Photos on your Google Business Profile: what to upload
Short answer: Upload real, well-lit photos that answer the questions a customer has before they visit or call: what the front looks like, what's inside, what you make or fix, and who they'll deal with. As of November 2026 Google wants JPG or PNG photos between 10 KB and 5 MB (720 × 720 px recommended) and videos up to 30 seconds and 75 MB. Photos only appear once your profile is verified, and new uploads can take 24–48 hours to show.
Photos are the part of a Google listing people actually look at, yet most small-business profiles have a blurry logo, one shopfront taken years ago and whatever customers happened to upload. A planned set of a dozen good photos fixes that in an afternoon.
Shot list by business type
Google's help describes three kinds of images: a logo, a cover photo and general business photos. It specifically recommends an exterior photo because it helps customers recognise the place when they arrive. Beyond that, think about what each customer is unsure of.
| Business | Must-have shots | Nice to have | Skip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Café or restaurant | Street frontage as seen from the footpath; counter and seating; five to eight signature dishes or drinks shot from above in daylight; outdoor area if you have one | Coffee being made; menu board; a short video of the room at a busy time | Dark, filtered dish photos; stock images of food you don't serve |
| Trades (plumber, electrician, builder) | Branded ute or van; team in uniform; before-and-after pairs of real jobs; tidy finished work | Workshop or yard; a 20-second video of a finished job walk-through | Customers' faces or house numbers without permission; images from supplier catalogues |
| Clinic (physio, dental, vet) | Entrance and signage; reception and waiting area; a treatment room; practitioners | Parking and accessible entry; equipment in context | Anything showing patients or screens with personal details |
| Retail shop | Shopfront; wide interior shot; key product displays; checkout area | Seasonal windows; new stock arrivals | Close-ups of products you rarely stock |
| Salon or beauty | Exterior; styling stations; finished work (with the client's consent) | Product shelf; team at work | Heavily retouched results that don't match reality |
A few rules that apply to every row:
- Shoot horizontally and in daylight. Wide frames survive Google's cropping better than tall ones.
- One subject per photo. "Our new pizza oven" works; a collage doesn't.
- Keep it honest. Google's guidelines ask for photos that are in focus, well lit, without significant alteration or heavy filters. In Google's words, the image should represent reality.
- Refresh with the seasons. New menu, new fit-out, new van: add photos when something changes rather than in one burst a year.
Logo and cover photo
Your logo is shown prominently once your basic information is complete. Google's help says that if the logo doesn't appear, check that the profile has a name, a valid street address, categories, a phone number and opening hours. Use a square version of your logo on a plain background so it stays legible when small.
The cover photo is the one you'd like at the top, but Google says setting it doesn't guarantee it shows first. If your chosen cover is low quality, or other signals suggest a different image represents the business better, Google may pick a customer photo instead. The fix is a better cover photo, not repeated re-uploads.
Upload specs (as of November 2026)
From Google's Business Profile help page on photos and videos:
Photos
- Format: JPG or PNG
- File size: 10 KB to 5 MB
- Recommended resolution: 720 px × 720 px
- Minimum resolution: 250 px × 250 px
Videos
- Length: up to 30 seconds
- File size: up to 75 MB
- Resolution: 720p or higher
Phone cameras produce files well over 5 MB, so resize before uploading. Export at around 2000 px on the long edge, which keeps detail and lands comfortably under the limit. Businesses with 10 or more locations can bulk upload photos with a spreadsheet.
To upload from a computer: search your business name and suburb on Google Search or Maps, choose Photos, then Add photos (or Add a cover photo / Add a logo). The newest media shows first.
Troubleshooting photos that won't show
"Pending" for days. Google's help says pending means the upload is still processing or the profile isn't verified. Photos only show after verification, so check that first. Otherwise allow the 24–48 hours Google mentions.
"Not approved". The image was flagged under Google's photos and videos policies. The status doesn't spell out a long explanation, so check the image against the basics: does it actually show your business, is it in focus and unfiltered, and is it free of anything offensive or overlaid with promotional text? Replace it with a plain, real photo rather than uploading the same file again.
Photo uploaded but nowhere to be found. Google's tip: check it isn't a duplicate of something already on the profile, then upload again.
Logo missing. Complete the five fields listed above.
A customer's photo is misleading or inappropriate. Owners can't delete customer photos directly, but can request removal. Open the profile, choose Photos, then View all photos, select the image, choose Report a problem, pick a reason (for example "Not a photo or video of the place" or "Privacy concern") and submit. Google says review can take several working days and that sending repeated requests for the same item may slow it down. The better long-term answer is to outnumber poor customer photos with good ones of your own.
Phone number or website painted over the photo. Skip it. Contact details belong in the profile fields, and Google's content policy is wary of unverified contact details in owner content.
FAQ
How many photos should a Google Business Profile have?
Google doesn't set a number. A practical starting set is a logo, a cover, two exterior shots, three or four interior shots, and five to ten photos of products, dishes or work, then a few new ones each season.
Why do my photos look blurry or cropped on Google?
Usually the original was small or shot upright. Upload wide images well above the 720 px recommendation, keep the subject centred, and avoid text near the edges.
Can I upload professional photos or do they have to be phone shots?
Either is fine as long as they are real and represent the place honestly. Avoid stock images and heavy editing, which conflict with Google's quality guidance.
Should I add videos too?
If you have something that moves (a busy dining room, a job walkthrough), yes. Keep it under 30 seconds and 75 MB at 720p or better.
If you want your photo set planned and resized so it also works on your own website, send us a few of your current images.