If you’re looking to enhance your local search presence, one of the best things you can do is improve your Google business profile. And a great way to do that is by adding high-quality photos to your profile.

The importance of quality photos to your Google Business Profile is that they are no longer just a nice addition. They are becoming an imperative. For local businesses, higher quality photos on their Google Business Profile leads to increased customer actions which results in higher placement and rankings on Google local searches.

Here are some reasons why you should make sure your Google Business Profile has high quality photos:

3 Pack Display Changes

If you’re a business owner who is concerned about your company’s online presence, you undoubtedly are familiar with the coveted 3 Pack Ranking on Google Searches.

The 3 Pack Display – which is the display of three businesses that are most relevant to search terms typed into Google – has been updated to include more space for photos and less for text. This is good news for local businesses who want to ensure they are represented in the 3 Pack Display by regularly updating their profiles with many high quality photos and helps local businesses communicate their brand with potential customers.

However, many local business owners aren’t taking advantage of this free marketing opportunity by updating the photos on their Google Business Page.

Google makes it easy for business owners to upload images to their Business Profiles, and even has several photo categories that they use to show your customers the most relevant photos of your business.

Google Photo Categories

Exterior Photos

Photos of the exterior of your business make it easier for your customers to find you when they are visiting your physical location.

You can make it even easier for your customers to locate your business by uploading a variety of photos of the exterior, from different angles and even times of day.

Interior Photos

Potential customers will likely want to see the inside of your business before they decide to visit, so it is important that you have high quality photos on your Google Business Profile.

If you’re taking pictures of the interior of your business, make sure to take some time and clean up the space before you start snapping away. You don’t have to go overboard, but a little sprucing up can make an incredible difference in your picture’s quality and professionalism.

Product Photos

Help your customers get an idea of the types of products that you offer at your business by uploading a variety of product photos! That way if a customer is looking for a specific item, they can confirm that you have it at your business which can result in increased sales!

Photos At Work

Showing photos of you and your team at work helps make it easier for customers to understand exactly what your business provides and how they can benefit from it.

Food & Drink Photos

Similarly to product photos, Having a wide selection of photos of the various foods and beverages that your establishment provides can help make it easier for potential customers to decide to come try a bite. These photos are extremely important to restaurants as having the right photos of your delicious meals can convince a hungry customer to stop by.

Team Photos

Include plenty of photos of your team onto your Google Business Profile to help personalize your business and foster a welcoming environment that will have customers more comfortable visiting for the first time.

Tips for Higher Quality Business Photos

When you’re taking photos for your business, it’s a good idea to follow a few simple guidelines in order to avoid making mistakes. Here are some tips for taking higher quality photos.

Use The Right Camera

For many people, it can be tempting to simply use their smartphone camera when they need to take a business photo. However, if possible, you should invest in a professional camera instead so that you can ensure that your photos are as high quality as possible.

When taking pictures for your business, use high quality equipment such as professional cameras and lighting equipment. This ensures that your pictures are clear and professional looking. A DSLR camera will provide you with much better quality than a camera phone or point and shoot camera. A DSLR camera will cost more than other types of cameras, but it is well worth the investment because you will get higher quality images.

Make Sure You Get Enough Light

In addition to making sure the background is plain and in focus, try to make sure that there’s enough light in the room when you’re taking photos. If you’re taking photos at night or in a dark room, it’s likely that you won’t be able to get an image that’s very high quality because there won’t be enough light coming into the camera while you’re taking the photo

One of the easiest ways to improve your business photography is to use natural lighting. Natural light gives you a few advantages. First, it’s free! So if you’re just getting started and don’t have a big budget, it’s a great option for you. Just open up your windows so that light can permeate your space and brighten up your photos.

One more thing: Remember that natural light comes in many different shades. You’ll need to adjust your white balance when shooting in sunlight compared with fluorescent light.

Mind Your Background

It’s not just about the subject of your photo, but also about the background of your photo. If you’re taking a photo of your product or any other subject, try to take it against a plain background. This will help the focus of the image go to what you’re trying to show off.

Make sure there is nothing in the background of your picture that is distracting from what you are trying to show in the photo. It’s best to avoid busy patterns and colors, as they can distract from the subject of your photo.

If you are taking a picture outdoors, try to use a plain background such as a fence or building that will not detract from your image. If you want to take the picture indoors, try using a solid colored wall, or even an off-white wall with no texture.

Better Photos Mean MORE Customer Actions

More than ever, people are relying on the internet to help them find the business they need. Great photos can catch a potential customer’s attention and make them want to click through to your website or to request directions to your business.

The worst thing that could possibly happen to your business is to rank highly in the 3 pack but still miss out on customers due to the quality of the photos. You may have a great product/service, but if your photos do not reflect that, you’re not getting any sales.

Whether you decide to hire a professional photographer to assist you with creating content for your business, or you would prefer to handle the photographer yourself, regularly uploading high quality, relevant photos can make a massive difference in your Google rankings!

Conclusion

Gone are the days where you can simply show up on Google and expect people to come to your website. In today’s world, you’re going to need more help getting in front of local customers.

Trying to rank well in search engines like Google is a long and hard process, but it’s an essential part of the digital marketing strategy for any business. If you want your business to be found by your ideal customers, you must have a strong presence in search engines — particularly Google. But you’re not alone in this quest for visibility — many other businesses are competing for attention from your potential customers.

Many companies will use local SEO services as part of their digital strategy because they want to gain that competitive edge over their competition. They know that having an established presence on Google is extremely important, and entrust a team of professionals to make that happen.

Map Ranks understands the importance of relevant photos and makes it easy for our customers to regularly update their Business Profile images. We also use EXIF tagging on all uploading photos to increase your listing’s relevance in prominent keywords.

With Map Ranks’ local SEO services you don’t have to worry about keeping up with new features or updates from Google, we’ll make sure that your business is always at the top of the search engines, increasing your number of leads and revenue. Whether you’re just starting out and need help getting started on Google or you’re already established and want to stay at the top of the search engines, Map Ranks will get you where you want to be.