The five photos every local business is missing.

Most Google Business Profiles we audit have between 4 and 8 photos. All of them look like the same photo: the storefront, taken from the parking lot, on a sunny day. That photo is fine. It's just the only one Google can use.

Google's local search algorithm uses photo categories — exterior, interior, team, product, at-work — to surface your business in different intent moments. A potential customer searching for "HVAC near me" sees different photos than one searching for "HVAC technician trustworthy." If you only feed the algorithm one category, you only show up for one kind of search.

The five missing categories

In order of how often we see them skipped:

1. 01
   At-work shots. A technician actually doing the job. On a roof, under a sink, mid-install. This is the category most home-service businesses never upload.
2. 02
   Before / after. Two photos of the same space. Boring composition, high conversion. Show the clogged drain and the clean pipe. Show the worn roof and the finished install.
3. 03
   The team, but candid. Not the staged group photo. The truck pulling up. The handshake at the door. People buy from people they can picture.
4. 04
   Tools and trucks. Your branded vehicle. Your gear, organized. People notice professionalism before they can name it.
5. 05
   The neighborhood. A landmark or street from the area you serve. Tells Google where you actually work, not just where you're registered.

Why twelve is enough

Past twelve, Google's preview UI starts collapsing. Past twenty, you're spending time on photos no one will see. Twelve covers all five categories with two or three per slot — enough variety, no waste.

The math is simple: two exterior, two interior, two at-work, two before/after, two team, two tools. That's twelve. If you're a service business without a physical interior, swap those two for two neighborhood shots.

The goal isn't a photo gallery. It's giving Google five different ways to introduce your business.

The one thing most businesses forget

Photos need to be added consistently, not all at once. Google's algorithm favors recent activity. Five good photos uploaded this month beats twenty uploaded in 2022. Set a reminder for the first of each month and ask your crew for two shots from the week's best jobs.

If you want us to take a look at your current photo mix as part of the free snapshot, mention "photo audit" in the form.