Google My Business Image Size Guidelines

This article was first published on October 5th, 2018, it was last updated on March 2025.

Small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) of all types should have a presence on Google Business Profile. By either claiming an existing listing or creating a new Google Business Profile, when someone searches for your company, a box will appear along with the local search results. This box contains all the key information about your business, such as open hours, contact details, your location on Google Maps, as well as images of your business and team!

In the spirit of creating the best possible user experience, it’s essential that you provide images of your business (inside and out), your teams, and most importantly, your products on your Google Business Profile listing. But there’s confusion around how to properly format images on your profile, how to remove user-generated content, and much more. We’re going to answer these questions in this article about Google Business Profile image sizes, so follow along to learn more!  

What are the Types of Google Business Profile Photos?

• Cover Photo: You will be prompted to set a cover photo at the top of your Google Business Profile listing. It’s typically a larger photo than the logo, and it should be a representation of what needs your business is fulfilling or the value it’s providing.  
• Logo: This is where you should add your business logo, helping establish your brand on your Google Business Profile listing.  
• Video: While not a photo exactly, you will have the option to add videos to your Google Business Profile. It won’t necessarily help your rankings but it can be a valuable tool to enhance the user experience.
• Business Photos: Business photos can be any photo that gives people a better understanding of what your business does, the products that can be found, your team members (it adds a human touch!), and your office building (interior and exterior). Adding a variety of photos helps enhance the user experience, especially when you provide people with a visual of where your business is located, helping them find it easier.

How to Add a Google My Business Cover Photo

How to Add a Google Business Profile Cover Photo  

Including a cover photo allows you to showcase your business’s personality. When you upload a cover photo, this becomes your preferred photo. Although there is no guarantee that it will populate as the first image in searches for your business, choosing something as your cover photo does tell Google that you prefer to display this image. Follow the steps below to add a Google Business Profile cover photo and size it properly:  

• Step 1: Log into your GBP listing
• Step 2: Navigate to the ‘Photos’ category within the left-hand navigation

• Step 3: Click on ‘Choose Photo’ on the Cover Photo tile and upload your desired image.

Google Business Profile Cover Photo Size Guidelines

• Aspect Ratio: 16:9 (Recommended)
• Format: JPG or PNG
• File Size: 10 KB – 5 MB
• Quality: Focus on high-quality images. Google’s AI will often automatically crop and adjust images, so focusing on clear, high-resolution images with the subject centered is essential.
• Mobile Optimization: Make sure your cover photo looks great on mobile devices.

Google Business Profile Cover Photo Best Practices

Your cover photo is one of the first things users see when viewing your profile. Having a Google Business Profile cover photo that stands out against your competition will help position your business higher. Here are a few of the best practices your business can take to help your Google Business Profile cover photo look its best:  

• Full-Color Image
  Aim at having a full-color image that represents your business in a positive light. This image usually appears as the first image people see in Google Business Profile and Google Map listings. Having color in the cover photo will help attract customers to your profile. 
• Be Unique
  Choosing an image that’s going to catch people’s eye will help lure individuals into learning more about your business. Depending on your industry, this could be a popular dish at your restaurant, a service being done, or a picture of your property. Have an image that evokes positive feelings for customers to learn more about your business versus your competitors. 
• Sizing
  While 16:9 is recommended, other aspect ratios may also work well.
• Be Mindful of the Small Details
  When you’re taking photos for your business cover photo be sure to be mindful of all of the little details. These photos are showcasing your business so having one flaw could lead users to clicking on your competitors. These details could be the way the light is hitting the building, the camera angle or position of the photo, or the quality camera you decide to use. Sometimes investing in a professional photographer could help fix these issues. Recognizing the small details could help make the difference between you and your competitors. 
• Take a Vote
  If you’re having a hard time deciding which photo to choose for your Google Business Profile cover photo, bring your staff together and take a vote on what photo they like best. You might find that your favorite photo isn’t the popular vote. Taking a survey or vote on which cover photo is best will help improve the quality of your Google Business Profile profile.  

How to Add All Other Google Business Profile Photos

Logo

This photo will appear when someone checks out your Google Business Profile profile. It will also appear when you reply to a review. To upload your business logo to Google Business Profile, follow the same steps as outlined with uploading a cover photo but select the ‘Logo’ tile instead.

• Google Business Profile logo size guidelines:
  • A high-resolution, square format is best.
  • Select a file size between 10 KB and 5 MB.

Videos

As well as photos, you can add videos to your listing. This is a great way to tell a story, show behind the scenes, or otherwise explain what makes you different from the competition. You can use a video to tell the story of your business and what makes it unique against your competitors.

You will find the ‘Video’ tile where you can upload videos within the ‘Photos’ category in the left-hand navigation of your Google Business Profile dashboard.

• Google Business Profile video guidelines:
  • Duration: Up to 30 seconds long
  • File size: Up to 100 MB
  • Resolution: 720p or higher.
  • Landscape view is preferred.

Product Photos

With any of your products and services, customers love to see what they look like and they want to know what to expect. Adding products into your Google Business Profile photo list is a great way to showcase the products you offer. As a restaurant, adding photos of meals, drinks, and a menu are extremely valuable for people who are new to your business.

To add such photos into your Google Business Profile, you’ll follow all the steps outlined above. Once in the ‘Photos’ category, click on the blue circle with a white plus sign in the upper right-hand corner of the page.

