Add a logo and a cover photo. Then add real photos of your work, your team and your vehicles. Take five photos at each job. Add photos each week. Use bright light, hold the camera level, and show the finished work. Do not use stock photos, and do not put your logo or your telephone number across the image.
Why photos change your calls
A customer compares three listings in a few seconds. Photos are the first thing that the customer examines.
Photos do two jobs. They show that your business is real. They also show the standard of your work, before the customer makes the call.
New photos also show Google that the listing is active. An inactive listing loses position to an active competitor.
What to photograph
Take these photos. Each one answers a customer question.
- Finished work. The most important photos. Take one photo before the job and one after, from the same position.
- Your vehicles, with your business name visible. This proves that you are a real company.
- Your team, in uniform, with permission. Customers want to know who arrives at the house.
- Your building or office, from the street, so that customers can find you.
- Your equipment, if it is part of the value, for example a camera for a sewer inspection.
- The work in progress, to show that the site stays clean.
Do not photograph: the inside of a customer house without permission, house numbers, customer vehicles, or any document with personal information.
Five photos to take, by trade
Take these five photos on your next job. They answer the questions that customers ask before they call.
| Trade | Five photos to take |
|---|---|
| Plumbing | A new water heater with clean connections. A repaired pipe under a sink. A cleared drain, before and after. A van with the company name. A technician with shoe covers on a clean floor. |
| HVAC | A new outdoor unit, level on its pad. A clean indoor unit and plenum. A replaced duct run. A technician with a gauge set. A thermostat installed and set. |
| Electrical | A panel before and after a replacement. A generator with the transfer switch. An EV charger on a garage wall. New lighting in a finished room. A tidy junction box. |
| Roofing | A full roof from the street, after the work. A close view of the ridge and flashing. A tear-off in progress with a clean yard. A dumpster placed on plywood. The crew on the roof with harnesses. |
| Painting | One wall before and after, from the same position. Cabinets in a finished kitchen. Exterior of a house, full frame. A cut line at the ceiling, close view. Floors covered before the work starts. |
| Moving | A loaded truck with furniture wrapped. A crew carrying an item down stairs. A protected floor and door frame. The truck with the company name. Boxes labeled and stacked in a room. |
| Landscaping | A finished lawn from the street. A new bed with fresh edging. A tree removal, before and after. Crew equipment in a clean trailer. A finished patio or walkway. |
| Cleaning | A kitchen before and after. A bathroom, close view of fixtures. A team in uniform at the door. Supplies organized in a caddy. A finished floor with clean edges. |
| Auto repair | The shop entrance from the street. A clean bay with a vehicle on the lift. A technician with a diagnostic tool. A replaced part beside the new one. The waiting area. |
| Dental office | The entrance with the sign. The waiting area. A treatment room, empty and clean. The team in uniform. The sterilization area. No patients in any photo without written permission. |
| Law firm | The building entrance and suite number. The reception area. A conference room. Attorney portraits. The team. No client documents in any photo. |
| Pest control | A technician at a foundation line. Equipment in the truck. A treated crawl space. The vehicle with the company name. A bait station installed. |
How many, and how often
- A new listing: 15 to 20 photos before you start.
- Each week after that: three to five new photos.
- Each job: take five photos. Use the best two.
A regular habit is better than a large upload one time each year. Put the photos on your phone in a folder, and upload them on the same day each week.
The technical part
- Format: JPG or PNG.
- Size: Google recommends 720 pixels wide by 720 pixels high or larger. A modern phone is always sufficient.
- Light: shoot outside, or with the light behind you. Dark photos look unprofessional.
- Position: hold the phone level. Straight lines look professional.
- No text on the image. Google can remove photos with a logo, a telephone number or an advertisement across them.
- No filters. Google asks for photos that show the business as it is.
The logo and the cover photo
Google gives two special positions.
- The logo appears with your updates and your answers to reviews. Use a square version with clear space around it.
- The cover photo is the photo that you prefer at the top. Google chooses the first photo in some searches, so all photos must be good.
Google also shows photos from customers. You cannot control those, but many good photos from you reduce their effect.
Photo mistakes that cost calls
- Stock photos. Customers recognize them, and they remove trust.
- Only a logo. A listing with one logo and no work photos looks inactive.
- Photos from five years ago. Dates are visible to Google, and the work looks old.
- Dark or blurred photos. They suggest careless work.
- A price list as an image. Put prices in your service list.
- The same photo many times. Google can remove duplicates.