
So far I have this working great on the sites for which I have an email address at. But for a site I guest post at, it's not working. And I think it might be because, due to the author connect plugin they use, I can only paste my Google+ number, not the full URL, or it will break the button below my posts to connect on Google+!
Can you link your name in your bio to your G+ profile?
That's what I ended up doing! Oh it's a learning curve.
I hear ya!
Amy, Once again, thanks for the clear, easy-to-follow instructions. In the Data Testing Tool preview, I'm getting this error/message: Email verification has not established authorship for this webpage. Any suggestions?
Also, in case anyone else has this problem–although it's probably just me!–I wanted to point out that I had to change my "Display name publicly as" (under Users>Your Profile) to my real first name. Previously, I'd been using a nickname related to my blog name. I had to do this to "establish authorship" with google +. After I changed my author name to my real name, my google authorship was verified.
Maybe you've already covered this somewhere and I missed it….
Thanks again for your super-helpful instructions!!
Make sure the email you're using to verify has your domain in it. Otherwise, I'd google the error as I describe here.
I'm sure that's the problem. My email address does not contain my domain name. I wonder if it's possible to continue with a non-domain-name email address. I use yahoo mail and am running my blog email to that address. (I never set up a new, separate email address for the blog.) I know you recommend gmail, but I haven't researched enough to know if I can link gmail to my personal yahoo email. I don't want to change my yahoo address, and I don't want to have to check 2 email accounts! (I don't think…) Guess I have more research to do….
Yes, you can pull in your yahoo account into gmail. I send and receive email from about 10 accounts in my one gmail account.
Thanks! I finally set up a gmail account (as well an email address with my domain name, through bluehost). I've been searching for instructions on how to pull my yahoo account into gmail, but as far as I can tell, I'd have to pay about $20/month for Yahoo Mail Plus. Do you know of a way to pull yahoo into gmail without paying for Mail Plus?
It worked! Thanks for walking us through these steps in such a clear and easy-to-follow way. I can't wait to share this with my followers and of course, link to this great series. As always, Amy, you have helped me immensely with your blogging tips!
So glad, Lauren. You are very welcome and thanks for spreading the word.
Hi Amy!
I successfully followed each of your "author ranking" steps–the only [lace i get stuck was in linking my website with my google+ profile..I read the steps over and over–but with the new g+ profile–I don't see a place to add my web address? what am i doing wrong?
Hi Janeen, I'm so sorry about that. They just changed it on me! LOL
Go to your Profile –> About tab –> When you get there, you'll see various boxes ("People" "Story" "Work" "Education" etc.). In each of those separate boxes, you'll see an "Edit" link at the bottom. Click that to add stuff. Hope that helps!
Hi, Amy,
I just made my new blog public a couple of days ago. I've submitted my blog to Google, set up my profile, submitted my site map… When I check Webmaster Tools, the preview says all is well and is working. But, when I actually try to find my page/posts by Googling I can't even find them at all. They have been SEO optimized. Do you know if it takes some time for everything to show up for a new blog, or am I doing something wrong? I realize that I may not show up on the first page for a while because I need to build an audience, but I figured that by Googling the exact page title or my own website I'd be able to see something… Thanks for your insights!
Yes, it can take a while. I wouldn't worry about trying to find it via search. If Webmaster Tools says you're good to go, I would trust that.
Thanks for this post Amy! I had done everything and just double checked with what you posted and I have a question
I had been checking my site with testing tool and it kept saying I do not have authorship. After reading your post, I tested it with the url to one of my posts and it worked!! But if I use my mail url, it still says I don't have authorship???? any clue why?
Thank you! I was researching this last week actually. Your post says to update Genesis, so I just did it and the rich snippet worked!
Last week I went to this following link in hopes my picture would show up, but I don't know if anything updated in Google. Thanks for your help! https://plus.google.com/authorship
Hi Amy- I use Thesis, not Genesis and the last thing I want to do is install another plugin just to claim authorship. Is there any other way? I use Thesis' built in SEO so I'm nervous that installing Yoast's will screw that up somehow.
You could add a link to your G+ profile in your footer with your name as the anchor text. But I *think* Thesis has a similar field in their options where you can insert something automatically into your header or footer (like Genesis does).
Just finished! I have now not only joined G+, but have finished the authorship process. Thanks so much for the tutorial. Now, to add you to a circle.
Thanks for this Amy! Crystal clear.
One thing I'm anxious about, now that I've set this up, is that I have a Google+ account set up using my business email (which is through Google apps, and therefore has my sites domain rather than @gmail.com) and I also have on set up from when I first got on Google+, that is connected to actual @gmail.com account (it also has a lot more circles and connections, but I kind of abandoned that one because I let it get crazy, before I fully understood G+…
My question: do you think it matters which one I use for claiming authorship? (eg: the one with @gmail in the account name, or the one with more connections)
Thanks, again, for such clear directions!
I seriously love you, Amy. Someone sent me links to articles several months ago explaining how to set up authorship. They didn't make sense to me on first reading and I didn't have much time to digest them, so it got put on the back burner. I'm so glad I found clear and easy instructions on your site.
I do have a question though. I set up authorship and the test tool confirmed that it is working. However, when I do a Google search for one of my posts, I don't see my name anywhere. Does Google authorship work for past posts, or only things I post from this point forward? Or does it just take time for Google to attach my profile to the old stuff?
Yes, it should work for both old and new, but it can take a while for things to show up.
Hi Amy,
Came across your great 'What is Author Ranking?' series this week and I've managed to follow all your steps. Thanks for making it so simple and straightforward!
I've signed up for your emails too – don't want to miss out on any great tips you share
Have a great day,
MissFeebs
Thank you, and I'm glad it was helpful. Glad you stopped by.
Hi Amy! Love how simple and helpful you make everything!
Quick question: I followed the steps, but when I check the Structured Data Testing Tool, it says that "authorship is not working for this webpage." Any ideas?
I use Genesis (and am up-to-date with the newest version), but when I go to my profile in WordPress, I only have one line for Google+. I don't also have the Google Profile URL that your screen shot is showing (for that matter, I also don't have a line for my twitter handle either). Could that be why authorship isn't working? I'm stuck!
Thanks for your help, Amy!
Running into something similar to what I read in other comments. My public name matches my domain, and I used the gmail address consistently. Still, here is what is tells me:
Email verification has not established authorship for this webpage.
Email address on the XXXXX domain has been verified on this profile: No
Public contributor-to link from Google+ profile to XXXXX: Yes
Automatically detected author name on webpage: Not Found.
Any ideas?
If I'm understanding correctly, it sounds like you're using a gmail address? If that's the case it won't work.
In order to use the email method, your email address has to be you@yourdomain.com, it can't be you@gmail.com. It's the "yourdomain.com" part Google is looking for when it verifies. I would use the other method. I hope that helps!
Yes, so that's helpful. When I tried to verify with option #2, the link directs to:
Create a link to your Google+ profile from your webpage, like this:
Google
Replace [profile_url] with the your Google+ profile URL, like this:
Google
Is this supposed to be entered in a specific place on the home page/vital page template? I opened a text widget in the After Post section of the sidebar. I entered the code with my Google+ URL in it, and it doesn't show up visibly on the site page, but it also didn't seem to do the trick to verify. Is it supposed to be in a specific place? Stuck.