Google Business Profile Photos: Sizes, Types & Best Practices
Businesses with photos get 42% more direction requests and 35% more website clicks. This guide covers everything — from exact image dimensions to advanced geo-tagging strategies that boost your local ranking.
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Photos serve multiple SEO purposes on your Google Business Profile:
- Engagement signals: Photo-rich profiles get more clicks, calls, and direction requests — all behavioral ranking factors
- Trust building: Real photos of your business, team, and work build trust that drives conversions
- Freshness signals: Regular photo uploads tell Google your business is active and engaged
- Location verification: Geo-tagged photos reinforce your geographic relevance
- Visual search: Google Lens and AI search increasingly use visual data from GBP photos
Photo Size & Format Specifications
| Photo Type | Dimensions | Format | Max Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cover Photo | 1024 × 576 px (16:9) | JPG, PNG | 5 MB |
| Logo | 250 × 250 px (1:1) | JPG, PNG | 5 MB |
| General Photos | 720 × 720 px minimum | JPG, PNG | 5 MB per photo |
| Google Posts | 1200 × 900 px (4:3) | JPG, PNG | 5 MB |
| Product Photos | 500 × 500 px minimum | JPG, PNG | 5 MB |
Pro tip: While the minimum for general photos is 720×720, we recommend uploading at 1200×900 or larger — Google will resize them, and higher resolution gives them more flexibility.
Types of Photos to Upload
Google recognizes specific photo categories. Aim to cover each one:
🏢 Exterior (3+ photos)
Your storefront from different angles and at different times of day. Helps customers find you and confirms your location to Google.
🛋️ Interior (3+ photos)
Atmosphere, seating, decor, workspace. Shows what customers experience when they walk in.
👥 Team (3+ photos)
Real team members at work. Candid shots build trust more than posed photos. Include the owner.
📦 Products/Work (5+ photos)
Your actual products, food, completed projects, before/afters. This is the most impactful category.
🎉 Events (when relevant)
Community events, grand openings, holiday celebrations. Shows community involvement.
🏆 Common Areas
Parking, lobby, waiting areas, outdoor spaces. Helps customers know what to expect.
Photo Optimization Checklist
- ✓Minimum 15 photos — Profile should have at minimum 15 business-owner photos. Top-ranking businesses average 40+.
- ✓Upload 2-3 new photos weekly — Freshness matters. Stale profiles with no new photos for months lose engagement.
- ✓Use descriptive file names — Name your files "austin-plumber-kitchen-remodel.jpg" instead of "IMG_4523.jpg" before uploading.
- ✓Natural lighting — Bright, well-lit photos perform significantly better than dark or artificially lit ones.
- ✓No stock photos — Google can detect and may remove stock images. Customers can also report them.
- ✓No heavy text overlays — Google prefers clean photos without promotional text, watermarks, or borders.
- ✓No duplicate photos — Each photo should be unique. Don't upload the same image multiple times.
Advanced: Geo-Tagging Photos
Geo-tagging adds GPS coordinates (EXIF data) to your photos before uploading them to GBP. This reinforces your location signal and can help with ranking, especially in competitive markets.
How to Geo-Tag Your Photos
- Take photos with your phone's location services enabled — Most smartphone cameras automatically embed GPS data when location services are on. This is the simplest approach.
- Manual geo-tagging for professional photos: If you use a DSLR or had photos taken professionally, use a tool like GeoImgr, ExifTool, or Adobe Lightroom to add GPS coordinates matching your business address.
- Verify before uploading: Check that the GPS coordinates in your photo's EXIF data match your business location, not your office/home where you edited them.
Managing Customer Photos
Customers can also upload photos to your profile. You can't control this, but you can manage it:
- Monitor regularly: Check your profile's photos tab weekly for new customer uploads
- Encourage good photos: Ask happy customers to share photos of their experience
- Report inappropriate photos: You can flag and request removal of photos that violate Google's guidelines
- Outpace with your own: If customer photos aren't great, upload more high-quality ones to push them down
Photo Performance: What to Track
In your GBP Insights, you can see:
- Total photo views over time
- How your photo count compares to similar businesses
- How your photo views compare to similar businesses
If your photo views are below the industry average, it's a sign you need more and better photos.
Industry-Specific Photo Tips
| Industry | Must-Have Photos |
|---|---|
| Restaurants | Food plating, menu items, bar area, dining atmosphere, kitchen (if open concept) |
| Dental/Medical | Clean treatment rooms, waiting area, friendly staff photos, before/after (with consent) |
| Home Services | Before/after projects, team in branded uniforms, work trucks, equipment in action |
| Retail | Product displays, store layout, seasonal arrangements, new arrivals |
| Legal/Financial | Professional team photos, conference room, office exterior, awards/certifications |
| Fitness | Equipment, class in progress, locker rooms, transformation results (with consent) |
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