The complete guide to Google My Business photos

Your Google Business Profile plays a pivotal role in whether a potential customer selects your business or a competitor’s. Having an updated profile with timely and relevant photos exemplifies the impact of your business listing in the digital world. And according to Birdeye data, the average number of photos per verified location is 26. The implication is clear; many of your competitors are leveraging Google Photos, so you need to leverage them, too.

Google My Business photos enable potential customers to understand your business, explore your products, services, and view your completed projects. 

You can improve customer experience and foster a deeper connection with them by adding photos to your Google Business Profile. 

On average, a local business’s Google Business Profile features 11 photos. The more photos you provide to showcase your business, the stronger your reputation becomes. 

Why are Google My Business Photos important?

Beyond adding a captivating visual element to a predominantly text-heavy listing, Google My Business Photos provide multiple benefits to  local businesses. 

By investing in high-quality photos and regularly updating Google Business Profile with them, businesses can: 

Improve local SEO efforts

Google recommends uploading new photos to your Google Business Profile weekly. Doing so will let Google know that you’re paying attention to your Google My Business listing, which can improve your local SEO ranking. 

A dynamic and  active listing is more likely to feature in top local search results than an inactive listing. Adding photos also shows Google that you are a relevant and trustworthy business that can help the user. 

So, adding photos can directly boost your local SEO efforts. 

Enhance your brand awareness

Google My Business Photos can be the visual ambassador of your brand. Customers are more likely to remember the visual elements in your marketing messages, product packaging, and project photos than just the brand name. 

When your business shows up in Google search results, the photos can help build a connection and boost overall brand awareness in the market. For best results, useclick photos that carry branding signs of your business. 

Boost engagement

Vivid Google Business Profile photos can stimulate potential customers to explore further, deepening their engagement. It helps them get more information about your business. 

When customers browse through your profile, the right GMB photos can make them click, want to know more, and efficiently engage with your business profile. The more engagement your profile gets, the better your chances of showing up in the local map pack results. 

Build trust

Photos of your business’ interior, exterior, products, and your team can build immediate trust with prospective customers. 

For instance, if you’re a restaurant owner, customers would love to see what your signature dishes look like before deciding to visit your restaurant. Posting your own photos also helps you protect your brand from trolls and scammers who might post irrelevant or unwanted content.

Types of photos for Google My Business listing

While adding photos to your Google My Business listing is vital, understanding which photos resonate best can optimize your listing’s impact. Here is a list of the type of photos you can leverage to boost the impact of your Google Business Profile: 

Profile photos or logo

Your profile photo or logo can help you get your brand identity visible to your customers. Upholding a logo makes sure that you take the right steps to boost brand awareness on the internet. 

Use a high-quality profile photo or logo helping customers immediately identify your business in local search results. The GMB profile photo must represent your business and brand accurately. 

Cover photo

Your business cover photo is the most prominent photo in your Google listing. Try to choose a business-related photo that captures your company’s personality or showcases a core product or service you offer.

Business interior photos

People love to see what the inside of a business looks like before visiting, especially if the service revolves around beauty treatments, massages, healthcare services, restaurants, retail stores, and so on. 

Business interior photos help customers:

• Evaluate the cleanliness of the premise
• Understand how your staff treats the customers
• Know what to expect when they visit your store 

Business exterior photos

Exterior photos of your business make it easier for your customers to find you when they visit you in person. 

When customers search for your business on Google Maps, the exterior photos allow them to spot the store/building easily. 

This is particularly important in large cities, where you can blink and miss a place of business as you’re driving by. Include shots of prominent signage or landmark identifiers that can help customers find you.

Team photos

Company culture is important for a potential customer to trust a business. Adding team photos shows them that you are a business with a talented staff and tells them that choosing your business would be the right decision. 

A business listing with staff photos can also increase relatability and help your business come across as more approachable. 

Use photos of the team celebrating a win, in meetings, serving customers, and in their daily routine for best results. 

Other photos

Depending on your business, consider adding additional photo types, such as: 

• Product photos : Use aesthetically pleasing product shots that clearly show their best features to attract customers. 
• Service photos : You can add project photos or photos of your team serving the customers if you are in the service business. 
• Food/Drinks photos: Hire a professional photographer to take high-quality shots of your menu to attract potential customers. 

User-generated photos

Google appreciates if a business allows and encourages its customers to add photos to the Google My Business listing. This promotes transparency, acts as a social proof, and helps portray the true picture of a business to potential customers. 

Encourage customers to add photos with their Google reviews so that you can add user-generated content to your listing. 

Guidelines for Google My Business photos 

For best results with Google My Business Photos and to make sure that the platform approves all your uploads, follow these guidelines from Google: 

1. The photos must not be too big or edited heavily using filters. Use images that accurately represent your business, product, or services. 
2. Make sure that the GMB photo you upload is of the right size, resolution, and format. 

• Ideal photo size for Google My Business photos: Between 10kB and 5MB.
• Format: JPG or PNG (PNG file type is preferrable, as it ensures photo quality is not reduced post-upload.)
• Resolution: Minimum resolution of 720 px x 720 px.

3. Your Google My Business profile photo must be 250×250 px.
4. The cover photo must be 1080×608 pixels.
5. For product photos and other interior photos, make sure they are well-lit and the subject is in focus. 

How to add photos to Google My Business

Adding photos to your Google My Business is a simple process and can be done in a few simple steps: 

1. Sign in to your official Google My Business account.

2. From the Google My Business dashboard, click on “Add photo.”

3. Select the type of photo you will be adding – Photo, Logo, or Cover photo.
4. Proceed with the steps you see on the screen to finish uploading the photos. 
5. The photos will now be visible on your Google Business Profile. 

Can I arrange the photos in Google My Business?

No, businesses have no control over the order in which the photos appear on their Google My Business profile. There is also no process to arrange the photos in any particular order. 

Why are my photos not showing up on Google My Business?  

Your photos may not show up on Google My Business if the photo doesn’t meet Google’s guidelines concerning image size, format, quality, and/or relevance. 

How to remove photos from Google My Business

You can remove photos from Google My Business at any time. This is beneficial for business owners wanting to remove images that violate content guidelines that don’t accurately represent their brand.

Follow these steps to remove photos from Google My Business:

1. Sign in to your Google Business Profile.

2. Access the Google Business Profile Manager using the App launcher icon. 

3. Click on photos and view the photos you uploaded under the “By owner” section. 

4. Select the photo you wish to delete or remove. 

5. Click on the delete or “Trash Icon” in the upper right corner and click on “Delete”. 

How do I manage my business photos on Google?

In addition to adding or removing Google My Business photos, you can also edit the categories, view sizes, and report any user-uploaded photos. 

To manage your Google My Business Photos: 

1. Go to “Google Business Profile Manager” using the App launcher icon. 
2. Click “Photos” on the left side of the dashboard. 
3. Click the photo you wish to manage to view in full size. 
4. Now, proceed with editing or reporting it as needed. 

FAQs about Google My Business photos

Grow your Google Business Profile with Birdeye 

Your Google Business profile is pivotal for your success in local SEO. The easier it is for customers to find and understand your business before they actually interact with you, the higher the chances of increasing your conversion rate is. 

A well-curated Google My Business listing with relevant photos can foster trust and connection with your potential customers from the very first impression. 

Manage your business listings, including the Google Business Profile, well to ensure accuracy across all listings. 

Birdeye allows you to manage your Google Business Profile and other business listings from a simple easy-to-use dashboard. It is one of the best solutions, especially if you are a multi-location business. Birdeye’s competitive pricing ensures you get the best value and results.