Building Interior and Exterior Photos

If you have a physical location people can visit, adding photos of both the interior and exterior gives people an understanding of what to expect and look for. It’s especially helpful for new visitors because they know what your building looks like before ever visiting it in-person. It also helps to identify landmarks or structures nearby so they don’t get lost.

There is a navigation bar within the ‘Photos’ category that organizes the photos based on interior and exterior that you can navigate to automatically.

Google My Business Post Image

This only applies for those who are adding posts to their GBP profiles. Google Business Profile has a posting feature that allows you to post on to your profile for informational and promotional purposes if desired. These posts can be on a timeline regarding new business updates, events that are coming up or that have already happened, or highlighting new products and services. For images to be included in these posts, it’s important to recognize certain factors:

• Aspect Ratio: 4:3 or 1:1 (Recommended). 16:9 is also acceptable.
• Format: JPG or PNG.
• File Size: 10 KB – 5 MB.
• Image Quality: High-quality images are essential. Ensure photos are well-lit, in focus, and representative of your business.
• Mobile Optimization: Ensure images look clear and load quickly on mobile devices.
• Image Size with Text:
  • If using text, ensure it is large and legible, especially on mobile devices.
  • Avoid overcrowding images with text.
  • Be mindful of how Google’s algorithms might crop or alter images with text.
  • In most cases avoiding text within the image is best.

Captions: Adding descriptive captions can provide additional context and information to customers.

Additional Photos

Uploading more photos allows you to spotlight features of your business that matter to customers when they’re making a purchase decision. People love to see your workspace, your team members, and so much more. It adds a personal touch to your Google Business Profile and enhances the user experience. Get creative with the types of photos you add, always keeping in mind the value they provide.

Uploading the Right Photos and Videos

• Your photos and videos significantly impact the look and feel of your GBP listing. To ensure optimal performance, follow these guidelines:
  • Format: Use JPG or PNG format for photos.
  • File Size: Keep photo file sizes between 10 KB and 5 MB.
  • Logo Image: Aim for a high-resolution square image.
  • Cover Image: Focus on a high-quality image with a 16:9 aspect ratio.
  • Video Duration: Videos should be up to 30 seconds long.
  • Video File Size: Videos can be up to 100 MB.
  • Video Quality: Videos should be 720p or higher, and landscape view is preferred.
  • Image Quality: Photos should be well-lit, in focus, and accurately represent your business. Avoid excessive filters or alterations.

Can You Delete Photos from Google My Business?

Owned Images

• • Admins can easily delete photos they’ve uploaded.
  • To delete, navigate to the ‘Photos’ section, select the image, and click the trash icon.

Customer Photos:

• • To remove customer-uploaded photos that violate Google’s guidelines, flag them.
  • Click the flag icon to report the image to Google.
  • Only images that violate Google’s policies will be considered for removal.
  • If you notice a photo that was uploaded by another user does not follow guidelines, you can request for it to be removed. If you’ve come across content on Google that may violate the law, let Google know here. They’ll carefully review the material and consider blocking, removing or restricting access to it.

However, you’re only able to flag them when they violate Google My Businesses’ guidelines. Images that are stock imagery are not allowed and may be removed. Photos taken at your business are allowed on your listing.

If you notice a photo that was uploaded by another user does not follow guidelines, you can request for it to be removed. If you’ve come across content on Google that may violate the law, let Google know here. They’ll carefully review the material and consider blocking, removing or restricting access to it.

Google My Business Photo Best Practices

Businesses invest a lot of time and money into their website. The same principles should be applied to your Google My Business profile. Adding Google photos, highlighting your building, office, and people, adds a personal touch to your profile that users appreciate.

One way of doing this is investing in professional-quality headshots. Low-quality photos do not reflect well on your business or services. A team photo is also a great idea to showcase who you would possibly be working with.

Your Google My Business photos are often the first thing customers see when searching online. Remember that online visitors may not even make it to your website. Your Google profile may be your only chance to shine and make a lasting impression.

With this in mind, be sure to make it count with high-quality images! Once your Google photos are optimized, you’ll see more customers become interested in your business because of it.

Save Our Free Google My Business Image Size Cheat Sheet

Save it and use this free cheat sheet to the GMB images and videos for whenever you need it!

Key Takeaways

• Access our free Google My Business Image Size Cheat Sheet at the bottom of the article.
• Google Business Profile cover photo size: Focus on high-quality images with a 16:9 aspect ratio, between 10 KB and 5 MB.
• Upload either a JPG or PNG (JPG is a smaller file size and typically better for site speed, but PNG is a higher resolution).
• Google Business Profile logo image size: Ideally a high-resolution square image, between 10 KB and 5 MB.  
• Google Business Profile Video Duration: Up to 30 seconds long, landscape view is preferred.
• You can easily remove images you own, but must flag and report customer upload images that violate Google’s policies.

Why Business Listings Matter

Listing your business through GMB and other places boosts your local search rankings. Most directories have reviews, so it’s a chance to manage and secure your reputation. And essentially business listings can bring you more traffic and more leads from people looking for businesses like yours.

If you’re ready to get started and need some help with your local business strategy, we take local SEO seriously here at Boostability. Get in touch with one of our digital marketing experts and see what our affordable local SEO services can offer you!