Forget Google Page Rank. Today, the SEO world is all about Google AuthorRank -- a quality rating that links your content with your Google+ profile. Google AuthorRank can have a significant long-term impact on the amount of Google search traffic your content attracts. Why? Because Google wants it to.In simplest terms, instead of relying on website authority to rank search results, Google wants to focus on who actually authored the content. Coupled with Google's desire to add social behavior to search rankings with a focus on Google+ activities, Google AuthorRank was born and grades content authors' reputations for quality as a factor in ranking search results.Despite the fact that Google AuthorRank launched earlier this year, it's still a very much untapped feature. For Authoritative Content publishers, claiming your content and getting credit as the author by Google is a must-do task. It only takes a few minutes to connect your blog, website, or content to your Google+ profile and start getting recognized for it.When you connect your content to your Google+ profile, search results for that content get a lot better. For example, I did a Google search for "Neil Patel" which is a fairly common name. Take a look at the image below for the #1 result. It's digital marketer, serial entrepreneur, and angel investor, Neil Patel. I've had the opportunity to speak at an event with Neil in the past, and he is one smart and cool guy. Notice how the result shows not just a link to his website but also his picture, information about his Google+ audience, additional links, and more.

When you add your Google AuthorRank to your content, people don't just see a standard search results entry for it. Instead, they see so much more. Results that include additional information thanks to Google AuthorRank are instantly perceived as more credible and are far more likely to get clicked.You can learn how to connect your content to your Google+ profile and create your Google AuthorRank from Google Webmaster Tools. If you'd prefer more detailed help, Neil Patel published a great step-by-step guide earlier this year.