What photos landscapers, gardeners and plasterers should put on Google and their website

Landscaping, gardening and plastering are judged by eye. A lawn, a patio or a skimmed wall is something a customer wants to see before they ring.

I look after Google Business Profiles for trades across Sussex. The photos on the listing, and on your website, should be jobs you have done. Here is what to shoot, how often to add the photos, and what to leave off.

The shots worth taking

A phone in daylight is enough, taken before you pack the van.

The finished job, from far enough back. Show the whole lawn, border, patio or wall.

One detail. The edge of the paving, the joint on a ceiling, or the planting along a fence.

The before, from that same spot. First thing, before the tools come out. If you forget, skip it rather than using another garden.

You or the van. Only people who are happy to be photographed. Leave the customer out. Include the van when the business name can be read.

For plastering, three photos usually do it: before, the same view after, and that close detail. Fresh plaster is darker, so say if it went on today. For a garden, use the same pair and one detail of planting, timber or paving, with the plants stood up.

Before and after

Both photos need to be the same job, from about the same place. A wide before and a close-up of one plant do not show the change.

Take the after when the tools are out of the frame. Rubble and boards can be a "during" photo, for example boards protecting a hallway. No before photo is fine: use the finished one. A before with no after looks like the job stopped, so add the after or delete the before.

Keep the caption plain. "Front garden, before the lawn and path" and "the same garden, after". Only name a town you actually worked in. On the website, put the two side by side. Say if the turf was laid that day. It is not the same as a lawn after its first cut.

Your own jobs, not a stock photo

If the job was not yours, do not upload the photo. Stock gardens, brochure patios and a supplier's plastering shot are recognisable. That is the photo I would remove first.

Google's photo guidelines say a photo should be in focus, well lit, and not heavily filtered, so it still looks like the place. Use your logo file for the logo. Do not write a slogan across the lawn.

A show garden, or a quote you did not win, stays on your phone. A photo from someone on your crew is yours when the work was yours. The name on the van in the picture should match the profile. If the signwriting is out of date, choose another photo. That is the same standard as the name, area and phone number on Google, your site and the directories.

How often to add them

Add a photo when a job is finished and you are happy to show it. Filling a quiet month with a stock image is worse than leaving the gap.

Start with a logo or a clear van, a photo of you or the team, and a few finished jobs of the work you do. Then add each new job as it ends. Roughly one a fortnight is a steady habit.

A Google post is separate: one job and a few sentences. Skip the post when you have no photo that week. A new upload can take a day or two to show, and Google can mark it not approved. If it is refused, check the focus, any heavy filter and any text on the picture. Delete the weak copies, and take down work you no longer do.

The customer's home

Ask before a photo of their garden or rooms goes on Google or your site. If they say no, leave that job out.

Leave out the house number and any street sign. Leave out post, labels or boards with their name. Do not include the customer, their children, or a neighbour in the background. Number plates, alarm panels and windows into the house should be out of frame or cropped. If the house is still obvious, and they only agreed to a general view, do not use the photo.

This is practical care, not legal advice.

What usually goes wrong

The gallery is one job. Keep the two best photos and add the next job when you have it.

The finish is hard to see. Flash has whitened the ceiling, or the border is in deep shade. Stand so the light is behind you. Indoors, turn the lights on and step back.

The logo is a small screenshot. Use the logo file, or a daylight crop of the van, for the logo. For the cover, use a wide photo of finished work. Google does not guarantee that photo will appear first.

Tools fill the finished photo. Call that one the middle of the job. Take another after you have loaded the van.

A short checklist

1. You did the job in the photo.
2. The customer agreed. No house number, and not their face.
3. There is a wide shot, and any before uses the same viewpoint.
4. The finished photo is sharp, with the tools cleared.
5. A business name in the photo matches the Google listing.
6. It is on the profile and on the website page for that work, if you have one.
7. Blurred duplicates are deleted.

If you want me to look at the photos on the listing and the site, start with a free website and Google review. Tell me whether you landscape, garden or plaster, and which areas you cover. I will say what I would add first, and what I would take down.