# WP Google Authorship

> WP Google Authorship has 200+ active installs, a 5/5 rating from 1 reviews and 181 downloads in the last 30 days. Health score 48/100, keyword rankings, version adoption and the best alternatives.

**Verdict: Use with caution.** WP Google Authorship works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. It runs on 200+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 11 months ago, and scores 48/100 on our health check.

**This plugin helps you add Google authorship markup to your WordPress site, allowing your Google Plus profile picture to appear in Google Search results.**

## Key facts

- **Overall rank:** —
- **Active installs:** 200+
- **Total downloads:** 22,527
- **Downloads (30 days):** 181 (+22.3% vs previous 30 days)
- **Rating:** 5/5 from 1 reviews
- **Health score:** 48/100 (Fair)
- **Version:** 2.1
- **Last updated:** Nov 8, 2025
- **Tested up to:** WordPress 6.8.10
- **Requires:** WordPress 3.0+
- **Support resolved:** 0 of 0 threads (last 2 months)
- **Developer:** Mervin Praison (https://pageforge.pro/directory/authors/mervinpraison/)
- **WordPress.org:** https://wordpress.org/plugins/google-plus-author/

## Category rankings

| Category | Rank | Plugins |
|---|---|---|
| [author](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/author/) | #42 | 202 |
| [authorship](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/authorship/) | #2 | 8 |
| [google](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/google/) | >100 | 601 |
| [google plus](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/google-plus/) | #3 | 42 |
| [seo](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/tag/seo/) | >100 | 2,609 |

## WordPress.org search positions

| Keyword | Position | Results |
|---|---|---|
| author | #77 | 9,132 |
| authorship | #2 | 103 |
| google | >100 | 10,000 |
| google plus | #37 | 2,847 |
| seo | >100 | 8,355 |

## Version adoption

- 2.0: 63.7%
- 2.1: 36.3%

## Alternatives

| # | Name | Active installs | Rating | Updated | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | [Edit Author Slug](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/edit-author-slug/) | 100K+ | 4.8/5 (84) | May 27, 2025 | 57/100 |
| 2 | [WP Meta and Date Remover](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/wp-meta-and-date-remover/) | 90K+ | 4.2/5 (71) | May 31, 2026 | 77/100 |
| 3 | [Hide/Remove Metadata](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/hide-metadata/) | 20K+ | 3.6/5 (14) | May 27, 2026 | 64/100 |
| 4 | [Disable Author Archives](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/disable-author-archives/) | 10K+ | 4.4/5 (7) | Aug 21, 2026 | 79/100 |
| 5 | [Meks Smart Author Widget](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/meks-smart-author-widget/) | 10K+ | 4.5/5 (8) | Jul 23, 2024 | 29/100 |
| 6 | [VK Post Author Display](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/vk-post-author-display/) | 10K+ | 4.5/5 (8) | Aug 24, 2026 | 79/100 |
| 7 | [Starbox – the Author Box for Humans](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/starbox/) | 10K+ | 4.5/5 (203) | May 9, 2025 | 43/100 |
| 8 | [WP Author, Date and Meta Remover](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/wp-author-date-and-meta-remover/) | 10K+ | 3.2/5 (25) | Jan 25, 2021 | 38/100 |
| 9 | [Guest Author](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/guest-author/) | 5K+ | 4.2/5 (13) | Aug 16, 2026 | 81/100 |
| 10 | [Authors List](https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/authors-list/) | 5K+ | 5/5 (22) | Nov 24, 2025 | 50/100 |

## Frequently asked questions

### Is WP Google Authorship free?
Yes. WP Google Authorship is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.

### Is WP Google Authorship safe to use in 2026?
WP Google Authorship works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. It runs on 200+ sites, is rated 5/5 and was last updated 11 months ago, and scores 48/100 on our health check.

### How many websites use WP Google Authorship?
WP Google Authorship is active on 200+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 22,527 times since it launched in February 2012. It was downloaded 181 times in the last 30 days.

### Does WP Google Authorship work with WordPress 7.1?
WP Google Authorship is officially tested up to WordPress 6.8.10, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.

### When was WP Google Authorship last updated?
The latest version, 2.1, was released on November 8, 2025 (11 months ago).

### Who makes WP Google Authorship?
WP Google Authorship is developed and maintained by Mervin Praison.

### What are the best alternatives to WP Google Authorship?
The most popular alternatives to WP Google Authorship are Edit Author Slug (100K+ installs), WP Meta and Date Remover (90K+ installs) and Hide/Remove Metadata (20K+ installs).


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Source: live WordPress.org data · HTML version: https://pageforge.pro/directory/plugins/google-plus-author/ · Generated 2026-10-05 07:23 UTC by PageForge