In today’s world, visual content dominates the Internet. Webpages and platforms are full of pictures uploaded by users globally. Many potential customers rely on photos and videos of establishments before deciding if they want to visit your business.
Posting excellent product and interior photos on your profiles is crucial to help you boost your company’s visibility. Furthermore, managing your images is essential to keep your profiles as optimized as possible.
Google is the most popular search engine, with 4.3 billion users worldwide. Making sure your business is noticeable on the search engine is essential, and one way of doing this is by optimizing your Google My Business profile. From claiming it to uploading pictures, here’s everything you need to know.
Google My Business Profiles
After its launch in 2014, Google Business profiles continue gaining online popularity. This Google platform holds substantial significance, both locally and on the Internet, as it provides business owners with the opportunity to increase their customer influx and overall sales.
Sometimes, business owners might find an existing GMB profile they didn’t create. In that case, Google offers the option of claiming it. Furthermore, the platform also allows you to upload different types of photos, add detailed business information, and more.
Optimizing Your Business Profile
Whether you need to claim the profile or believe it needs improvements, both steps hold equal significance. And while it might seem like a challenge, the platform keeps it user-friendly. Take a look below to get informed about GMB profile optimization.
Claiming Your Profile
Claiming a profile on Google My Business is easy and only requires a Google account to begin the process. Keeping that in mind, follow these steps to complete the process:
- Go to the Google Maps website.
- Search for your business.
- After opening your business Google Maps page, click Claim This Business, and head to Manage Now.
- Choose how you wish to verify your ownership and follow the steps provided by Google.
With that, the process will be complete.
Provide Updated Business Information
Optimizing your GMB profile is a crucial step that should not be overlooked. Look at it this way: if your business profile does not have accurate, exact information, your potential customers could go somewhere else.
To begin with, make sure your profile has the accurate business name as seen on other platforms and in person. Additionally, add your address meticulously. If your website shows your address with abbreviations, type it in the same style on your Business profile.
Include your contact information accurately, too. Make sure your business listing information has active phone numbers and email addresses. Specify your business hours and if your establishment opens during holidays.
Doing all of this can help your business improve its SEO rankings, which is essential for any company online.
Update Your Profile Often
Updating a profile is a given feature on all platforms, and Google My Business is no exception. Upload team photos, and let your customers know about any in-person and online discounts your establishment is doing. These posts can help your company come up on search results. Furthermore, if you upload your profile often, Google users might want to follow it, as it will notify them of any updates.
Manage Your Reviews
Reply to the feedback your customers leave, even if it’s negative. Be thankful, concise, and professional. Let them know you look forward to seeing or hearing from them again.
Besides that, learning when reporting reviews is another essential factor for review management. Google’s policy states that if a review contains hate speech, harassment, impersonation, and other aspects, you can flag it. Of course, the platform could determine the review does not violate its policies, even if you think it does.
Make the Most Out of the Platform’s Features
Based on the industry your business is in, Google provides specific features. For example, if you are a restaurant owner, you can add its menu. If your business is a beauty salon, it might give clients the option to book appointments.
Likewise, take advantage of things such as business categories. There, try to be as specific as you can. If your restaurant is a sushi one, do not simply add “restaurant.” if your beauty salon is a barber shop specifically, make sure to include it.
There are other things you can include in your business profile to optimize it. Attributes such as payment options or letting potential customers know your establishment is pet friendly.
Adding Photos to Your Business Profile
After learning about some things you can do to optimize your GMB profile, let’s talk about a key factor for Google My Business profile: photos.
Adding images to your Google Business profile can help your company appear in searches across Google. It can also help potential clients know what your business looks like. There are a few types of business-specific photos the platform accepts.
Type of Photos to Upload
You can upload product photos to let your customers know what they might find in your establishment. Add exterior photos to show what your company looks like, including things such as images of the business logo. You also upload photos showcasing the features of your company. Add photos displaying the services your business offers. Photos of your team in action or working with clients could help.
Photo Categories on Google My Business
If you want to upload photos to your Google My Business profile, you might want to get acquainted with the photo categories the platform offers. The categories are similar to that of many social platforms, so it is most likely that you already have photos to add to your Google business profile.
Diverse Photos
Sure, uploading different kinds of pictures sounds like an obvious thing. But make sure you post pictures that show the atmosphere of your business. Upload images that showcase aspects of your business you believe are valuable.
Choose material that represents your establishment so that when conducting a Google search, it gives an accurate idea of what your company stands for.
Keep in mind that photos with significant alterations or excessive use of filters are not permitted.
Business Logos
Uploading pictures of logos is essential, as it provides a way of identifying your business on Google My Business listing. Make sure that your photos show what the logo of the company looks like from the outside.
Cover Photos
Adding a Google My Business cover photo is something you must do since GMB might choose a photo uploaded by a customer instead. Upload a nice, representative picture of your company.
Videos
Furthermore, add videos too. Videos are a great source of information for customers and are one of the most favored forms of content on the Internet nowadays. You can use this resource to upload quick tours on your location. If you do any special events, upload videos about them.
How to Upload Photos to Google My Business
With all this information in mind, let’s look at how you can upload Google My Business photos.
- Start by login into your GMB account.
- If you have multiple locations, choose the one you want to manage.
- Go to the left sidebar and click on the Photos tab.
- There, you will find an upload button. Click it, and start your process.
Also, keep these Google requirements in mind when uploading your preferred photos:
- Image size: your photos must be at least 400 x 300 pixels. They cannot be bigger than 5184 x 5184 pixels, either.
- Photo format: the photos on your Google business profile can be JPEG or PNG. Do not post GIFs, screenshots, or pictures taken by other people.
- Photo alterations: remember, photos with any alterations or with heavy use of filters are not allowed. You can use filters, but not in a manner that changes your business’s real appearance.
- Videos: videos should not be longer than 30 seconds, and their resolution should not be lower than 720 pixels. If your video is bigger than 100 MB, it won’t be uploaded either.
The Importance of Photos in Your Business Profile
Adding photos to your Google business profile can help you boost your business’s local SEO rankings. Also, they provide can provide credibility for local businesses, as potential clients will use photos to learn more about companies that show up on Google.
Visual content, such as photos receives significant attention from internet users, and business listings with photos and videos benefit from this too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Didn’t Google Approve My Photos?
There are many factors why your photos weren’t approved. Maybe the pictures have a watermark or are blurry. The photos could be duplicated, too. If your business has been on Google My Business for less than two weeks, you won’t be allowed to add pictures.Â
Are Google Business Posts Free?
Yes, Google My Business is free. Not only is this one of the most sought-after platforms on the Internet for businesses, but it also is free. You do not need to pay to post new photos or to make profile posts regarding business information.
Does Google My Business Posts Use Hashtags?
Hashtags on GMB posts do not help your posts reach bigger audiences or SEO rankings, therefore, using them does not have any effect on your metrics. Instead, try using some of the best practices to keep your company on top of the search engine, such as photos that represent your business and accurate information
Conclusion
Using all the features of your Business profile on GMB is an excellent way of making sure your business is on potential consumer radars. Make your business stand out by using images to populate your Google My Business profile.
Photos or videos uploaded by the business a customer has their eyes on can be the final factor that helps them decide to visit your establishment or hire your services.
