GBP Images

This KB Entry has been superseded by the SEO for Salons Course

 

 

Images that are uploaded to the GBP can be viewed by customers and also can be very helpful in ranking the profile. First of all, these are the basic guidelines for the various image types:

Photo Type	Min Size	Ideal Size	Notes
Logo	250px Square	720px Square	Square, but only shows in circular shape so can get cut off.
Cover Photo	250px Square	1080px x 810px	4:3 Ratio, but main elements should be visible in central square area
Business Photos	250px Square	720px Square	Will be marked as ‘By owner’

JPG files are preferable to PNG as they store EXIF data (see Geo-tagging later in the article) in a standardized way and a generally smaller. However, logos usually look better as a PNG as there is no loss of image quality and a geo-tag isn’t necessary for the logo.

One note about the logo is that if the imagery goes right up to the edges of the square photo, it’s possible that some of it will be cut off when shown in the SERPs as Google uses a round porthole view. For example, look below at how Monaco’s logo shows up on my browser:

If this happens, one easy solution is to make a larger square image with whitespace around the edges to contain the logo and use that for the GBP.

There is a similar issue with cover photos. On a desktop browser they will be shown in 4:3 format. However, on mobile, the centre square only will be shown so do check how the cover looks on mobile and make sure there is nothing important being cut off. Another note about the cover photo is that Google won’t always use your cover photo – it may choose to use a different one!

Always Use Real Photos

Any photos uploaded to the GBP should be a real photograph, never a stock photo, 

All photos should be unique, so when auditing a GBP for an existing client, scan through the existing photos and delete any duplicates. Note that Google will decide in what order to show the photos; we can’t control that.

Geo-Tag All Photos

Images can have meta data attached to them and one such tag is the geographic location at which the photograph was taken. When you take a photo with a smartphone, that geo-tag will automatically be embedded by the phone at the spot at which the phone is located when the photograph is taken. For this reason, any photos taken either by staff or customers actually at the salon will be automatically geo-tagged correctly.

Wherever possible, the client should get into the habit of encouraging their customers to upload photos using their phone – this works especially well when leaving reviews. For any other photos we can use an online GeoTagging tool to do the work for us:

We have an account on https://geotag.online/ This account allows 1000 images to be tagged per month. This tool is very simple to use, you simply input the address, and select the photos you to want to tag:

Filenames, ALT Tags & Descriptions

In days gone by images (for any online asset, not just the Google Business Profile) were heavily keyword stuffed and it was not uncommon for images to simply be named by an exact-match keyword and for the same to be used in every ALT tag and description.

Nowadays we have to be a little more cautious but we still have a fair bit of leeway. You can put a keyword in a filename and the ALT tag but just be sensible about it; it should also describe the photo. For example, if you have a photo of the inside of the salon you might use something like “Monaco Hair Salon – Inside”, but don’t use “best hair salon in Tampa” as that is just spammy.

Try to get photos of customers having specific treatments, so get a photo of coloured hair, somebody with hair extensions, a Brazilian blowout etc. That way you can accurately describe the photo which automatically and naturally includes a very relevant keyword without stuffing it with spam. 

I generally don’t use the description field as it tends to just duplicate the ALT tag which is then over-stuffing.

What Photos & How Often

Try and get a wide variety of photos; there’s no point having half a dozen of the outside of the shop. Google will pick and choose what they show and they will also choose the order so you don’t want a load of similar photos. Every photo should allow you to naturally work in a slightly different keyword. However you do want to at least have the following:

• The salon storefront from the outside, clearly showing the signage
• Photos of the inside of the salon from various angles, and show branding where possible
• If there are nearby landmarks, parking areas and so on, these can be included also for some additional local relevance
• Photos of customers getting treatment
• Photos of staff working in the salon, especially if they are wearing anything with the salon branding
• Key products that are sold at the salon

For photos involving people, prefer candid shots of the team at work as normal within the salon, rather than posed shots. 

As for how often, this will depend on what other updates are being done (see the other KB article about that). In general there’s not much point adding photos too often because they are marked as being by the owner, so don’t hold as much weight as photos that other people have uploaded. Once a month is fine but you can add more often if you don’t have any other updates to post.

Customer Photos Are Better!

What is even better than uploading photos on behalf of our client, is getting their customers to upload photos as not only are they automatically geo-tagged but a customer uploading a photo, especially as part of a review, is a major trust signal which is a high ranking factor. So as part of our work, we want to educate our clients on these things and teach them to work with their customers whilst in the salon taking photos of them with their phone and asking them to leave a review along with the photo.

Video

As well as photos, videos can also be uploaded to the GBP, up to 30 seconds long, minimum resolution 720p. Make sure they have been taken on the premises, and are of good quality. As with photos, customer-uploaded video if more effective that videos uploaded by the owner. Prefer video without background music, and without filters. Some ideas for possible videos:

• Tour of the salon
• Showing certain techniques used by the staff
• Announce new offers or events
• Behind the scenes of the salon
• Customer giving a testimonial (give that person a lollipop!) 

Note that if creating video content for the GBP it’s certainly going to be worth sharing it across all other social profiles as well, especially YouTube as Google loves content on it’s own properties.