If you’ve noticed your LinkedIn profile picture appearing in Google search results, there are a few reasons why this might be happening:
Your LinkedIn Public Profile is Indexed by Google
Google automatically crawls and indexes content from public LinkedIn profiles. This means if you have a public profile, Google will find it and may display your profile picture in search results for your name.
For example, if someone searches for your name on Google, your LinkedIn profile may appear in the search results along with your profile picture. This is because Google associates your name with your public LinkedIn profile.
You’re Listed as an Author or Contributor to Online Content
If you’ve written articles, blog posts, or contributed to other sites and platforms, Google may pull your LinkedIn profile picture to display alongside this content in search results.
For instance, if you’re listed as an author on Medium or you’ve contributed commentary to news sites, your author bio may point to your LinkedIn profile. When Google indexes these pages, it will grab your profile photo to show with the content.
You Have a Shared/Mentioned Post with Your Photo
When someone shares or mentions your LinkedIn post and it includes your profile photo, this shared post could also show up in Google search results.
For example, if a connection reshares your LinkedIn post on their own profile or timeline, Google may index that post if it’s set to public. And if your profile picture is displayed, it will be pulled into search.
You’re Mentioned in Articles or Shared Content
If other sites or people mention you in their content, such as in a news article, blog post, or social media post, Google can pull your LinkedIn photo from your public profile to display with that mention.
For instance, if you’re quoted in a published article, the writer may link to your LinkedIn profile. When Google indexes that page, it will likely showcase your profile picture alongside the mention of your name.
You Have Structured Data Markup with a Photo
If you have structured data markup (schema markup) implemented on your website or any sites you contribute to, and this markup uses your LinkedIn profile photo, Google will pull this photo.
For example, on your personal website, you can use schema markup for your “Person” that points to your Linked profile picture. Google will read this markup and display your photo in search results.
You’re in Google’s Knowledge Graph
If you have a Wikipedia page or are a prominent figure, businessperson, or public professional, you may be listed in Google’s Knowledge Graph. And your LinkedIn profile picture could be associated with your name.
The Knowledge Graph showcases information on notable people, places, and things. If you have enough prominence for Google to include you, it may pull your LinkedIn photo as part of your profile.
You Have an Active Google My Business Listing
If you have a Google My Business listing for your business, brand, or as a professional, you likely added a profile picture. Google may reuse this My Business photo in search results where relevant.
For example, local map pack results for service professionals often showcase the business owner’s photo. If you used your LinkedIn picture for your My Business account, this would display your photo in Google search.
Your Name is Hyperlinked with Your Photo
Some websites hyperlink author or contributor names to their LinkedIn profiles. When Google crawls these pages, it associates the hyperlinked name with the LinkedIn profile picture.
So your photo can appear in search results for your name because Google matches the hyperlink text with your profile image it finds on LinkedIn.
You Have an Active Google+ Profile
While Google+ as a social network is no longer active, many users still have Google+ profiles. If you uploaded your LinkedIn profile picture to Google+, this may be appearing in search.
Even though Google+ is deprecated, Google still references publicly available content and profiles. So your photo can be pulled from an existing Google+ profile into search results.
What To Do If You Don’t Want Your Photo to Appear in Google
If having your LinkedIn profile picture pop up in Google feels like an invasion of privacy, there are a few things you can try:
- Switch your LinkedIn profile to private mode instead of public
- Use a different photo on LinkedIn than you do on other platforms
- Ask publishers, websites, or references to remove or change instances of your name and profile link
- Create a Google Alert for your name so you can find and address references
- Contact Google support to request removal of specific imagery
Having an online presence can make your name and photo appear in search results. But you can take proactive steps to minimize or control what appears in Google listings.
Conclusion
There are many reasons your LinkedIn profile picture may be appearing in Google search results – some within your control, and some not.
Search engines like Google automatically associate public profile information with relevant mentions and indexing. So LinkedIn photos can easily pop up in Google search.
If you want to manage your online presence more tightly, privatizing and customizing your profiles, listings, and sharing can help. But with a public presence, your photo appearing in search is often unavoidable.