The Author Page and Its Impact on SEO and E-E-A-T

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Modern SEO is an extremely large-scale set of measures, technologies, tools, and solutions aimed at ensuring the stable promotion of a website to the top of search results and increasing its visibility among the target audience. And to ensure good results, it is necessary to implement the most comprehensive approach. Much of this depends on the website's text content and, as practice shows, on the person who created it. And here we come to the issue of the author page. This is a small section on the website where information about the content creator is posted, indicating their expertise and authority in a particular niche, which automatically translates into trustworthiness for the publication itself.

And here a natural question arises: does an author page really have a direct impact on a website's SEO performance? This debate has long plagued many experts. On the one hand, it's difficult to see any direct benefit, as such pages rarely generate direct traffic. But on the other hand, without such information, search engines will be unable to evaluate the author's qualifications, and therefore the expertise of the materials presented. And readers won't know whether they can trust the content presented.

In today's review, we'll take a closer look at this issue to understand what an author page is, what role it plays in website SEO, how it helps build engagement and trust with the target audience, and how it confirms the expertise of content. We'll briefly recap the E-E-A-T principle and why it's so important for any modern website.

We'll discuss whether author information is important to Google search engines. We'll explain how to properly create an author page and what nuances should be observed when designing it. We'll also point out areas to avoid when writing a biography. We'll also provide a number of practical recommendations to help you optimize your author page, thereby ensuring its high functionality. Let's talk about structured data and outline a quick checklist to help you complete the upcoming work as efficiently as possible, without outside help.

What is an author page and its role?

An author page is an extremely important element of virtually any website, enhancing trust in the content and supporting the site's development and reputation. It can serve as a section of the site or a full-fledged online resource dedicated to a specific author. It will contain information about the author, their work, professional experience, and achievements. Contact information is also required. Recently, such pages have become common in the form of social media profiles or sections on specialized platforms, including publishing house blogs, freelance platforms, and more.

In answering the question of why an author page is needed, we'll highlight a number of key benefits your website will gain from launching one:

Accelerated search engine rankings and increased sales. This page can also feature other works by the author, encouraging audiences to explore them in more detail, which will ultimately lead to increased awareness of your brand's other products and, as a result, increased sales.
Increased trust in the author, and with it, in your brand as a whole, as well as in the products and services you offer. Having detailed information about the author, including their education, work experience, and achievements, will automatically increase trust with readers. If people begin to trust your content, they will automatically transfer this experience to your website as a whole, as well as all the products and services you offer. Moreover, this trust will allow search engines to identify your author as an expert.
An opportunity to develop a personal brand. An author page is what helps create and strengthen a personal brand, demonstrating professionalism and expertise in a specific field.
Forging a strong and lasting connection with the target audience. This allows readers and potential clients to get to know the author better, learn about them, and access links to other works. Ultimately, a strong connection is established. The audience will follow the author's new publications, which will also ensure long-term engagement with your business as a whole.
Ensuring your website content complies with E-E-A-T principles. This refers to Google's specific approach to evaluating content quality, which influences a website's ranking in search results. This is especially important for sites related to YMYL topics. This includes anything that directly impacts the health, well-being, safety, and overall life of the user.

We'll elaborate on this last point a bit so you understand what we're talking about.

A little about the E-E-A-T principle

The E-E-A-T principle is not currently considered a ranking factor, but search engines, particularly Google, actively use it when determining the quality of content posted on a site. Ultimately, this allows bots to form a general opinion about the credibility of the materials presented on the site and, as a result, decide whether to increase or decrease the site's ranking in search results. This means that there is indirect influence here, and quite a significant one at that. Therefore, anyone who wants to see their site at the top of search results must consider key criteria, also characteristic of E-E-A-T, namely:

