A previous theme of my WordPress site did not have a byline or any information on the post itself to state who wrote the article. As this is a requirement to being compatible with Google Search Authorship, I sought different ways to correct the omission. I could edit the theme to add a simple line to the post’s meta information or include a line with each post. Instead, there was a far easier approach with better results, the WordPress plugin called Fancier Author Box.
The plugin creates an eye-catching result with more information than just the name. The author blurb, a gravatar photo, social media links, and a tab for your latest posts can all be shown above, below, both, or neither for posts, pages, and custom post types independently. You will find the Fancier Author Box configuration under Tools in the WordPress Admin site. The information about a specific author (blurb, social media links, etc.) can be found under the user’s profile.
Linking to your Google+ profile is another requirement of Google Search Authorship. This page explains the requirements and steps to take in order to be compatible. The plugin takes care of linking to Google+ correctly as long as you enter your Google+ profile link.
As a result of having the Authorship correctly configured, your avatar will show up next to your search engine results. This makes it more eye-catching and more likely to be clicked on, leading to more visitors hopefully.
You can get the Fancier Author Box as a free plugin from WordPress.org. The developers also offer a premium version of the plugin called Fanciest Author Box with more features and customization for integration.