Last updated: February 2026
Google Business Profile photos are the images that businesses upload to their Google Business Profile listing to visually represent their brand, products, services, and physical location across Google Search and Google Maps. These photos serve as a critical trust signal for potential customers and directly influence engagement metrics such as calls, direction requests, and website visits. Businesses with robust photo libraries consistently outperform those with few or no images in both engagement and local search visibility.
This guide covers everything you need to know about GBP photos — from technical specifications and required dimensions to the types of photos that drive the most engagement and the optimization strategies that give you an edge over competitors.
Why Are Photos So Important for Your Google Business Profile?
Photos are important for your Google Business Profile because they are the primary visual element potential customers use to evaluate your business before visiting or making contact. According to Google's data, businesses with photos receive 42% more requests for directions and 35% more clicks to their websites than businesses without photos.
The data is even more compelling at scale. Businesses with more than 100 photos receive 520% more calls, 2,717% more direction requests, and 1,065% more website clicks compared to the average business. These are not marginal improvements — they represent transformative differences in customer engagement.
Photos also influence local rankings indirectly. When users engage more with your listing (clicking photos, spending time on your profile, requesting directions), Google interprets these behavioral signals as indicators of a relevant, trustworthy business. This engagement loop can contribute to improved positioning in the local pack over time.
For a comprehensive overview of all GBP optimization strategies, see our Google Business Profile optimization guide.
What Are the Photo Specifications and Requirements for GBP?
The photo specifications for GBP require images to be in JPG or PNG format, between 10 KB and 5 MB in file size, with a minimum resolution of 720 x 720 pixels and a recommended resolution of 720 x 720 pixels or higher. Google recommends photos that are not heavily filtered or excessively altered.
Here are the detailed specifications:
- Format: JPG or PNG
- File size: Between 10 KB and 5 MB
- Minimum resolution: 720 x 720 pixels
- Recommended resolution: 720 x 720 pixels or larger
- Aspect ratio: Photos should have a natural aspect ratio; extremely wide or tall images may be cropped
- Quality: Well-lit, in-focus, no excessive filters or significant alterations
- Content: Must accurately represent the business; no stock photos, screenshots, or irrelevant images
Cover photos display at a 16:9 aspect ratio (approximately 1332 x 750 pixels is ideal), while logo images display at a 1:1 square ratio (250 x 250 pixels minimum). Plan your most important photos around these crop ratios to ensure key elements are not cut off.
What Types of Photos Should You Add to Your Google Business Profile?
You should add seven distinct types of photos to your Google Business Profile: cover photo, logo, exterior shots, interior shots, team photos, product photos, and action shots showing your business in operation. Each type serves a different purpose and collectively they create a comprehensive visual story of your business.
Cover Photo
Your cover photo is the hero image that appears most prominently on your listing. Choose an image that best represents your business as a whole. For a restaurant, this might be your signature dish in your dining room. For a law firm, it could be your team in your office. This photo should be your highest-quality image and should be updated seasonally or whenever you have a better option.
Logo
Your logo appears as a small circular icon next to your business name. Upload a clean, recognizable version of your logo with a simple background. Ensure it is legible at small sizes since it will often appear as a thumbnail. A square format with your logo centered works best.
Exterior Photos
Exterior photos help customers recognize your location when they arrive. Take photos from multiple angles and at different times of day. Include shots from across the street showing your signage, close-up shots of your entrance, and photos showing any parking areas. Aim for 3-5 exterior photos minimum.
Interior Photos
Interior photos give customers a preview of what to expect inside your business. Capture the ambiance, layout, seating areas, decor, and any unique features. For service businesses, show your work area, waiting room, or consultation space. Take photos during business hours with good lighting and when the space looks its best. Include 5-10 interior photos.
Team Photos
Team photos humanize your business and build trust. Include photos of your staff in their work environment, wearing uniforms or branded clothing if applicable. Group photos, individual headshots, and candid shots of team members helping customers all work well. People want to see who they will be interacting with.
Product Photos
Product photos showcase what you sell or the results of your services. For restaurants, this means food and drink photos. For retailers, display your most popular products. For service businesses, show before-and-after results. High-quality product photography directly drives purchasing decisions.
Action Shots
Action shots show your business in operation — staff helping customers, services being performed, events taking place, or the daily energy of your business. These photos create an emotional connection and help potential customers envision themselves using your services. They are particularly effective because they combine people, products, and environment in a single authentic image.
How Should You Optimize Your GBP Photos for Better Rankings?
You should optimize your GBP photos by using descriptive file names before uploading, embedding geo-location data (EXIF data) in your images, maintaining a consistent upload schedule, and ensuring each photo is high-quality and relevant to your business. While Google has not confirmed photos as a direct ranking factor, the engagement they drive indirectly supports ranking improvements.
File Naming Strategy
Before uploading any photo, rename the file with a descriptive, keyword-rich name. Instead of "IMG_3847.jpg," use something like "downtown-austin-pizza-restaurant-interior.jpg" or "emergency-plumber-dallas-team.jpg." This metadata can help Google understand what the image depicts and associate it with relevant searches.
