Hajra Naz
Gary Illyes from Google recently discussed why Google places less trust in signals controlled directly by site owners and SEOs. His insights, shared during a live interview at a search conference in May 2024, shed light on what site owners and SEOs should prioritize when optimizing websites.
The interview, though largely overlooked, holds valuable information for digital marketers regarding how Google ranks web pages. One of the topics addressed was authorship signals. SEOs have long fixated on authorship, following Google’s advice to consult the Search Quality Raters Guidelines to understand ranking aspirations. However, this advice was sometimes misinterpreted, leading to SEOs mining the guidelines for ranking signals.
The concept of EEAT (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) emerged as perceived signals Google’s algorithms prioritize. This led to the belief that authorship signals played a crucial role in rankings. While Google did provide a means for site owners and SEOs to convey metadata about webpage authorship, the company ultimately abandoned this initiative.
Illyes’ remarks underscore Google’s cautious stance toward signals directly influenced by SEO tactics. Instead, he emphasized focusing on elements that genuinely enhance user experience and content quality to achieve better SEO outcomes.
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SEO-Controlled Markup Is Untrustworthy
Gary Illyes of Google recently addressed concerns about authorship signals and promptly indicated that SEO-controlled markup on web pages often tends to become spammy and thus untrustworthy.
In response to a question about the potential revival of authorship features, Illyes expressed hesitation:
“I don’t know of any such plans, and honestly, I’m not enthusiastic about anything like that, especially similar to what we had from 2011 to 2013 because essentially any markup accessible to SEOs and site owners can be somewhat spammy.”
Illyes elaborated further, noting that both SEO and author-controlled markup do not serve as reliable signals:
“Generally, these are not reliable signals. This is why rel-canonical, for instance, is a hint rather than a directive. Similarly, a meta description is not a directive but something we might consider, and so forth. Introducing something akin to authorship would, in my opinion, be a mistake.”
Understanding the limitations of SEO-manipulated data is crucial, as many in the field of search marketing attempt to influence Google by using fake author profiles, reviews that appear genuine but are not, and metadata crafted specifically to target keywords.
The concept of algorithmically determined authorship signals
The notion of “authorship signals” and their importance in search engine rankings is something that some SEOs have developed independently, rather than being actively promoted by Google. Figures like John Mueller and the SearchLiaison team have consistently minimized the importance of author profiles over the years.
Gary elaborated on algorithmically determined authorship signals:
“I believe introducing something similar for authorship would be a mistake. If it’s determined algorithmically, it might be more accurate or have higher precision, but honestly, I don’t see the inherent value in it.”
The interviewer noted instances where rel-canonicals are often unreliable:
“I’ve personally seen a lot of poorly implemented canonicals, so I’m relieved to hear that it’s seen more as a suggestion than a strict rule.”
Gary’s response to concerns over inconsistent canonical implementations is intriguing because he acknowledges the significance of “suggestions,” although he indicates that some suggestions carry more weight but still fall short of being mandates. A directive, such as a noindex meta tag, obliges Google to comply.
Gary clarified the strength of rel-canonicals as a strong suggestion:
”A strong suggestion, but still, it’s just a suggestion”.
Gary emphasized that while rel=canonical is categorized as a suggestion, it holds significant weight. This suggests a gradient in how Google evaluates the reliability of various inputs provided by publishers.
For rel=canonical specifically, Google’s higher level of trust likely stems from the understanding that correct implementation aligns with publishers’ interests. In contrast, data such as authorship may be more susceptible to manipulation or falsehoods, making it less reliable in Google’s assessment.
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What Does It All Mean?
Gary’s remarks provide a solid basis for determining the right priorities when optimizing a web page. He, along with other Googlers, has consistently emphasized that authorship is not a priority for Google—it’s an idea that SEOs have developed independently, not one encouraged by Google.
This guidance also underscores the importance of not overestimating the significance of metadata controlled by site owners or SEOs.
