Why job photos beat stock photos
Homeowners can spot a stock photo instantly. A real photo of your tech's clean install in a real crawlspace says more about your work than any slogan. Photos also prove what you did, back up estimates and invoices, and settle "you never fixed that" disputes. Marketing is a bonus use of photos you should be taking anyway.
The shot list
Give every tech the same list so photos come back usable without a lecture. Hold the phone level, step back for the wide shot, wipe the lens.
- Before, wide: the whole area as you found it.
- The problem, close: the corroded fitting, the scorched breaker, the cracked flashing, the clogged coil.
- During: one or two shots of the work in progress, showing care (drop cloths, clean cuts, labeled wires).
- After, same angle as the before: this is the shot that makes a before-and-after.
- After, close: the detail a pro would notice, like straight pipe runs or a neat panel.
- The old part: the failed part next to the new one, when it tells a story.
Optional: a 15 to 30 second video walk-around of the finished job. Google's Business Profile photo and video guidelines accept videos up to 30 seconds.
Consent and privacy
The photos are taken inside someone's home, so ask. A simple line in your work order or estimate does it: "We may take photos of the work for our records and, with your permission, for our marketing. We never show your address or family." Then have the tech confirm out loud on the day.
Before anything goes public, check each photo for:
- House numbers, street signs or a view that identifies the home.
- Faces, family photos on the wall, kids' names, mail on the counter.
- License plates in the driveway.
- Alarm panels, safes, or anything that tells a stranger what's worth stealing.
Crop or skip. When in doubt, use the close-up and leave the wide shot in your records.
Where each photo goes
| Place | Best photos | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | After shots, crew, trucks | JPG or PNG, 10 KB to 5 MB, 720 x 720 px recommended, in focus and well lit, no significant alterations or excessive filters |
| Facebook and Instagram | Before-and-after pairs, short videos | Pair with a two-line caption; post regularly |
| Your website | Project pages by job type and town | Group by service so a visitor sees work like theirs |
| Estimates | The problem close-up, similar past jobs | A photo of the customer's own problem explains the price |
| Review replies and follow-ups | The finished work | Shows the customer what they paid for |
The Google specs come straight from Google's guidelines, and Google reviews each upload before it shows. More on profile setup is in our Google Business Profile guide. For estimates, see how to send estimates customers approve.
Be honest with before-and-afters
Use the same angle and similar light for the pair, and don't edit the work itself. Brightening a dark attic photo is fine; erasing a stain or swapping in someone else's job is not. Google's guidelines rule out significant alterations, and customers who find out will tell everyone. Only post work your shop actually did.
Captions that work
Use a four-part template: what, where, why, result. Name the town, never the street.
"Water heater swap in Orcutt. The old 40-gallon tank was leaking at the base after 14 years. Taylor installed a new unit with a fresh expansion tank and shut-off. Hot water back the same afternoon."
"Panel upgrade in Santa Maria. Old 100-amp panel with double-tapped breakers, replaced and fully labeled. Ready for the homeowner's new EV charger."
Plain, specific, a little proud. No hashtag pile, no hype.
Worked example: one job, four posts
Example: Sam Rivera's crew re-roofs a house over three days and follows the shot list.
- Day 1 post: the problem close-up, with a caption on what failed and why.
- Day 3 post: the before-and-after pair from the same corner of the yard.
- Google profile: three after shots and a 20-second walk-around.
- Website: a short project page under re-roofs for that town.
That's a week of posting from one job, plus photos for the next roofing estimate in the same neighborhood.
Keep photos organized
Photos lost in a tech's camera roll are worth nothing. Store them on the job, time-stamped, so anyone in the office can find "the panel job on Elm last March" in seconds. Set one person, often the office manager, to pick the week's best five every Monday.
Common mistakes
- No before photo, so there's no before-and-after.
- Posting without the customer's OK.
- A visible house number or license plate.
- Heavy filters that make the work look fake.
- Great photos that never leave the tech's phone.
How SWITCHBOARD handles photos
In SWITCHBOARD, techs take photos inside the job on the phone app, time-stamped and tied to that customer, and the office can turn them into posts for Facebook, Instagram and the Google profile without downloading anything. The same photos back up estimates, invoices and the review ask. See the flow in the sandbox.
Questions people ask
Do I need the customer's permission to post photos of their home?
Ask every time. Add a line about photos to your work order or estimate, confirm on the day, and never show the address, faces or anything that identifies the home.
What size should photos be for Google Business Profile?
Google asks for JPG or PNG files between 10 KB and 5 MB, recommends 720 by 720 pixels, and wants photos in focus and well lit without significant alterations or excessive filters.
Can I edit job photos before posting?
Light fixes like brightness or cropping are fine. Don't alter the work itself or use heavy filters; Google's guidelines rule out significant alterations, and it misleads customers.
How often should a contractor post job photos?
A steady rhythm beats bursts. Picking the best few photos each week and spreading them across Google and social media is a sustainable routine for most shops.
What job photos get the most attention?
Before-and-after pairs from the same angle and close-ups of the failed part, with a short caption explaining what went wrong and how it was fixed.
Sources
- Manage your Business Profile photos & videos - Google Business Profile Help (checked November 10, 2026)