PILLAR 3, TRUST SIGNALS · 3.1 Authorship & E-E-A-TMediumInferred
No author Person schema
Person structured data tells machines who the author is and connects them to their wider identity. Without it, Google has to infer the author from plain text.
What it is
Author not marked up.
Why it matters
Structured authorship aids entity association (helps, isn’t required).
How to fix it
Add Person markup linked to the author entity.
How to find it on your site
- Check author markup for Person structured data.
- Add Person schema with name, role and sameAs links to authoritative profiles.
- Connect the article to its author via the author property.
- Validate with the Rich Results Test.
Cross-reference to ranking and citation factors
Person schema makes the author a machine-readable entity, strengthening authorship signals. Plain text alone is weaker.
Impact
Low-medium. Inferred.
Evidence
Structured data supports understanding (not required). Google Search Central, Optimizing your website for generative AI features on Google Search; Google Search Central, Structured data general guidelines
Sources