Experience. Google will rank articles higher by authors who have actual experience using these products. Alternatively, this could be a review of a particular product based on their own use. In such articles, the author describes their experience using the product, highlights its advantages and disadvantages, and points out the specifics of its use—in other words, demonstrates that they have actually interacted with the product and gained firsthand experience. This category also includes articles written by someone with an education and practical experience in a particular niche. For example, if an article about the operation of washing machines, their breakdowns, and troubleshooting methods is written by a home appliance repair technician, this will also be counted as experience by the system.
Expertise. Here, we mean that the author of the article must have specialized knowledge or personal experience to provide reliable information to the audience. In this case, Google classifies all topics into two separate categories: general, meaning those that don't require in-depth professional knowledge, and YMYL (Your Money or Your Life), which impact health, financial well-being, and well-being. While articles on general topics can be written by people with personal experience in a particular field, travel bloggers can review a trip, hotel, or country. However, they cannot publish articles on medical topics: a physician working in the relevant field must be involved in preparing the content. In other words, to position yourself as an expert, you must have relevant education, work experience, and confirmation of your qualifications through other articles published on specialized resources.
Authority. This means that the content author, as well as the website where the materials will be posted, must have a good reputation in their niche. The higher the authority of the content creator and the website, the higher the likelihood that the system will recognize your materials as high-quality. To measure a website's authority, the quantity and quality of backlinks, mentions in trusted sources, and the presence of the author's personal brand are taken into account, which also indicates their expertise in the topic.
Trustworthiness, or reliability, is a factor that can rightfully be considered one of the most important for the Google search engine as a whole. A fairly large number of parameters are taken into account to assess trustworthiness. One of the most important is the accuracy of the information provided and the reliability of all sources from which it is obtained. The search engine always checks for a secure HTTPS connection on the site, indicating its security. This aspect is especially important for sites operating in the e-commerce niche. This means that the search engine needs to understand that all transactions will be processed as correctly as possible and that site visitors will not fall victim to online fraud. The site's usability is also assessed, in particular its simplicity and intuitiveness, allowing for the fastest possible search for the necessary information. The search engine also checks for the presence of informative pages on the site. Here, along with sections such as "Contacts," "Privacy Policy," and "Terms of Use," an author page is a mandatory requirement.

This means that search engines are extremely sensitive to the quality of content, as well as the credibility of the person who will prepare such materials. This means that an author page on a website will still be mandatory, although not the only requirement for effectively promoting a website to the top of search results.

We confirm the importance of the author's identity for Google

Google pays a lot of attention to authorship. Incidentally, Google+ was once built around this very aspect. Although the social network existed for a relatively short period of time, its core idea of associating published content with a specific individual has become firmly entrenched in the search engine's approach to quality assessment.

Analyzing the search engine's current work reveals how heavily Google relies on the author's credibility, transferring this to the platform's reputation. Several documents currently exist that indicate that the author's identity is crucial to the system. This is especially true for topics where a high level of trust is a priori required.

Google Search Engine Patents

Surely many of you already know that Google patents its own ideas, algorithms, and technologies. This is done to protect its own developments from being copied and to obtain legal grounds for commercial use. To date, this search engine has registered a number of illustrative documents in terms of authorship and expertise, including:

Google Patent US9378293B2 (2005). This patent documents a system and methods for using structured data from content authors.
Generating Author Vectors US Patent 62165966 (2022). This patent describes a method for analyzing the relationship between author, writing style, and the content itself.
Google Agent Rank US20070033168A1 (2005). This document describes a model that takes into account an author's reputation and determines its impact on website ranking.

Presence of the Person Entity in Search Engine Knowledge Graphs

Google has recently been actively expanding its knowledge graph, adding new entities, including the Person type. This demonstrates that the search engine is placing significant emphasis on recording and accurately identifying authors, opinion leaders, and experts. The knowledge graph helps Google connect all the information it has about a specific person, including their professional activities, all publications, social media profiles, and media mentions. This data is used by the search engine to better understand the authority of a source.

In other words, for Google, an author is no longer simply a name placed at the top of an article or below it. The more time passes, the more it becomes an independent entity within the search engine's vast ecosystem.

Google Employee Opinions

According to statements from Search Advocate at Google and John Mueller, the search engine has begun matching author names with entities, allowing it to understand whether a given person actually exists, what information about them is publicly available, and whether it corresponds to the topic of the published content. Specifically, when performing this work, bots analyze the following parameters:

Author mentions on various websites;
The context in which a specific writer appears;
Links to profiles on expert social media platforms;
The topic of the materials and their writing style.

If a specific person's name is consistently associated with expert content in a specific niche—if they are mentioned on authoritative sites, and if they have profiles filled with relevant material—then they will perceive that author as more authoritative and trustworthy. This will ultimately be taken into account when assessing the page's quality using the E-E-A-T principle, which will also have an indirect impact on the site's search visibility and ranking.

Additional information to official documentation

Last summer, Google added the Profile Page, or author page, to the list of recommended structured data. This is yet another clear demonstration that authorship is becoming increasingly important for search engines. Considering that Google has now integrated it into the knowledge graph, comparing it with other entity metrics, it can be assumed that publications by credible authors are highly likely to rank high. This is especially true for topics where accuracy, quality, and expertise are prioritized.

