5 GBP Photo Tips for Better Local SEO Rankings

There’s no doubt that photographs are one the most effective advertising mediums there is. A single photo can convey a thousand emotions that words cannot. This is why throughout the decades, brands and businesses in every part of the world have utilised the marketing prowess of photographs to promote their goods and services. 

As a Northampton business owner, it would do you well to follow their example. If you already have a Google Business Profile (GBP) profile and have yet to take advantage of its photos section, you’re missing out on many SEO and business opportunities. A Google research revealed that GBP listings with photos get 42% more requests for driving directions to their location and 35% more visits to their business website. 

Getting the Most Out of Your GBP Images

To make the most of the photos on your GBP listing, here are some GBP photo tips you should consider. 

1. Always post high-quality photos

To give your prospects a better impression of your business, always use high-quality images on your GBP listing. Consider letting a professional photographer take pictures of your business if you have the budget. If you don’t, you can take the pictures yourself using a camera or a smartphone with excellent photo capabilities. It also helps to ask someone with photography experience so you’ll know how to take amazing pictures of your business. 

Before you upload your photographs, make sure they adhere to Google’s guidelines. For best results, the images should: 

• Be in JPG or PNG.
• Have a minimum resolution of 720×720 pixels.
• Be between 10KB and 5MB in size. 

2. Don’t just take photos of your location

Many business owners often make the mistake of simply uploading photos of the exterior of their property. Not only is it boring, but it doesn’t tell your target customers much about your business. If you want prospects to be curious and excited about what you can offer, consider posting the following images: 

• The inside and outside of your business. Consider taking pictures of them from different angles and times of the day.
• Your products.
• Happy customers, especially if you offer services instead of products.
• Your staff while in the middle of work.

3. Upload pictures regularly

Posting images on your GBP listing is not a one-time deal. Similar to your business website, your photo section should be updated regularly because Google loves listings that always have something new to offer. By updating your GBP page constantly, your business is more likely to appear on search results. 

Try to upload one or two images every week. While this may require time and effort on your part, it can give your Local SEO campaign a huge boost. Updating your GBP listing consistently tells the search giant that your business is active, which provides you with a better search ranking from Google in return. 

4. Make your photos SEO-friendly

This is perhaps one of the most critical GBP photo tips. It isn’t enough that you upload high-quality photos. You should also optimise them for search engines to boost your listing’s ranking potential. Here’s how you can make your images more SEO-friendly: 

a. Include keywords in your image file names

For example, let’s say you’re posting a shot of your restaurant’s exterior. Instead of simply naming it image01.jpg, consider using the file name northampton-restaurant.jpg. When posting multiple images, use different relevant keywords for each of them. 

b. Add geotags

It would help if you also considered geotagging each picture and adding relevant information to their metadata, including your physical address or your location’s coordinates. 

c. Choose the correct categories

Although you can’t add specific tags to your GBP images, you can choose categories for them. As such, don’t forget to select the most relevant ones for your photos before posting them. 

5. Review user-generated images

One of the advantages of having a GBP listing is that any Google user can contribute their photos of your business. This can be a great help since some of your customers are keeping your GBP page alive and active on your behalf. However, it also has downsides since people can also post unflattering and offensive photos to your page. 

For this reason, it’s crucial to review user-generated images on your GBP listing. When someone shares a picture that is offensive or irrelevant to your business, you should report it and ask Google to delete it. To report unwanted photos, look for the flag icon in the upper-right corner of the image. Clicking on the icon would lead you to an online form that you should fill out and submit to Google. 

Use the Power of GBP Photos

As they say, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” If you’re not using GBP’s photo capabilities, you’re doing your Northampton business a great disservice. Therefore, make sure to use photography to showcase your business and follow the tips discussed above to achieve better search rankings and attract more customers. 

At Springhill Marketing, we can help optimise your GBP listing to give your Local SEO efforts a considerable boost. Please speak with us and let our team of SEO experts create a bespoke plan for your Northampton business.