A little while back, I wrote a post about Google’s Rich Snippet’s author markup. I had the basics, but Elizabeth Jamieson of DIY Webmastery(a really great site) came by and told me that it wasn’t quite right. <Applause! Applause!> I was going for a simple approach because I know that many of you are just starting out, but I had told only part of the story, and Elizabeth came by, showed me hers and Russell Jamieson’s much more technical description of how things should be done, and it was SO good that I edited my post to share their blog with readers who were a bit more technical.
Visit the Authorsure Website
Oh, yeah… Remember, I’m not infallible. I know you’re surprised, but it’s true. 
Google makes getting your Author page right a virtual nightmare because though they try to be helpful, even someone who IS rather technically inclined (like me, for instance) had it, but not entirely. ‘Course, factor in the ADD I have with reading long, boring stuff and well… There ya have it.
Anyway… About the WordPress Plugin
Last week, Liz came by to tell me about DIYWebmastery’s new WordPress plugin, called “AuthorSure” that makes getting your site set up as the “publisher” of your content and your “author” page done much more easily than following Google’s cockamamie instructions. You simply check some boxes, add some relevant information, and BINGO! Google knows about your site and your authorship.
However, that said, it’s not all fun and games, and if you’re not a technically inclined person (or maybe even if you are), it’s NOT that simple.
That’s the bad news.
The GOOD news is that Russell prepared a series of videos that will help you through the whole process. He will also show you how to get your picture working through Gravatar.com and to create a Google+ page for your business. He did a very good job. The videos are step-by-step and easy to follow. To watch them, all you need to do is provide your first name and email address, confirm your email, and you’ll be sent a password to log into the site and start watching.
Some Very Minor Issues
There are three things I noticed (and maybe I missed two of them), but first, the videos don’t tell you to go to Google and inform them of your authorship. However, there is a link provided on the AuthorSure options page to go there. Anyone who’s not been through the process before may not realize that Google should be notified when all your markup is correct. I’d add a video about that, and who knows? They’re so good that maybe they have one already in the works.
The second thing is that the videos don’t tell you to add a link to your website’s author page in your Google+ personal page’s profile. Google needs to see that to verify. Again, I may have missed it, but including it in the videos would be helpful for many people who aren’t aware.
The third thing (and this is my fault because I’m a shortcut lover) is that when I went to Google to verify the markup, it bounced out MagnaSites.com, saying it had no rel=”publisher” tag. Hmm… I thought about it and realized that I had to include the www. in the URL, and then, we were good to go. So, even if you don’t use the www. in your URL when you’re telling people about it (and I’ve said this before) remember that the straight domain page and the www. page are two different pages. Don’t make yourself crazy because you weren’t aware.
I’d Highly Recommend It
Overall, I’d say that the Jameisons did a wonderful job with the plugin, but whatever you do, sign up and watch the videos. They’ll make your life much easier and instead of pulling your hair out trying to figure stuff out on your own, it will take the guesswork out of what you’re doing.
Oh, and the best thing? The plugin is free. Go grab it at http://www.authorsure.com.
Hi Pat – Just saw this write up. Thanks for doing that – I hope it helps some people. I will get Russell to review what you’ve noted and see if he can make some improvements to the instructions.
That said, we’ll help anyone who gets stuck – just contact us using a comment or the contact page on the AuthorSure site (http://www.authorsure.com)
Best wishes
Liz
Hey Liz, No problem! It’s a great plugin, and I appreciate all the work that was put into it. The issues are very minor, but clarification would help folks, for sure. I love how the videos walk you through the process. Well done!
Pat
[...] Authorship and showing up in Google with my picture beside my posts for several months, thanks to DIY Webmastery’s plugin “AuthorSure.” Before that came out, setting up your authorship at Google was unclear [...]