Connect blog to Google+

If you want to connect a Wordpress blog to your Google+ profile, you have to customize Wordpress yourself and make settings in your Google account. Both steps are explained here.

Link Google profile to Wordpress via wpSEO plugin

The most elegant way to connect Google+ profiles to WordPress blogs is via the powerful SEO plugin "wpSEO". In addition to other useful SEO tools, you also get a function that links your blog or individual posts with the respective originator.

• First download wpSEO and install the plugin on your WordPress blog.
• As soon as wpSEO is installed, you will find an entry for wpSEO in the admin backend of Wordpress under "Settings". On this page, scroll down to the "Advanced" section. There you can - for the complete blog - either enter your Google Plus profile or page ID. This wpSEO FAQ page provides further information on this difference.
• Your Profile ID corresponds to the long number sequence in the URL of your Google Plus profile.
• If you run a blog with multiple authors, you can link each of these users individually to the associated Google Plus account. To do this, go to the WordPress user administration, call up the respective authors and enter their Google ID there.

Activate blog connection in Google+ profile

Now Google has to confirm that the link to the WordPress blog is actually authorized by the Plus user. To do this, log in to your Google Plus profile or ask the employees of your blog to make the following settings in your + profiles:

• In your account, click on "Profile" on the left (see screenshot) and then select the "About me" tab in the middle (usually "Posts" is initially open, "About me" is on the left).
• Now you will see several blocks highlighted in color - eg "History", "Work" etc. Scroll down. In the middle you will find the box "Left" (with a blue frame). Go to the "Edit" link there.

• A pop-up window opens in which the "Blogs / Websites" area is listed. There click on the link "Add custom link".
• In the two input lines that are now open, enter the label at the top - usually the name of the blog. Type in the URL of the WordPress blog below. Confirm both at the bottom with "Save".
• Google now checks whether the connection is correct - that is, whether the profile ID is actually stored in the WordPress blog as a so-called author tag. The latter ensures that your blog posts appear in Google search results with your profile picture.
• The review may take a while. Google may confirm you with the so-called authorship mail, which should arrive in your mailbox after a few days.

Important - what else you need to consider

• In order for your profile picture to actually appear in Google search results, it must be a "real" photo of a person or face. Google puts a "face check" in front of the test, which is intended to prevent fun or fantasy images from being displayed as an author's photo.
• In addition, you must activate the option "Others should be able to find my profile in search results" in the profile settings.