Google Updates Its Photo Guidelines for Local Service Ads (LSAs)
The year has brought many new updates to Local Service Ads. In addition to five new industry verticals which were announced in March 2023, Google has now improved its process for reviewing images within LSAs.
Google announced that these improvements will launch on September 1, 2023, and will provide users with more flexibility that gives marketers and business owners more creativity with their ads. This means that previously rejected images may now be accepted (that’s a win for the creative folks!).
In addition to the looser photo guidelines, Google will also be speeding up its review process. Google claims that they are rolling out a new automated process that will facilitate photo reviews. If this works, then photo updates on LSAs will be shown to potential customers faster.
What Does This LSA Update Mean?
Those who have been in the digital marketing world for a while know that ads with a visual component can play a major role in the success of a campaign. In fact, Google says that advertisers who have an image shown with mobile Search ads can see an average increase in click-through rate of 10%. Furthermore, images can help to communicate complex ideas and provide additional information about your business or services.
Since image and video-based ads have taken the digital marketing world by storm, it makes sense that Google is working to improve its LSA product offering. In fact, Google has been rolling out new and better ways to create video and visual content in Google Ads over the past few years. I wouldn’t be surprised if Local Service Ads have a similar capability in the near future.
For now, this photo guideline update means that potential customers can see images directly from your LSA. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate service offerings, provide more information about what your business can do, and also show a little bit more creativity than previously allowed.
What Are the Photo Guidelines?
If you’re already familiar with Local Service Ads or Google Ads, then you are likely up-to-speed on what is simpatico to Google in regards to images. As a refresher, here are the key things to keep in mind:
Accepted Content:
- High-quality images
- Images showing the work rendered during the service
- Images relevant to your work or business
- Original images, i.e. not copied or stolen images (make sure to follow copyright laws!)
Prohibited Content:
- Images containing inappropriate content (ie, sexual, violent, etc.)
- Images with watermarks from another business
- Images with phone numbers or other identifying information
- Low quality images
- Images with clients or customers (for legal verticals only)
Image Requirements:
- File types: JPEG, PNG, BMP, ICO, and WEBP
- Resolution: 640 x 640 or greater
- Maximum size: 10 MB
Headshot Specifics:
- Only the head and shoulders should be visible
- The face must be centered in the image
- The individual must be looking at the camera
- The image can only include one person
- Must be a high-quality image
- Cannot contain text or overlays
- Must have a neutral background
- Cannot be black-and-white or have excessive filters applied
- File Types: JPEG or PNG
- Resolution: 500 x 500 or greater
- Maximum Size: 10 MB
- Aspect Ratio: must be square (LSAs will allow you to upload an image and crop it)
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Madison Stevens
Latest posts by Madison Stevens (see all)
- Local Service Ads: Photo Guideline Updates - August 11, 2023
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