One of these subjective quality signals that Google strives to train their algorithms to recognize is the E-E-A-T of a website. An important E-E-A-T signal is making the following clear:
Who is behind a company
Who is writing the website content
Demonstrating that they are qualified to write it
While the official word from Google is that author bios are not a direct ranking factor, they have made it clear that there is definite benefit in having clear author bylines as well as information demonstrating expertise in an author’s bio page as detailed in this announcement for publishers.
“This includes information like clear dates and bylines, as well as information about authors, the news source, company or network behind it, and contact information”
Providing an SEO-friendly author bio can only help Google’s algorithms to understand the author’s experience, expertise, authority and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).
What makes a professional bio SEO-Friendly?
There are 2 main ways a well-written bio helps the search engine optimization on your website.
By taking care to mention relevant services offered by your company in the bio, you are given the opportunity to link over to the corresponding service pages which helps Google understand what the linked to page is about.
How to Write an SEO-friendly Author Bio for E-E-A-T
When clients learn they need to write an author bio for their website, the next question is "What should I write in my website bio?...what needs to be included?"
We've put together the following checklist and template to help you write your website bio.
What should be included in a website author bio page?
1. Name, Title & Function
It pretty much goes without saying that your Name, Title & Function at the company should be included. This works well at the top of the page as the H1 heading and an H2 heading at the top of the page.
2. An SEO-Friendly Bio (Don't Worry, There's a Template...)
Here is a list of information to gather to include in your website bio page:
Info on your experience working in relevant areas and for how long
Certifications
Professional Memberships & Affiliations
Education (Degrees, certifications, relevant special programs)
Any published works and citations
Conference appearances and other speaking engagements
Media coverage, if applicable
Articles written and published on the company blog or learning center
SEO-Friendly Professional Bio Template
This template is heavily based on this professional bio template from The Muse, with a few minor adjustments for SEO-friendliness and to make it work specifically within the context of a bio page on a company website.
This template is a general framework only and you should feel free to add more sentences or remove sections that don't fit.
[Name] is [role at the company] for [the company] located in [City/State]. As a [certified/dedicated/experienced/expert/other adjective][job role], [First name] [offers insight to/helps/guides/assists] [description of target clients] who are looking to [the transformation your target clients seek]. [Name] [how you help clients, customers, or your employer] by [something unique about your process or output]. [First name] [knows/believes] [what you know/believe about the work you do].
[First name]’s experience/expertise covers/includes [topic area relevant to services offered], [topic area], [topic area], [topic area], and [topic area] for [target audience or geographic location]. (Link these topics to service pages on the site when applicable)
[First name] has [landed/secured/garnered/worked at/supported/mastered] [insert your most compelling experiences, accomplishments, and skills]. Currently [he/she/they] is/are [working toward/studying/planning to] [your next professional goal or some way you’re developing as a professional].
[First name][is trained/certified/awarded or specializes] in [relevant trainings, awards, honors, etc]. [First name] holds a [ degree] in [area of study] from [University].
When [he/she/they] is/are not [brief phrase that describes what you do], [First Name] [can be found/enjoys] [brief description of compelling interests or hobbies you’d like to share].
Here is an example of this template filled in:
Liz Eisworth is the founder and lead designer of SangFroid Web located in Alpharetta, GA. As an experienced website designer and SEO strategist, Liz designs custom WordPress themes, optimizes websites for SEO, and leverages Local SEO / Google Business Profiles for business owners who are looking to improve their online presence to earn more traffic and leads.
Liz helps clients implement website best practices for being found online by being a perpetual student of SEO and translating those principles into action plans for clients. Liz believes every business owner can look like the expert they are and earn more business through a professional integrated web presence.
Liz specializes in CSS and HTML(5), custom WordPress themes, optimizing websites for SEO and creating SEO content strategies for clients. Liz holds a bachelors degree in design from Louisiana State University and a web development certificate from the Chubb Institute. Liz built her first website for a business in 2003 and her first WordPress website in 2006.
When she is not learning about SEO, Liz enjoys old school quad roller skating.
3. Include Social Media Profiles
At a minimum, we recommend a link to a LinkedIn profile is included. If you use other social media like Twitter professionally as an individual, include links to those profiles as well.
We do not recommend including links to social profiles where the primary use is personal. Keep it professional unless your brand is heavily centered around YOU and your opinions.
4. Include a Good Photo
People do business with people, and making it clear who is behind your company naturally instills trust in visitors. This type of transparency about who the people are behind a company is also a core principle of establishing E-A-T.
Don't Forget an Author Box Blurb
We recommend adding an author box to articles written for your website blog or learning center, so that it is apparent who wrote the content and what their qualifications are. You can easily take the first paragraph from your completed author bio and shorten it a bit to serve as your 'author box blurb'. See an example of an author box blurb below.
Here is a picture, but you can also just scroll to the bottom of this article and see one in action. 🙂
Liz Eisworth is the founder and lead designer of SangFroid Web located in Alpharetta, GA. As an experienced website designer and SEO strategist, Liz designs custom WordPress websites, optimizes websites for SEO, and leverages Local SEO / Google Business Profiles for business owners who are looking to improve their online presence to earn more traffic and leads. She built her first website for a business in 2003 and her first WordPress website in 2006. Learn more about Liz »
