How to Optimize Photos for Your Google Business Profile

Today, we’re diving deep into a crucial strategy for local SEO that can easily get overlooked. Optimizing the images in your Google Business Profile is a massive win for your local SEO campaign.

According to Google, businesses with images receive 42% more direction requests and 35% more website visits, highlighting the importance of image optimization.

Without optimized images in your Google Business Profile, you’re losing possible patients, not connecting with your audience as you should, and missing opportunities for ranking power on Google.

A Google Business Profile (GBP) is essential when businesses have a physical location. Not only does it power your Google Maps listing, but it also greatly impacts local search rankings. So if you don’t currently have a GBP set up, you’ll want to get that done ASAP.

In this episode of the Propel Your Practice Podcast, we hone in on the importance of your images and how to optimize your images to meet Google’s requirements and get you noticed by your target audience. Our discussion centers around the various types of images you should include and how to leverage them effectively. 

So, whether you're a clinic owner, a chiropractor, a physical therapist, or any other healthcare provider, grab a pen and paper and learn how to maximize your Google Business Profile images so you can attract and engage with your target audience. 

Listen to the podcast episode:

Local SEO for Clinics: How to Optimize Photos for Your Google Business Profile

Stand Out in the Crowd with an Optimized Google Business Profile Listing

In the ever-evolving world of digital marketing, businesses are constantly seeking ways to stand out and attract more patients and/or customers.

One of the most underutilized tools for achieving this is the Google Business Profile, specifically through the strategic optimization of photos. Photos are not just mere illustrations of your business; they are a pivotal part of your digital storefront, offering a first impression and a compelling invitation to potential customers.

First Impressions: Your Google Business Profile Images 

Your Google Business Profile acts as your business's digital front door. As such, the images you choose to display can make or break a customer's decision to engage with your business.

This is why curating an image collection that resonates with your target audience is so crucial. It's about creating a visual narrative that tells the story of your business—its exterior appeal, the ambiance of the interior, the warmth of your staff, and the quality of your products or services.

Quality of Photos

The use of authentic, high-quality photos cannot be overstressed. Authentic images build trust and improve your local search engine optimization (local SEO), helping your business rank higher on Google searches.

By capturing the essence of your business through various angles and perspectives, you give potential customers a clearer understanding of what to expect, thereby increasing the likelihood of them stepping through your doors.

User-Generated Photos for Your Google Business Listing 

Engaging user-generated content (UGC) plays a significant role in enhancing your online presence.

Encouraging happy patients/customers to share their experiences visually not only provides you with authentic imagery but also boosts your credibility in the eyes of Google and prospective clients.

Think of UGC as the digital version of word-of-mouth advertising; it's a personal endorsement that speaks volumes.

Managing this content is as important as gathering it. Keeping an eye on user-generated images allows you to maintain the integrity of your brand.

While you cannot remove images uploaded by users, you can suggest edits.

This highlights the importance of staying vigilant and proactive in managing your online photo gallery.

Updating Images on Your Google Business Profile

Regular updates to your photo gallery keep your Google Business Profile fresh and engaging. This doesn't mean you have to constantly produce new content; creativity can come in handy during times when images are scarce. 

Tools like Canva offer a user-friendly platform to create visually appealing graphics that can complement your photo collection.

Whether it's a testimonial graphic or a promotional banner, such visuals can fill in the gaps effectively.

Creating a Google Business Profile Photo Plan

In conclusion, photo optimization for your Google Business Profile is an art that requires strategic thinking and a keen eye for detail.

It's about leveraging the power of visuals to captivate your audience and tell your business's story in a way that resonates with potential customers.

With the insights shared in this podcast episode, you're well on your way to transforming your digital presence and attracting more customers through savvy image management.

Related Resources for How to Optimize Photos for Your Google Business Profile:

• How to Use Your Google Business Profile Listing to Generate New Leads
• What Every Chiropractor Needs to Know About Their Google Business Profile
• Google Posts: An Overlooked Google Business Profile Listing Feature
• Patient-Driven SEO: Simple 3-Step Plan to Attract More Patients Online
• Canva

Watch: How to Optimize Photos for Your Google Business Profile

Local SEO for Clinics: How to Optimize Photos for Your Google Business Profile - Podcast Transcript

Hello, my friends. This is Darcy Sullivan with Propel Marketing & Design. And welcome to this episode of the Propel Your Practice podcast. 

Today, we are talking about one specific strategy for local SEO, and this is for your Google Business Profile listing. 

Your Google Business Profile listing is what controls your Google Maps listing and what used to be called your Google My Business listing. 

For this listing, you have an opportunity to add images. Once you have a verified Google Business Profile listing, you can add images to your listing and these images help enhance your Google Business Profile listing. 

So today, we're going over a couple of strategies involved, specifically with the photos that you uploaded to your Google Business Profile listing. 

We have tons of additional resources over on our website, propelyourcompany.com. For how to optimize your Google Business Profile listing. 

You can also do a search for past episodes about your Google Business Profile listing. On the Propel Your Practice podcast, we've created some specifically on creating Google Posts and overall Google Business strategies for that listing. 

But today, we're talking specifically about the photo strategy and why is this so important. 

Well, according to Google themselves, listings that include photos get 42% more requests for directions on Google Maps and 35% more website visitations. That's important. So is the user experience. 

When somebody sees the photos of your business, it's going to help them associate better with your business. 

It's going to help you build trust. It's going to help you showcase your offerings. And help you engage better with your audience. It's also going to help you with your Google Business Profile rankings. 

