As you would already know, the digital market is continuously becoming more and more competitive each day. But what if I told you that there is a way to stay ahead of the competition by simply leveraging your Google My Business profile with quality photos? 

Introducing Google My Business (GMB)

GMB is a tool designed for businesses and organizations to showcase their online presence across the number one search engine — Google. By verifying your business on GMB, prospective customers can find and learn about your business conveniently. This is because Google will display your business whenever users search for your company or the products and services that you offer. Users can easily click on your GMB profile to learn more about your business, including your opening hours, website, and address. If you have a physical business establishment, users can locate it on Google Maps. The best part about GMB is that it’s completely free to use and simple to manage!

Your GMB profile is essentially the first source of information that connects your business with most people online. And, of course, you’d want your first impression to count. Your business reviews, description, social channels, and landing page on your website are all contributing factors. 

But as the saying goes: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” People who roam the internet are inherently visual creatures. We are drawn to anything visually appealing. This means photos have a significant impact on making your business look attractive online. 

Never underestimate the power of photos.

The perfect way to ensure your GMB profile is optimized to its fullest extent is by providing quality photos on your GMB page. 

Here are some of the hard facts that prove the relationship between Google My Business (GMB) photos and business success:

• Up to 80% of all online searches are conducted on Google. 

• According to Google, businesses with photos receive 42% more requests for directions and 35% more clicks to their websites.

• 78% of local mobile searches lead to in-person purchases.

• Studies show that businesses with more than 100 images get 520% more calls, 713% more discovery searches, and 1038% more direct searches than the average company. 

Based on the above statistics, GMB photos have the potential to boost your online presence and help drive customers to your front door. Optimizing your GMB photos is actually a powerful SEO (search engine optimization) technique that many companies tend to look over — which is why you will have the upper hand if you start working on your GMB photos today!

How to level up your Google My Business photos

The following are five expert tips and tricks to ensure your Google My Business photos stand out. 

1. Provide quality photos.

First, your GMB photos need to serve a purpose. As much as photos can help draw in customers, low-quality images will only make prospects turn their back on your company. To capture people’s attention, you want to provide high-quality, engaging images. 

Though keep in mind that your photos have to be a realistic and accurate portrayal of your business. The worst thing you can do is to set your customer’s expectations so high yet fail to impress them in real life. Also, steer clear of stock photos at all costs. Google is pretty strict with providing search users with a realistic depiction of your business. So they will delete any photos that they find misleading. 

You might want to consider hiring a professional photographer to really put your business in the best possible limelight. A professional photographer would have the expertise and equipment to help capture high-quality photos of your business. High-quality photos will prove that your brand is trustworthy, competent, and approachable.

2. Consider the type of photo to upload.

Other than your company logo, expand on what your prospective customers might want to see on your profile. Have your target audience in mind when you’re taking your GMB photos. What appeals to them? If you own a cafe, your audience most likely wants to know about your cafe’s exterior, menu, food, interior, and overall ambience.

Types of photos to add to your GMB profile can be your building’s exterior, your store’s interior, your products, special events, your employees at work, and even a cheerful team photo. Use your GMB photos to share your business’s story particularly, why people should visit and purchase from you instead of your competitors. 

Also, always double-check that your photos are uploaded in the correct format: JPG or PNG, size between 10KB and 5MG, and resolution 720 X 720 pixels minimum.

3. Create a virtual experience.

If you’re new to GMB, you should know that there are several visual features available. This includes 360º photos and virtual video tours.

360º photos are an interactive way to help your audience learn more about your business. Our 360º photos have gained over 25,000 views. They work better than normal photos because they offer search users the literal representation of your business location. The feature also encourages people to click-through and engage with your GMB page. You may opt to add your 360º photos to your Facebook business page. 

Taking 360º photos can be tricky and time-consuming. So it might be in your best interest to hire a professional photographer to do it instead. Most professional photographers also work on videography and can help with virtual video tours or other types of corporate video productions. They’re able to capture the optimal virtual experience of your business location professionally.

4. Optimize photo information.

If you didn’t know, SEO (search engine optimization) does not only work on types of copy text. SEO applies to photos as well. When you optimize the information of your photos, aka EXIF data, you are successfully making full use of SEO. This means renaming your photos with relevant keywords before uploading them to your GMB profile. Adding tags and descriptions to your photos will bolster your SEO too. 

Another tip is to add a location to all of your photos. To do this, you just have to key in the exact coordinates of your business enterprise. This practice is known as geotagging. It might seem like a dreary step, but trust us, geotagging your photos is well worth it. This is because GMB profiles are linked to Google Maps. By optimizing your photos with geotagging, you immediately boost your SERPs (search engine result pages) rank. 

5. Keep track of public photos. 

Google is such a reliable source of information because it offers transparency. One of Google’s techniques includes giving the public permission to add photos to your GMB profile. This way, prospects would be able to view your profile based on the impression of actual customers. As much as this would benefit internet users, it can be harmful to your business when customers add unflattering photos. 

Sadly, there’s not much that you can do once a photo is uploaded — you can’t delete a customer’s photo as you wish. Though if the photo is highly inappropriate, you should report it to Google and have them remove it for you right away. Thus, it is still essential to keep track of public photos frequently. 

Reviewing the photos added by your customers also serves as an excellent check-in to understand how your business is performing. GMB offers you valuable insights into your photos. For example, you can track the number of views for each photo. You will also be able to see your business through your customer’s lens and work on the necessary improvements. For now, the best way to deal with public photo uploads is to ensure that you avoid these negative outcomes beforehand. Make sure your customers are taken care of when you’re serving them. 

Get started with Google My Business.

Now that you know the tips and tricks to optimize your GMB photos, it’s time to maximize your business’ presence online. Get the camera ready and brainstorm which photos you want to feature. 

Be sure to sign up and verify your business on Google if you haven’t already. 

FAQs

What types of photos can I add to my Google My Business photos? 

You can add many types of photos to your GMB account, depending on what your business is. If you have a physical location, you can take different angles of the exterior and interior of your store. If you run a restaurant, bar, or cafe, you can upload photos of your menu and even your signature dishes and drinks. If you run a service business, such as drawing or construction, and don’t have a physical location, you can always take photos of your completed masterpiece. You can get bonus points when you feature your satisfied customers in the photos! 

You can even add user-generated content on your social media channels to your GMB photos. Just be sure to seek permission from whoever posted it first. 

How can I control what the public posts on my Google My Business photos?

As you now know, Google gives customers the ability to influence your brand reputation. This can quickly go downhill if customers leak displeasing photos of your business. However, there is also a way to take advantage of public posts. 

Creating an “Instagram wall” is one way to encourage your customers to take photos in your store and share them online. This could be a decorated wall that is unique to your brand. Soon enough, customers will be uploading positive photos to your GMB and social media. 

Do I really have to hire a professional photographer for my Google My Business photos?

Most companies hire a professional photographer to take their GMB photos. The difference is distinct, and your audience will appreciate your efforts. For example, Airbnb listings with photos taken by a professional photographer gain 40% in earnings, 24% in bookings, and 26% increase in their prices. 

If you can, it would be a good idea to let the expert take over. This is to ensure that your business is featured in the best light possible.

Would you like us to help you with your Google My Business photography?

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