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You are here: Home / Archives for photo gallery

Why You Need High-Quality Images on Social Media to Build Trust

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

It’s no secret you need photos and images to fill out your website. After all, who wants to look at a website that’s 100% text? This is one of the reasons we’re always asking our clients to send us pictures of their business. Whether they’re group shots of the whole staff, pictures of your storefront or office building, or photos of your company truck on various job sites, you need to populate your website with pictures so visitors are more likely to trust you.
However, pictures are equally important outside of your website. From Google Maps listings to Facebook pages, and all the business directories in-between, there are a whole host of places you need to display high-quality images of your business in order to attract customers.
You see, with the way local search operates these days, it’s not uncommon for people to find and call a local business without ever visiting their website. Often, they get all the information they need from Google, Facebook, or a directory like Yelp. Therefore, it’s critical to establish trust on all of these popular channels with an assortment of high-quality images.
So what kinds of images do you need on your directory listings and social media pages, and why? Keep reading to find out!

A Profile Picture Shows Customers You’re a Real Business

When someone does a local search and sees your company’s page or listing in the search results, one of the first things that jumps out is your profile picture. If you don’t have one, users are likely to look past your listing. Why? Because you won’t look as established or as credible as other businesses that have a professional-looking photo next to their names.
When people are searching the web for local businesses, they’re essentially searching for a company they feel they can trust. As we all know, the Internet has a scam or rip-off around every corner; people are rightfully wary. That’s why you need to prove your authenticity from the get-go with a recognizable profile picture (think: your logo, a company truck, a shot of your storefront, or a team picture). Right away, a profile picture helps you demonstrate that you are, in fact, a real business and not some fly-by-night operation.

A Logo Demonstrates Your Value and Professionalism

Ideally, you’ll have a logo to use as your profile picture. A logo acts as your company’s identity—a quick visual aid people will remember when they think about you. It also shows people you’re not some slapdash operation, but rather, a savvy business that took the time to think about its identity and presentation. As a result, customers will associate a higher value with your business.
So, if you have a logo for your business, use it for all of your profile pictures on listings and social media pages. Having it as your profile picture will demonstrate your value and authenticity right away. Plus, consistency across multiple channels will further establish your professionalism in customers’ minds.
If you don’t have a logo yet, have Prospect Genius’s talented graphic designer create one for you!

A Photo Gallery Makes You Stand Out From the Competition

Once users have actually clicked on your listing or social media page, they want to see what makes you uniquely qualified to meet their needs. This is where having an abundance of photos puts you above the competition. Show off previous jobs you’ve completed, share action shots of your team on the job, and “aww” us with adorable pets. In other words, highlight the unique personality of your company. Don’t be afraid to get a little personal.
As much as customers want to learn about your qualifications and service offerings, they also want to see the human side of your business. That’s what will distinguish you from other companies nearby that offer the same services.

A Cover Photo Acts as a Virtual Storefront

Lindsay Kolowich of Hubspot says, “Having a social media profile without a cover photo is like having a brick-and-mortar business without a store sign.”
The majority of social media pages and online directory listings now include cover photos. Cover photos take up a lot of space at the top of the page, so leaving this large section blank is not a good look. Instead, cover photos are a good opportunity to capture people’s attention and show off an important aspect of your business. Many times, a picture of your real-life storefront (if you have one) will work well here, because, again, it shows customers you’re a real place. However, you could also use this space to highlight your favorite service offering, a special discount, or a large group photo.
Bottom line: You need a high-quality image as your cover photo to captivate your audience and display more of your personality. Leaving it blank is not an option.

Photos Are All About Building Trust

Photos are especially crucial for local service providers like appliance repairmen, HVAC technicians, plumbers, and so on. In these types of trades, you travel to people’s homes and businesses to complete a job. This means people have to feel comfortable letting you into their building before they hire you. If your listing or social media page doesn’t prove to them you’re a real business, they’re not going to trust you. If they don’t trust you, they’re not going to call you for the job.
So, to recap, the ideal Google listing or Facebook page will have:

  • A professional logo as your profile picture
  • Quality photos of you and your team members on the job, as well as your completed work
  • A high-quality photo of your storefront
    • Not a brick-and-mortar business? Use your company truck or van. It’s essentially your storefront on wheels.

Ready to submit more pictures for your website or off-page promotion? Need us to design a logo for you? Don’t hesitate to reach out! We want to set you up for the most success possible.

Enrich Your Local Business's Google Profile by Adding Images

Last Updated: September 22, 2016

We’re always harping on business owners to up their photo game. Websites with photos simply perform much better than those without. Plain and simple.
But did you know it’s just as important to have photos on your business’s Google profile, too?
This hasn’t always been the case. In fact, it’s only been in the last year or so that Google and Bing have been displaying images and logos in their local search results. They made this move as users increasingly want to see photos of whatever they’re searching for.
As of right now, images aren’t automatically displaying in search results for every business—only for businesses in certain categories. However, as images in search results are bound to become an expectation rather than a bonus, it’s likely they’ll be automatically generated for all categories before long.

Add Images to Your Google Profile

That’s why, regardless of your industry, your best bet is to set up your Google profile with high-quality images sooner than later. In his latest article on Search Engine Land, Wesley Young gives some great advice for optimizing Google profile images. Check out some of his suggestions:

  • Take control of which images appear on your listing. Don’t let Google set a default profile photo by selecting one of your images at random. Go to Google My Business yourself and select your own profile photo.
  • Make sure the image is cropped and sized to fit perfectly.
  • Make sure your profile photo is a high-definition image: no graininess, no visibility issues.
  • Don’t use blatant stock photos because they’re usually pretty easy to detect.

