Photos on your Google Business Profile: what to upload and why it matters

Why photos matter for local ranking and conversion

Google's own data shows that businesses with photos receive significantly more direction requests and website clicks than those without. Photos are one of the most visible elements of a GBP listing — they appear at the top of the panel when someone searches for your business, and they appear in Google Maps. A listing with no photos, or with only the auto-generated street view exterior shot, looks bare and inspires less confidence.

From a ranking standpoint, photo engagement is a signal. When people view your photos and spend time on your listing, it indicates to Google that your listing is relevant and engaging. Uploading photos regularly — not in one bulk upload and then nothing for two years — appears to have a modest positive effect on ranking consistency.

What types of photos to upload

Google's guidelines call for photos that accurately represent your business. For most Vancouver Island businesses, this means:

• Exterior shot: The front of your premises, clearly identifiable, ideally in good daylight. Essential for businesses customers visit in person. A Nanaimo café, Duncan retail shop, or Victoria health clinic should all have this.
• Interior shots: The interior of your space — the dining room, the waiting area, the workshop. Helps customers know what to expect before they visit.
• Work/product photos: The most valuable category for most trades, service businesses, and contractors. Completed roofing jobs in Parksville, finished landscaping in Cowichan Bay, a renovated kitchen in Comox — real work, real results. These photos convert better than any stock image.
• Team photos: Owners and staff. People hire people. A photo of the actual human they'll be dealing with builds trust before any conversation happens.
• Logo: A clean version of your logo against a simple background. This appears in search results as your profile image.

Image quality and technical specs

Google recommends photos at minimum 720 x 720 pixels. In practice, shoot for 1200 x 900 pixels or larger — modern smartphones are fine for this. Avoid blurry, dark, or heavily filtered photos. Natural light is better than flash. A photo taken on an overcast afternoon outside a job site in Ladysmith will outperform a dark indoor shot with poor lighting every time.

File size: Google accepts JPEG and PNG, and will compress images on their end. Upload them at reasonable quality — you don't need to compress aggressively before uploading to GBP (unlike your website, where compression directly affects load speed).

How often to add new photos

The sweet spot for most local businesses is adding at least two or three new photos per month. You don't need a photographer — your phone is adequate. The habit matters more than the technical perfection.

A practical approach: every time you complete a project or do something noteworthy, take a quick photo before you leave. A finished deck in Shawnigan Lake, a delivered floral arrangement in Victoria, a completed septic installation near Qualicum Beach. These photos accumulate over time into a genuine visual record of your work — which is exactly what potential customers want to see.

Customer photos: monitor and respond

Google allows customers to upload photos to your listing as part of a review or separately. You can't delete customer photos (unless they violate Google's policies — spam, explicit content, etc.). Monitor your listing regularly and flag anything genuinely inappropriate through the GBP interface.

Customer photos can actually be a positive signal — they show engagement with your business. A tourism business in Tofino or a restaurant in Nanaimo with dozens of customer-uploaded food and venue photos looks busy and popular, which is attractive to potential customers browsing listings.

Video: is it worth it?

GBP supports short videos (up to 30 seconds, under 75MB). Not many local businesses use them, which means there's some opportunity to stand out. For businesses where the work is visual — landscape design, renovation, food — a short clip of a project in progress or a before-and-after can be compelling. For most trades and professional services, photos are sufficient.

If you're already creating short video content for other channels (Instagram, etc.), repurposing it to your GBP is a low-effort win. Just make sure the content is clearly relevant to your business and professional in tone.

A quick checklist

• At least 10 photos uploaded (Google's minimum recommendation)
• Cover photo is high quality and represents your best work
• Logo is clean and uploaded as the profile image
• Interior and exterior photos included (for premises-based businesses)
• At least 2-3 new photos added per month
• Customer photos monitored for anything needing flagging