It's important to understand that a credible author isn't just a good copywriter, but someone who truly has a deep understanding of a specific topic, works in a single niche, and can prove their expertise. The key question here is how the author can effectively present themselves and prove their authority to the platform. We'll explore this issue in more detail in today's review.

Creating an Author Page

The first step in this direction is to create an author page. This should be a centralized section where accurate, structured information about the content creator will be published. It's important to consolidate professional activity on this page, so search engines don't have to spend a lot of time searching and comparing individual fragments from different sources: all the necessary information will be in one place. So, we initially create a separate page dedicated to the author, and then perform a series of sequential tasks:

Link the author and their current publications.
Add a photo and biography, which will introduce the user to the person who created the content.
Simplify the transfer of all necessary information into the knowledge graph.
Add elements that can inspire additional trust from the audience and confirm your expertise.

We'll take a closer look at the basic elements of creating an author page.

Link the author and their materials

At this stage, our goal will be to create a connection between the author and the materials they create. To do this, you need to consistently complete the following steps:

Add links to the page that will lead to prepared articles, studies, news publications, and anything else that can confirm the specialist's active work, as well as their expertise in the relevant niche.
All materials written by this author must contain information linking to the author's profile. Ideally, this should be provided directly in the publication template.
On each page where this content is published, use additional structured data.

Add a photo and biography of the author

At this stage, we need to design the author page. This is necessary so that search engines and individual users can verify the content creator's expertise. This means that you need to include as complete and structured information as possible on this page. We would like to point out that this should not be a standard biography, but rather information confirming the specialist's competence, increasing trust in both the material itself and the platform on which it is published.

The author's profile can be roughly divided into the following sections:

Basic Information. Here, include the author's first and last name, professional photos, education, and qualifications.
Expertise and Experience. Provide as concise information as possible about the author's professional experience and key achievements. Describe the areas in which they can rightfully be considered an expert. Provide links to published articles, books, speeches, and research. If there are any awards or certificates confirming their experience and expertise, these should also be included.
Personal Details. Here, you can optionally list interests and hobbies, especially if they are related to the main topic of the work and could contribute to increasing your expertise in this niche.
Contact Information. There's no need to include a phone number here, but an email address, a link to the official website, and social media profiles are absolutely necessary.

Consider how to present this information as accurately as possible so that it doesn't sound too dry, but also doesn't contain too much fluff.

Additional Recommendations

Now we'll provide a few additional tips to help highlight the author's expertise and increase their visibility in search engines. Here are the key points:

It's best to present information about the author in the third person. This will create a sense of independent evaluation and enhance the credibility of the published data.
Try to explain the company's role, highlight the tasks the specialist handles, and how to use their skills in work projects. Perhaps provide a few case studies.
Focus on expertise and benefit to the target audience. All information provided on the author's page should be relevant, confirming their experience and knowledge in the context of potential readers' interests.
Include achievements. These can include awards, past successes, and anything else that will enhance the author's professionalism and distinguish them from other professionals.
Use only real names. When verifying information, search engines will compare it with information from other sources, which will ensure better profile indexing and increase author recognition. If names appear different, this will immediately raise doubts about the authenticity of the information.
Keep it concise. Information is best presented in a structured, consistent manner, but without philosophical musings. It should be factual, yet engaging to the audience.
Make it a habit to update your information regularly, ensuring it is always up-to-date. This will allow your audience to access the most current and relevant information. By the way, publication and update dates have already been added to profile microdata by Google and are used as some of the most important attributes.
Avoid mistakes. Before publishing, carefully read through your materials several times. They should be free of stylistic, spelling, and grammatical errors. Otherwise, your professional image will be tarnished.

Points to Avoid When Creating an Author Page

Above, we've listed the information that should be included on an author page. However, there are also points that should definitely not be published here. In particular, we're talking about the following nuances:

Blank page. In practice, there are cases where an author page contains only their last name, first name, and patronymic, meaning it doesn't convey the overall profile of the specialist, their authority, or their expertise.
Incomplete biography. A profile containing only a photo, full name, and job title will appear superficial and will diminish the author's credibility, raising doubts about their competence.
Using general phrases that lack informational content. This will not add value to the material, will not reveal the author's personality and authority, and will not demonstrate their skills as a specialist in their niche.
Excessively lengthy materials. We have already discussed the importance of presenting information concisely and in a structured manner. Important details are often lost in empty phrases. Moreover, someone who wants to make sure you're well-versed in Google Search Console clearly doesn't care whether you have fish or a hamster at home.