Want more? For Young’s full list of suggestions, head over to his article on Search Engine Land: “8 Tips to Make Sure Your Google Profile Images Boost Your Local Search Results.”

11 Simple Ways to Customize Your Online Advertising Campaign

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

Our lead generation program allows you to be as involved as you want, an aspect that appeals to many of our clients. If you prefer to be hands off and let us take care of all the details, that’s great. However, there are many clients who like to be more interactive with their campaigns. By making their own contributions and adding touches of their unique personalities to their sites, they feel more invested in their campaigns and forge a stronger connection with their own customers.
easy button
Thankfully, it’s not only easy to add custom flourishes to your online advertising campaign—it’s also inexpensive.

DIY Freebies

These do-it-yourself options are free through the Client Portal.

  1. Add a photo gallery. Through the Client Portal, you can manage a photo gallery by uploading your own original photos. All you have to do is ask us to enable the photo gallery tab on your LeadTrax™ site, and then you can go to town! The gallery can focus on anything you want: recently completed work, before-and-after shots, items for sale, or even your team members. People love pictures, and having a photo gallery that showcases your talent or brand is a great way to take advantage of that.
  2. Add a “For Sale” tab. Operating the same way as the photo gallery, this tab allows you to upload your own pictures and captions for items that you’re selling (once we’ve enabled it on your site). This has been very popular with appliance repair companies that sell refurbished appliances. Take a look at the “For Sale” tab at A B Appliance Services, for example.
  3. Keep your own blog. Every new LeadTrax site comes with a fully functional blog just waiting to be filled with content. We write a couple of initial posts for you following your site launch, but after that, you can feel free to update your blog as much as you want. As long as you have a topic that your audience wants to read about, you can write your heart out. An up-to-date, informative blog proves to your prospects that you’re engaged and knowledgeable.

Complimentary Add-Ons

Our professionals will take care of these for you free of charge. Simply call or e-mail us with your specific requests, and we’ll do all the work!

  1. Add unique tabs for extra content. This is a great option for business owners who want to include a separate “About Us” page, but it can work for almost any extra content you wish to include. You can either submit your own, original content for us to add, or our professional writers can do the job for you. Take a look at the “About Us” page for Mary Ellen Flaherty & Brendan Flaherty Realtors as an example. You may also be inspired by Yocum Shutters and Blinds, who used this tab to showcase their “Best of West Chester” award.
  2. Add custom e-mail/service request forms. Many business owners find that their customers like to submit e-mails and service requests right from their websites, which is why we include an “E-mail Us” link as a standard feature on all of our LeadTrax sites. However, some businesses find it handy to have custom content in their e-mail forms so they can ensure they get all of the necessary information from their prospects right up front. Just tell us about the specific fields or questions you’d like to include, and we’ll create a custom form for you. For instance, we created a custom e-mail form for Acello Tax Resolution Group that asks prospective customers to provide details about their tax problems. This gives the tax consultants a baseline understanding of the case, making life easier for both the business owner and the customer.
  3. Add a “Leave Us a Review!” button. As we’ve covered extensively, customer reviews are a crucial part of your online presence. When you have us add this button to your site, it will be more convenient for past customers to click on it and submit a quick review of your business. Then, the feature will automatically upload the positive reviews straight to your Google+ listing.

Low-Cost Additions

These options require the hands of our professionals, but they’re well worth the minor investment.

  1. Upgrade your template. If you’ve been with us for a few years, then you might be sick of looking at the same ol’ layout all the time. Or you might want a more updated look to keep up with the times. Whatever the reason, if you’re interested in upgrading your LeadTrax site template, just let us know! Right now, we have several brand-new templates hot off the presses.
  2. Request brand pages. If you work in an industry like appliance repair, you might find that customers are often seeking a repairman who specializes in specific brands. You can easily address this by having us write a brief, targeted page for any brand you wish to highlight. Morris County Appliance Repair, for example, chose to add pages for quite a few of its most popular appliance brands.
  3. Request a press release. Has something newsworthy recently happened with your company? Why not announce it? We can write a press release on your behalf and distribute it to boost your SEO. At the same time, you’ll have a tangible news item that you can share with all of your friends and fans on social media.
  4. Use MapTrax™. MapTrax is a tool that monitors your Google listing for you. It will alert you if the content or status of your listing changes so you can be aware of any red flags. MapTrax saves you from having to manually check your listing daily, which means you can focus your time and energy elsewhere.
  5. Use AdTrax™. AdTrax allows you to laser-focus the way you track your campaign. Instead of giving you a broad picture of how many leads your campaign is generating per month, AdTrax lets you see how your site is ranking on Google for specific keywords of your choosing. This way, you can make sure you’re attracting your ideal audience and make adjustments as you see fit.

Take the First Step

Your online advertising campaign won’t customize itself! Why not browse the Client Portal and try out some of those free tools yourself? If you’re having trouble with the technology or you need some guidance, don’t hesitate to call your campaign coordinator for help. That’s what we’re here for! Similarly, if a few of the paid options appeal to you but you can’t decide which one is best, feel free to discuss them with us. We’ll help you figure out how to get the best value for your campaign.
The bottom line is, we’re here as a resource for you. However you decide to proceed, let us in on the conversation so we can help you make the wisest decision possible. Good luck!

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Rensselaer, NY 12144

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