Google has pulled a fast one on us once again.
Last Wednesday, Google’s Webmaster Trends Analyst John Mueller announced that Google will no longer be displaying author profile pictures in desktop and mobile search results and will remove Google+ circle counts. But don’t go deleting your profile photos in revolt just yet. An author whose content makes it to Google News still has a chance to get his photo included in the search query.
Here’s the example Google gave:
“We’ve been doing lots of work to clean up the visual design of our search results, in particular creating a better mobile experience and a more consistent design across devices,” Mueller said. “…Our experiments indicate that click-through behavior on this new, less-cluttered design is similar to the previous one.”
Whether you agree with the change or not, it seems Google is continuing to crack down on marketers trying to game the system. 
Although this algorithm update is frustrating for well-intentioned content marketers, it’s another reminder that unique, quality content will always triumph over the gimmicks (or, in this case, make it to Google News). The removal of profile photos doesn’t seem to be affecting companies just yet, but I imagine we’ll learn more about the fallout within the next week or so.
Although Google is eliminating the photo feature from Google Authorship, there are still a few things you can do to help maximize your online presence with Google+.
Add Google Authorship Tags
Including an authorship tag in your byline tells Google to connect that quality content with you, the author. It’s great because Google will “get to know” authors over time, and the search engine will begin to recognize those authors as credible sources of information.
To add a Google Authorship tag, you need a Google+ profile (if you have a Gmail address, you’ve already created a Google+ account). When you go to your Google+ profile page, follow these steps to add your author tag. I’ve used my own profile as an example here:
1. Copy the URL: https://plus.google.com/+MayaSzydlowski/posts
2. Remove anything after the numbers in your link (or, if you have a personalized link, remove anything after your name): https://plus.google.com/+MayaSzydlowski
3. Add the "?rel=author" tag to the end: https://plus.google.com/+MayaSzydlowski?rel=author
4. Include this link in all bylines, and you're done!
Get Your Custom URL
Your URL can appear long and messy after Google tacks all those random numbers to the end. To make yours more distinguishable, Google rolled out custom URLs, which give authors control.
To claim your custom URL:
1. Go to the "About" section on your page.
2. Scroll down to the "Links" section, and click "Get URL."
3. Follow the steps to receive the URL: http://plus.google.com/+YourName.
Optimize Your Contributor Section
Now that you’ve got your custom URL and author tag added to your byline, make sure you’ve included all the publications you contribute to in your “Contributor To” section. This makes it easy for Google to associate you with the websites where you’re publishing content.
Although not seeing your Google+ profile picture next to your content in search results might be upsetting, there are a number of factors involved in how Google attributes content to respected authors. By claiming your custom URL, adding your Google Authorship tag to your bylines, and updating your “Contributor To” section, you can optimize your content to get in front of the right audience.
And, of course, as we’ll continue to repeat: Never underestimate the power of authentic content that provides real value to your audience.
