Episode 3 – Pics Or It Didn’t Rank
Okay okay —let me hit you with a question right out the gate:
Have you ever Googled a business, clicked on their profile, and their photos looked like they were taken on a flip phone from 2003?
Haha ohhh yeah, like… blurry, dark, sideways—one even had someone’s thumb in the frame! I was like, “Is this a bakery or a witness protection program?!”
Exactly! Look, running a business without good visuals is like showing up to a first date wearing a ski mask.
You might have good intentions, but nobody’s sticking around to find out!
Mmmhmm! So today we’re digging into the magical, money-making world of photos and videos on your Google Business Profile—and how not to scare off potential customers with flip phone camera energy.
This is Google Business Optimization from RankPast. Today, we’re serving up a big old side of G.B.P Photo Optimization Strategies, with a side of sass and a sprinkle of sarcasm.
I’m your host, Kai, your favourite fun-sized firecracker of Google Profile wisdom.
And I’m Aileen, lover of good coffee, great content, and high-res photos that don’t make your business look like a haunted house. Let’s roll!
Alright Kai, hit me with it—why are photos and videos such a big deal? I mean, it’s just a Google profile, right?
Ahhh Aileen – that’s like saying: “It’s just my face on Tinder, right?” Come on! Visuals are your first impression. Your digital handshake. Your business’s version of “Hey, look at me! I’m awesome!”
And without them, you’re like shouting your best sales pitch into a pillow. Nobody’s hearing you!
Boom. Straight facts. Here’s the juicy data:
Business profiles with photos get 42% more direction requests…
AND 35% more clicks to websites.
That’s huge! It’s basically like handing Google a megaphone and saying, “Please scream about my business to the neighborhood!”
Exactly! Now imagine you’re searching for a bakery. One profile’s got zero pics. Nada. The other one’s got gooey brownies, a smiling staff, maybe even a slow-mo cinnamon roll getting iced…
Ugh. Stop. I’m hungry now. And yeah—unless you hate joy, you’re picking the second one. Every. Time.
So yeah, if your GBP is looking like a dating profile with no photos? Technically complete, but no one’s swiping right, my friend.
Alright, so what should folks actually upload? What’s the visual recipe for local G.B.P deliciousness?
Mmm yes, let’s cook this up. First, the must-haves:
Exterior photos—so your customers aren’t driving in circles yelling “Where IS this place?!”
Haha guilty. I once drove past a business three times because their profile pic was just… a tree. Like… ONE tree.
Right?! Then we’ve got interior photos—show off the vibe. Are you cozy like grandma’s house or sleek like a Bond villain’s office? Let those pics do the talking.
Add in product photos—close-ups of those cabinets, cakes, couches—whatever you’re selling, make it pop.
Don’t forget team photos! Real humans behind the biz. Bonus points if someone’s wearing a costume or doing finger guns.
And—videos! Oh man. This is where the magic happens:
Show your staff in action, happy customers raving, or a fun behind-the-scenes clip of your crew dancing with mops at closing time. Make your business seem HUMAN!
People eat that stuff up. It makes you relatable. Memorable. Like that fun uncle who always brings fireworks to the Barbeque.
Okay, but Kai—real talk—how do we make sure those photos don’t look like they were taken during an earthquake?
Ok. Let’s talk image best practices—aka “How to Not Upload Flip Phone Camera Energy.”
Use high-res pics. We’re talkin’ minimum 720 pixels wide.
Anything less is a crime against marketing.
The ideal size according to Google is 720 by 720 pixels wide.
Also… size matters! Image file size matters.
Right Kai, got it!. Size…ummm…file size….matters.
Right Kai, got it!. Size…ummm…file size….matters.
Ok, if, like, your images load slower than a sloth on vacation, people will bounce, faster than a toddler on a trampoline.
You’re looking for the smallest file size that doesn’t distort the image. The max file size Google accepts is 5 megabytes but try to keep the images around 100 to 200 kilobytes.
AND name your files like you care about the user experience and SEO. “I.M.G underscore 0047 dot J.P.G”? Boring, and not helpful for SEO.
“victoria kitchen renovation before after” dot J.P.G? Now that tells Google exactly what’s going on and contains a target keyword: “victoria kitchen renovation”.
Think of Google as your curious aunt at Thanksgiving—if you don’t feed it the facts, it’s gonna make something up. Give it details.
Now—this part’s for the service area businesses. You folks without storefronts—we see you, and we’ve got a pro tip you’re gonna love.
Oooh I love a good secret weapon…
LAY IT ON ME KAI!!
Send your crew into the wild—aka customer homes—with their phones. Snap pics. Film short clips. But how do they upload them to their company’s profile?
Isn’t that part a bit of a pain in the you-know-what?
Haha, yes it can be a pain if you don’t know where to go to upload your pics or video.
Here’s the 411: Get your employees to upload media to your profile as a normal user would. Since they’re doing this on their phones, just open Google Maps and search for the company. When the profile pops up, it has the buttons at the top in blue: Call, Save, Share and then some others off the screen. Swipe to the left and click the dot dot dot More menu, and click “Add photos”.
Ok, so it doesn’t sound too difficult but it is still quite the process. Tell our listeners why they should be going through the effort?
Because those pics? They’ve got location data – so latitude and longitude – for example, baked into the image based on the location they were taken. It’s like a G.P.S cupcake. Google eats that stuff up.
Cool. So let’s say you’re a closet installer in Victoria, and you do a job in Oak Bay – a neighbourhood within Victoria.
You upload a quick video walkthrough of that custom walk-in. Google goes: “Oooohhh… they work in Oak Bay. Noted.”
It’s like breadcrumbing for the algorithm… but without the birds.
Alright Aileen—time to recap this beauty. Ready?
Hit me with that sweet sweet G.B.P Photo optimization summary.
Visuals make people click, call, and visit. Boom.
Exterior, interior, product, team, and video content equals, the dream team.
Uh-huh, use high-res images. Optimize ‘em so they load fast. And for the love of rankings—rename those files with target keywords – but remember to still make sure it describes the image.
And service area heroes, called S.A.B’s or Service Area Businesses—upload those on-site pics to claim your territory like digital pirates.
Yes! Look, optimizing your Google Business Profile visuals is like putting makeup on your business—but the kind that doesn’t melt off, clog your pores, or freak people out.
It’s about showing the best version of your biz—authentic, appealing, and unforgettable.
Alright legends, that’s it for this episode of Rise and Rank with Rankpast: GBP Edition—where we took photos from snooze-fest to heck yes!
Make sure to follow, subscribe, and visit us over at rankpast.com for even more spicy tips on how to crush it locally. And hey, if you learned something today, how about showing us some love and leaving a review – on Google or on the podcast platform of your choice.
Until next time—stay visible, stay vibrant, and for the love of WiFi – please stop uploading flip phone quality photos.