EXIF Data and Geo-Tagging
EXIF data is metadata embedded in photo files that can include GPS coordinates, camera information, and timestamps. When you take photos with a smartphone at your business location, the GPS coordinates are typically embedded automatically. For photos taken with a professional camera or edited on a computer, you can add geo-location data using tools like GeoImgr or Adobe Lightroom. While the ranking impact of EXIF data is debated, it provides an additional relevance signal that costs nothing to implement.
Upload Schedule and Freshness
Uploading photos consistently signals to Google that your business is active and current. Aim to add 2-3 new photos per week rather than uploading a large batch once and never returning. This consistent activity is part of what Google evaluates when assessing business freshness and engagement.
Photo Quality Standards
Every photo you upload should be well-lit, in focus, and genuinely representative of your business. Avoid heavy filters, stock images, or photos of unrelated subjects. Google's image recognition technology can identify the content of your photos, so ensure they accurately depict your business, products, and services.
To see how your photo strategy compares to top competitors, use the GBP Rank Tracker Profile Health Score to get a detailed analysis of your listing's visual content.
How Do Customer-Uploaded Photos Affect Your Listing?
Customer-uploaded photos affect your listing by adding authentic, third-party visual content that Google and potential customers view as more trustworthy than business-uploaded images. You cannot control what customers upload, but you can encourage high-quality contributions and manage problematic images.
When customers upload photos, it signals to Google that people are actively engaging with your business. A healthy ratio of customer photos to business photos indicates genuine customer activity. You can encourage customers to add photos by including gentle prompts in your review request process or by creating Instagram-worthy moments at your location (photo walls, unique decor, beautiful food presentation).
If a customer uploads an inappropriate, irrelevant, or misleading photo, you can flag it for removal through your GBP dashboard. Google reviews flagged photos and removes those that violate their content policies, though this process can take time.
What Common Photo Mistakes Should You Avoid?
The most common photo mistakes that hurt your GBP performance include using stock photos, uploading low-quality or blurry images, neglecting to add new photos after initial setup, and failing to cover all photo categories. Each of these mistakes reduces the trust and engagement potential of your listing.
- Using stock photos: Google's image recognition can identify stock photos, and consumers can spot them easily. Stock photos erode trust and may violate Google's guidelines.
- Low-quality images: Blurry, dark, or poorly composed photos make your business look unprofessional. If you cannot take good photos yourself, hire a professional photographer for an initial shoot.
- Setting and forgetting: Uploading photos once during setup and never adding more is a missed opportunity. Freshness signals matter. Update your photos regularly.
- Ignoring photo categories: Only having product photos but no team or interior shots leaves gaps that make your listing feel incomplete. Cover all seven photo types.
- Not monitoring customer photos: Customers sometimes upload irrelevant or unflattering photos. Check your listing monthly and flag any problematic user-uploaded images.
- Duplicating photos: Uploading the same photo multiple times does not help and can look spammy. Each photo should be unique and add new information.
For more optimization tips beyond photos, check out our comprehensive Google Business Profile tips article.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many photos should I upload to my Google Business Profile?
Aim for at least 25-50 photos as a baseline, with a goal of reaching 100+ over time. Upload 2-3 new photos per week to maintain freshness. There is no maximum limit, but quality always matters more than quantity — do not upload duplicate or low-quality images just to increase your photo count.
Can I remove a photo that a customer uploaded to my listing?
You cannot directly remove customer-uploaded photos, but you can flag them for review by clicking the three-dot menu on the photo in your GBP dashboard and selecting "Report a problem." Google will review the photo and remove it if it violates content policies. For photos that are simply unflattering but not policy-violating, your best strategy is to upload more high-quality photos to push the problematic ones down.
Do Google Business Profile photos have alt text?
Google does not currently offer an alt text field for GBP photos. However, Google's AI-powered image recognition automatically analyzes photo content to understand what is depicted. This is why descriptive file names and accurate photo content are important — they help Google correctly categorize and surface your images.
Should I use a professional photographer for my GBP photos?
A professional photographer is recommended for your initial batch of core photos (cover, interior, exterior, team), especially if you lack photography skills or equipment. However, ongoing photos taken with a modern smartphone are perfectly acceptable for maintaining freshness. The key is consistent quality — well-lit, in-focus, and authentic images.
Do photos directly affect Google Maps rankings?
Photos are not a confirmed direct ranking factor, but they strongly influence engagement metrics (clicks, calls, direction requests) that are behavioral ranking signals. Listings with more and better photos receive dramatically higher engagement, which creates a positive feedback loop that can improve ranking positions over time.
What happens if I do not add any photos to my GBP listing?
If you do not add photos, Google may display a generic street view image, user-uploaded photos (which you have no control over), or a gray placeholder. This looks unprofessional and significantly reduces engagement. Listings without business-uploaded photos receive substantially fewer calls, direction requests, and website clicks compared to those with even a modest photo library.