What geotagged photos are
Every photo from a phone or camera carries hidden data called EXIF: the date, the device, and often the GPS location where it was taken. Geotagging means writing GPS coordinates into that data on purpose, usually the coordinates of a town you want to rank in, before uploading the photo to your Business Profile.
Some local SEO tools and agencies sell geotagging as a ranking tactic. It's a common question in our local SEO services audits, so here's what the evidence shows.
What the tests on geotagged photos found
- Sterling Sky (Joy Hawkins), January 2024: geotagged photos on five Business Profile locations over several weeks produced no measurable ranking increase.
- Hypetrix (Tim Kahlert), about a month later: concluded the tactic had no effect on local rankings.
- Evergrow Marketing (Jake Hundley): a 10-week test on 27 lawn care clients, posting two geotagged photos a week with other SEO work paused. Only one of seven metrics improved, "near me" rankings in the targeted towns, while rankings across the wider service area got worse. The agency stopped geotagging client images.
All three are summarized in Search Engine Land's write-up of the Evergrow study, and Whitespark lists geotagging as a local SEO myth.
What we saw on a client account
While troubleshooting a geotagging feature in a local SEO tool for a plumbing client, we downloaded photos back from the client's Business Profile and checked their data. The location information was gone. Whatever Google does with it on upload, the coordinates don't stay attached to the image customers see.
That matches Whitespark's own check, which found the same thing, and it's why we don't charge clients for geotagging.
What actually helps with Business Profile photos
- Upload real job photos regularly. Google's own ranking tips include adding photos and videos that show what you offer.
- Show the work, the crew and the trucks. Before and after shots of real jobs do more for a homeowner deciding who to call than a stock image.
- Use photos in posts. A weekly post with a recent job photo keeps the profile active.
- Spend the geotagging budget elsewhere. Categories, service pages and reviews move rankings. See how to get into the Google 3 pack for where to start.