Photographs have always been a powerful tool to get users interested in a business or a product, and that truth certainly extends to local search profiles. The photos on your profile are more than just eye-catching engagement boosters, however, as adding photos regularly is shown to increase the number of requests for driving directions users make on these profiles. Photos also increase contact requests and website clickthrough rates, so adding photos to your profile is worth the time and effort required. There are several types of photos that belong on your profile – and since users are able to add their own, it’s important to know how to remove photos in the event something is uploaded that shouldn’t be. Here’s what you need to know about the photos on your local search profile.
No Default Photos, Please
Even if you haven’t yet claimed ownership of your Google My Business profile or uploaded any images, your profile still likely has images on it. These could be images sourced from Google Street View or subpar visuals shared by patients on your page. Rather than being at the mercy of the local search algorithms (which are known to produce some strange results), it’s better to take control of your profile to avoid anything strange on your profile. After all, everything uploaded is a reflection of your business.
Profile Personalization Options
There are strict image requirements for all photos uploaded, which include:
- Formats, which should be .JPG or .PNG.
- Sizes, between 10 KB and 5 MB.
- Recommended resolutions of 720 px tall, 720 px wide.
- Minimum resolutions of 250 px tall, 250 px wide.
- Quality: Photos should be in focus, well-lit, and have no major alterations or excessive filters.
- Put plainly, they should be as close to reality as possible.
Google allows users to upload a cover photo, logo, and business photos to their Google My Business profile. Your logo should be easily recognizable, especially if you have a physical location or hours of operation on your profile, as Google will feature it more prominently. Your cover photo should be what best represents your business, but it’s important to note that there’s no guarantee it will show up as the first image of your business. Your business photos should show things like interior and exterior shots of your business and highlight different features of your business.
Monitor Your Images
Since images can be added by users and by Google itself, regularly monitoring your local search profile to ensure that photos that are low quality or irrelevant to your business haven’t been added is worth the time investment. Photos that aren’t taken at a business, aren’t original to the user who uploaded them, or are highly edited or filtered are able to be flagged for removal.
What to Post (And What to Avoid)
Along with photos of your business, such as interior and exterior shots, Google recommends posting such things as photos of your team, product photos, photos of common areas in your business (such as your waiting room or lobby), and photos of you and your staff at work. So, what should you avoid? For one, stock photos. They violate Google’s terms of use and make your business look fake to users who are looking at your profile. In addition to avoiding overusing filters and other stylistic adjustments that make your photos look unnatural, avoid putting text or graphics over your photos.
We Can Help
It takes time and consistent effort to build a local search profile that ranks well and brings in revenue for a business. We built a tool that makes the work easier – meet Local Power. Want to know more? Contact one of our digital marketing experts for a complimentary consultation to hear about how this powerful tool can help your business rank higher.