Exclude such things from your author page, and you'll end up with truly compelling content that will showcase you as an expert in your field.

Author Page Optimization Tips

If you've already created an author page, it needs to be optimized to meet current requirements. This means ensuring that, in addition to providing useful content, it's also clear and accessible to both users and search engines. You can achieve this by following our recommendations:

Pay attention to how well your data is structured, whether it is divided into logical blocks, and whether it contains thematic headings;
For the author page, provide a separate URL, including the author's first and last name in Latin characters;
Be sure to add keywords to the H1 heading: the author's full name is usually used here, but you can be creative and offer a more interesting title, such as "TOP news from FIO";
Never block the author page from indexing: search bots should be able to access and analyze it without any problems;
All alt descriptions that you add to images, as well as to file names, should be as accurate and clear as possible;
To link the author page to their content, and vice versa, use the "a href" attribute.

All these recommendations will allow you to create an author page that will be highly valued not only by search bots, but also by people visiting the page, verifying the author's expertise and authority, as well as the credibility of all their publications.

A little about the features of structured data for an author page

At this stage, we already have a created and correctly populated author page. However, it's still too early to put it into production. We also need to explain to the search engine, in our case, Google, how the elements of this page are interconnected. This is where structured data comes in. These are special tags that will be embedded in the page code and help the search engine understand who exactly is the author of the content. Here, the primary page markup will be Person, as the most relevant entity in this case. To help search engines understand that this is the author's page, Google recommends using the ProfilePage type. Here, you can use dateCreated, which tells the search engine when the page was created, and dateModified, which indicates when the information on it was last updated. The following parameter options are also recommended:

The author's name, i.e., name.
The author's current position or profession, jobTitle.
A brief description of their activities, such as specialization or professional achievements. This will be the description.
The link to the author's profile or page, designated here as url.
A list of all URLs of personal accounts on various platforms, including social media, i.e., sameAs. This parameter specifies the relationship between the author's profiles and pages in different systems.
The URLs of all photos that will be included in the profile. Designated as "image."
The author's nicknames or other possible variations of their name, i.e., alternateName. This allows search engines to recognize the author even if there are different spellings, nicknames, and abbreviations.
Information about the educational institutions where the author studied is designated as "alumniOf."
The author's areas of expertise and topics in which they specialize are specified using the "knowsAbout" parameter.
Awards and achievements received, i.e., "award."
The URL and name of the organization where the author works are specified using the "worksFor" parameter.
The author's qualifications and certificates are hasCredentia.

In some cases, the credentialCategory parameter can also be used. It denotes special types of certification, such as professional or academic degrees. Here, you will need to specify the name of the certificate or diploma (name), the name of the organization that issued the certificate (recognizedBy), and a link to the certificate itself or detailed information about it (url).

A Brief Checklist for Creating Author Pages

Now we'll slightly structure all the information we've provided in today's review and present it as concisely as possible so you can fully understand the work required to create an author page. For convenience, we'll divide all upcoming activities into separate thematic blocks:

Article. Should contain a link to the author, use structured data for author and publisher, and a URL to the page in structured data.
Biography. Answers the question of who the author is, demonstrates their experience, highlights their expertise, and reveals their role in the organization. Written in the third person, it is concise and clearly structured, and includes real names. Errors must be eliminated. Regular updates are mandatory.
Author Page. It is easy to understand. The content should be divided into paragraphs, subheadings, and lists. A separate URL optimized for the first and last name in Latin characters is allocated for this purpose. It must contain a high-quality photo and links to certificates. All images and files must have alt descriptions, and their file names must be relevant. Links to social media and contact information for the author are also included. Don't forget to include links to the specialist's publications, as well as their presentations at webinars and conferences.
Structured data. Here, it is mandatory to use Person microdata, establish links between different profiles, provide all possible name variations, as well as the author's position, place of work, and subject area in which the author is an expert. Structured data must be validated.

As you can see, creating an author page is not as simple a task as it might initially seem. However, we hope you won't encounter any problems during the creation stage, as in today's review we've covered in detail what needs to be done and in what order.

Summing Up

We hope that all the information we've covered in today's review has allowed you to see how important an author page is in modern search engines, particularly Google. It benefits both users and search engines, demonstrating the author's authority and professionalism, as well as their expertise in a given niche. To confirm authorship, search engines examine patent information, consider knowledge graphs, and structured data. And you can help Google understand what content its bots encounter. To do this, you need to create a separate author page based on all the recommendations we've outlined in today's review.

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