So currently, at the time of recording this, under the general images, which is one of the image sections–there are multiple image sections that we're going to talk about–but under the general image section, you're currently allowed to have 25 images. 

So what does that mean if you want to add a 26th image? 

Well, that means one of your images is going to get replaced with the newly added image. 

So when you are uploading these images, there are a number of things to consider.

We're going to go over what types of photos you should take, the quality of photos when it comes to dimensions for any of these photos; I'm going to suggest that you Google “Current Google Business Profile image sizes” because I want this podcast to be a little bit more evergreen and I don't want to give you a specific sizes that they could change. 

So be sure to Google the sizes before you upload anything. 

We are finding that there's a direct correlation between images and searchability. If you're a clinic owner listening to this, most likely, you offer more than one type of service. 

And using these photos is just another way that you can communicate with your target audience that you offer more than just one service. 

So, tip number one, do not, I repeat, do not use stock photos for your images. We want to make sure that your images truly match the services that you offer. And your organization. 

You can use your phone, you can totally use your phone to take these photos. But we want to make sure that your photos are of high quality. 

When it comes to what photos do you use? We suggest that you take three to four exterior shots. 

Now, this helps for a number of different reasons. One, we want these to be from three to four different angles, different directions. If you ever come into an issue with your Google listing and you're going to have to contact them about anything, having these exterior photos helps with the legitimacy of your business, and it makes submitting a ticket with Google easier. 

Plus, we want to make sure that when somebody is coming to your location, they're able to find you with ease. So take a look at what is and what isn't in the photos that you're taking. 

Meaning, do the water bottle check. If you're taking a photo inside, make sure that there aren't random water bottles sitting out. If you're taking a photo outside, you know, maybe crop it so that you're not seeing a garbage can, if there's one of those. 

So just make sure that it's a great representation of the outside of your building. For your exterior shots and that it's going to help somebody find you with ease.

Next up, we have those interior shots. These are welcoming. They show that the atmosphere in your clinic is inviting. We want to make sure that they are again, high quality and that they highlight the unique interior design of your establishment. 

Maybe they showcase specific rooms that you have available. 

Then we want to move to the products, the services that you offer, even if these are staged. Staged images are okay. But stock photos are not. 

So if you're a chiropractor and you have a staged photo of you giving an adjustment or doing a specific technique that you offer, you will want to include those. So, we talked about exterior photos. We've talked about interior photos. We've talked about photos that reflect the services and the products that you offer. 

There's also staff photos that you can add to make sure that everybody feels warm and welcome when they're meeting your team. 

Again, I mentioned that you are allowed 25 images, currently. This could change directly after me recording this, but currently, in the general photo section, you are allowed 25 images. 

So we've talked a little bit about the general images, but let's talk about some other images. First up, you have your logo. 

When you go to upload your logo, currently, the recommendation is to use a square image for your logo. So keep that in mind, as you are uploading your logo. 

Next, you have your cover. This is your cover image. 

Then we have the general images that we already talked about. 

And lastly, and I would have to say this is almost even more important than some of the other photos, is that we have user-generated photos. This is user-generated content, meaning somebody else uploads it on your behalf. 

And I like to get the Amazon example where if I get on Amazon and I search for a product. If you're like me, I not only go to look at the reviews, but then I go to look at the pictures that the people who left reviews have uploaded because I tend to relate better to those images than to the general images that the owner of the product uploaded to Amazon. 

Well, it's the same thing when it comes to your Google Business Profile listing, so Google loves user-generated content. 

Now, let's talk about this. How do you get user-generated content? Well, one strategy that you can use for user-generated photos is to have a QR code maybe listed at your office that encourages people to take these user-generated images. Or maybe they're from community involvement; maybe you participated in a health fair or something like that. 

Again, adding images, the user-generated photos Google loves, and they truly do build trust. 

Now, when it comes to this user-generated content, it's really important to know that, as a business, you can not remove these images. You can suggest an edit, but you do not have control over those images the way you have control over your general images. 

That's something you really want to keep in mind. 

Okay. I want to make this episode nice and short. So I'm just going to give you a couple more tips, and then we're going to wrap things up. 

If you feel like you do not have enough photos, one thing you can do is go to Canva and create a graphic that showcases a testimonial. And if you go to Canva, you can also use Canva to resize your images to make sure they are the correct size. If you don't have Canva, it's a free graphics tool. It's fantastic. Love it.

But you can create a pretty graphic that highlights a testimonial. That is one option. If you don't have enough images now, something people always ask is, well, how often should I be uploading images? Is this something I should upload once a week? Is that something I should upload once a month, once a quarter? 

The cadence on which you upload photos is totally up to what you have the capacity to do. 

But obviously, if there's something that's outdated, maybe it's a picture of your old clinic or a service that you no longer offer, or there's a photo of a team member who's no longer associated with your organization, it's great to remove that content and replace it with new. 

But you do want to consider adding content or these images quarterly or monthly would be more ideal, but again, it depends on what you have the capability and capacity to do. 

When you upload an image, something that is important to note is that it can take around 48 hours-ish, give or take, for Google to approve. Some of them get approved and up quicker than that. And some of them take a little longer.

Sponsors

This episode of the Propel Your Practice Podcast is brought to you by Propel Marketing & Design. Propel Marketing & Design helps Chiropractors, Acupuncturists, Physical Therapists, Wellness Practitioners, and other clinic owners improve their website rankings.

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