How to create the best cover photo for your Google listing?

A first impression can mean a lot, especially if it involves spending money. If you are looking for new customers, a simple and easy way to increase the credibility of your business among users is with your Google My Business cover photo. 

Below we will guide you through a few simple steps to get that dream photo that will make your business stand out!

What kind of cover photo are you going to make?

Welcome to the concept stage! One of the first steps to getting a good cover photo is to think about what you want to achieve: what you want it to look like, and what you are going to show. But, if you don’t know where to start, you can search for inspiration by taking a look at what your well-positioned competitors are doing. 

You have to keep in mind that the cover photo will be the first image your potential customers have of your business. So it should be a photo that is representative of your company.

For example, most businesses choose to share an image of their establishments. You can also choose to show one of those mouth-watering photos of your food if you work in catering. Or, on the other hand, if you run a law firm you can share a photo of the team – the aim is to choose the image that best portrays your business! 

Grab your camera… It’s time to start the photo shoot!

Have you decided which photo is the best fit for your business? Once you know what you want to achieve, it’s time to get down to work.

If you are not a photography expert… Don’t worry! You don’t need to be a photographer or have a professional camera to get that dream photo. All you need to do is grab your phone and follow these simple tips: 

• Lighting is essential, especially if it is natural light. So make the most of it and choose a time that favours your venue. 

• Blurry images are not attractive. If necessary, you can use a stand for your mobile phone. 

• Avoid adding an unnecessary background. If your cover photo is going to be of your venue, don’t include other buildings in the background. To do this, you can use the zoom!

You must take several photos at different angles, so you can choose the one that looks best. It is also advisable to ask for a second opinion to make sure you choose the best image. At Partoo, we help small businesses every day to optimise their Google listings and their online image. You can contact us and we will help you choose the image that best suits your needs!

Optimise your cover photo before uploading it to Google

Congratulations, you have your photo! But before sharing it on your Google listing, we need to make sure it has the right resolution, size, and format. 

In terms of resolution, it is recommended that your Google My Business cover photo is 1024 x 576 pixels. This resolution is ideal, as it maintains a 16:9 ratio, allowing your image to remain very similar to its original state when cropped to a square. It can then be used as a thumbnail if required.

Once you’ve set the image resolution, it’s time to move on to formatting. Google accepts two types of formats: PNG or JPG. The former will allow you to get a higher-quality image, although the latter, despite losing some quality, will have a smaller file size.

Finally, the file size should be between 10 KB and 5 MB, which will determine how quickly the image loads when users are browsing your profile. With the above recommendations, you should have no problem meeting this last requirement. But if you need to compress the photo further, you can always use an online compressor.  

And… Your photo is ready! It’s time to upload it to your Google My Business profile and start gaining more customers. Do you want to keep improving your local positioning? We have the perfect article with everything you need to know about photos on Google My Business.