How to add your picture to your search listings

If you have recently seen your Google search results include pictures/avatars before the listing, and wondered how to add those to the listing for your site, the answer is simple fairly simple.

1. Create a Google+ page. 
2. Add a profile picture that you are not too embarrassed to have associated with your listing.  It should include your pretty face.
3. Add the site that will feature your content to the "contributor to" section of your Google+ profile. Edit that here: http://plus.google.com/me/about/edit
4. Add a tag to the HEAD section of the web page that will be appearing in the results.  It should include the href for your Google+ profile page. So for example, you can add
   
   

You can verify that everything is correct using the Structure Data Testing Tool (Rich Snippets).