Yesterday Google once again, rocked the SEO world with its announcement that all author images would be removed from search results. To those not in the SEO world this might seem like a minor aesthetic change, but, to anyone well versed in online marketing knows the value of the author image. This change can have a devastating effect on many sites cutting their CTR down exponentially leaving them with only a small fraction of their previous traffic.
There are many possibilities surrounding this move by Google including the question as to whether it is a UX decision or a decision related to the AdWords ads that now occupy the top spots in Googles search. The reality is that Google is a company like any other, and the primary interest is the bottom line. The reality is that we might never know exactly what Google was thinking, leaving us only with the question as to where to go from here. For many sites recouping the traffic lost through this seemingly minor move will be a long process and require a lot of revenue and time.
This is very possibly the case, as studies have shown that users prefer search results without the author images. This might be shocking, as it is also a fact that the addition of an author image can increase CTR by up to 150%. The removal of this feature will severly impact traffic for many sites, regardless of the studies.
This whole thing demonstrates exactly how volatile the rules of Google are. Marketers have to always be on their toes if they want to get ahead in the search engine results, and this just throws another wrench into the works… kinda like how it did when Google originally introduced the pics to begin with a couple of years ago. It\'s not certain quite yet why Google is choosing to do this, but it ultimately doesn\'t matter. As people who rely on Google to bring us visitors and customers, we have to play by their rules or risk losing our entire business.
This is most likely one of the driving factors in the decision to eliminate author pictures from search results. This blow to SEO and online marketers will build the need to find more innovative ways to drive traffic to their site and keep their CTR up. Of course, lowered revenue due to the advantage author images affords might be one of the reasons Google has announced its plan to remove them from search results.
Of course, another pressing question is wether authorship is even worth it with the removal of the treasured photo. Some say that this might actually be a sign of Google expanding and growing the Authorship program to be more inclusive and involved. What exactly that might mean or the benefits it might have are yet to be seen, but a replacement option would definitely be appreciated! The recent announcement by Google about the removal of author pictures from search results landed a nasty blow to many sites. The official reason given is purely aestheic and user experience related, but many wonder what the real reasoning might be.
