Google Business Profile photos for dentists: sizes, rules, ideas

Google Business Profile photos are what a patient sees when they tap your practice on Google Maps: the outside of the building, the reception, the team, the surgery. For a dental practice they do a specific job, which is to make a nervous or uncertain patient comfortable enough to call. This guide covers Google's photo sizes and formats, how to set your cover photo and logo, what to photograph, the consent rules that apply to patients and staff, and how to remove photos other people have added.

Google Business Profile photo size and format

Google's help page on adding and managing photos sets out these requirements:

Treat 720 by 720 pixels as a floor, not a target. A modern phone photo is far larger, and as long as the file stays under 5 MB, more detail gives Google a better image to work with on large screens.

Google Business Profile cover photo size

Google's help page gives one set of photo requirements and does not list separate dimensions for the cover photo. Use a high-resolution image comfortably above the minimum, keep the main subject away from the edges, and check how it looks on both a phone and a desktop once it is live.

The three types of photo on your profile

Google describes three kinds:

• Logo, to help patients recognise your practice.
• Cover photo, set at the top of your profile, which Google says should best represent your business.
• Business photos, to highlight the features of your practice.

How do I change my Google Business Profile main picture?

You can set a preferred cover photo, but Google says on its help page that doing so does not guarantee it will show as the first image, and Google may choose a different image if yours is low quality. Google also says newly uploaded media appears first on your profile. In practice, the best way to control what patients see first is to upload a strong cover photo, make sure it meets the quality guidance, and keep the rest of your photos good enough that whichever one Google picks represents you well.

What photos should a dental practice add?

Think about what a new patient wants to know before their first visit, and photograph that:

1. The outside from the street. So patients recognise the building when they arrive. Retake it whenever the frontage or signage changes, because an out-of-date exterior is confusing.
2. The entrance and parking. Where to park, where the door is, whether there is step-free access.
3. Reception and the waiting area. This is where anxious patients form their first impression.
4. A treatment room. Clean, well lit and tidy, with no patient in the chair unless you have their written consent.
5. The team. Real people, with each person's permission. A friendly team photo does more for nervous patients than any amount of copy.
6. Accessibility features. Ramps, ground-floor surgeries, accessible toilets, if you have them.
7. A short video. A walk from the front door to a surgery, within Google's 30-second limit, answers "what is it like inside" better than any still.

What to avoid

• Stock photos. They do not show your practice, and patients can tell.
• Heavy filters and editing. Google's quality guidance asks for no significant alterations or excessive filters.
• Identifiable patients without consent. See the next section.
• Before and after treatment photos without the paperwork. CAP treats them as testimonials. Its advice on before and after photos says you need signed and dated proof that they are genuine, and they must not exaggerate the result.

Patients and staff in your photos: the consent rules

A dental practice has stricter obligations here than most businesses. The GDC's Standards for the Dental Team say the duty of confidentiality covers recordings and images of patients, including photographs made on a mobile phone, and that you must not make recordings or images without the patient's permission. Where patient information is used, you must obtain and record consent, and keep patients anonymous if they do not need to be identified.

Google's own Maps content policy says not to post personal information without consent, and lists a person's face in a photo or video as an example. So:

• Get written consent from any patient who appears in a photo, covering use on Google and social media specifically.
• Get permission from every team member before posting photos of them, and take them down if someone leaves and asks.
• Check the background. Screens showing patient records, appointment books and paperwork on the desk are easy to miss.

How many photos can you have on a Google Business Profile?

Google's help page does not set a number. What matters is that the photos are recent, good quality and cover what patients want to see. A small set of strong, current photos beats a large set of old ones. Add new ones when something changes, such as a refurbished surgery, a new team member or new signage.

How to add photos to your profile

Google's help page says to open your profile from Google Search or Maps, go to the photos section, and select "Add photos". You can upload several at once. Google says it can take 24 to 48 hours for photos and videos to show on your profile, and once they are approved they appear on both Search and Maps.

How to delete your own photos

Google's steps: on your computer, open Google Search or Maps, search for your practice's name and town, click Photos, select the photo or video you want to remove and click Delete.

How do I remove photos from Google Business added by others?

You cannot delete photos that patients or the public have added. Google's page on removing customer photos says you can select the photo, choose "Report a problem" and give a reason, with examples such as a privacy concern, not a photo of the place, spam or personal information. Google then reviews the request, which it says can take several working days, and may or may not remove it.

For a dental practice, the strongest grounds are usually privacy, for example a photo that shows another patient, or a photo that is not of your practice at all. A photo that is simply unflattering but genuine is unlikely to be removed. The better answer is to add good photos of your own.

Are photos worth the effort?

Google's page on improving your local ranking recommends adding photos and videos to show customers what you offer, and says businesses with complete and accurate information are more likely to show up in local search results. Google does not say how much photos affect ranking, and nobody outside Google can tell you precisely. The clearer case is what they do for the patient: they answer questions that would otherwise put someone off calling.

Photos are one part of a complete profile. The parts that move your position more are your categories, reviews and website, covered in our guide to local SEO for dentists. To see where in your catchment you actually appear, our guide to Google Maps visibility explains rank grids.

A one-morning photo checklist

1. Collect written consent from any team members and patients who will appear.
2. Tidy reception and one surgery, and clear any screens and paperwork.
3. Shoot the exterior, entrance, parking, reception, a surgery, the team and any accessibility features in good daylight.
4. Record one walk-through video under 30 seconds.
5. Check each file is JPG or PNG and under 5 MB.
6. Upload, set your logo and preferred cover photo, and check back in 48 hours.
7. Report any photos added by others that breach privacy or are not of your practice.