Google just asked you to add a featured professional photo, and you are not sure whose face belongs there. Maybe it is late, the campaign is almost ready to start, and you do not want a rejected upload to hold it up.
The short version: if you run a home service business, you are not under a general headshot rule, and the right photo is a real person who works for you or a clear shot of your crew and your work.
Local Services Ads professional photos come with specific file rules, and they are easy to meet. Where Google does ask for a headshot, it wants one working person, a plain background and no text. For the rest of your profile, it wants business photos that show the team, the job and the equipment.
You can check all of it yourself in about ten minutes, and you can leave the lead numbers for later.
Key Takeaways
Google's headshot guidance applies to selected categories such as law, real estate and finance, and an October 2026 account notice reportedly makes headshots optional and ends featured professionals.
A headshot is a JPEG or PNG, square, at least 500 by 500 pixels and under 10 MB, showing one person who works at the business, head and shoulders, with no text, logo or contact details.
Google Screened and Google Guaranteed come from Google's checks, and no vendor can promise more leads from a headshot, so track qualified calls and booked jobs instead.
A home service business is not under a general headshot rule
Google's published Local Services Ads guidance on headshots applies to selected categories, including law, real estate and finance. If you run plumbing, HVAC, roofing, cleaning or a similar trade, the prompt in your account is not a universal requirement. What Google's Local Services Ads requirements do ask of every advertiser is that photos accurately represent the business and the people who work there.
On October 19, 2026, Search Engine Roundtable and Search Engine Land reported a Google account notice saying featured professionals will stop appearing and that headshots are optional. Account controls may differ while that change rolls out. Open your own account and read what it shows before you spend time on a photo shoot.
A headshot needs one working person and a plain background
When your account does ask for a headshot, the rules are short. The file and the framing both count, and Google rejects what misses them.
| Item | What Google asks for |
|---|---|
| File type | JPEG or PNG |
| Shape | Square, 1:1 |
| Size | At least 500 by 500 pixels, under 10 MB |
| Who | One person who works at the business |
| Framing | Head and shoulders, face centered, looking at the camera |
| Background | Neutral |
| Not allowed | Text overlays, logos, phone numbers, email, street addresses, watermarks |
Google's examples also rule out a group photo, a building, an object, a black-and-white treatment and heavy color filters. There is no studio requirement and no required uniform. A clear, sharp phone photo in good light, taken against a plain wall, can meet the rules.
Use a real person customers expect to see at the door
The person in the photo has to work for you, or be a vetted technician representing your company. Google's lead policy says customers should know exactly who will provide the service, and that leads must be fulfilled by the advertiser or vetted technicians representing the company. So, the owner, a lead technician or a dispatcher who really handles jobs all work. A stock model does not.
Keep the profile current as people come and go. If a technician leaves, replace any image that still shows them. Computer-made faces are a separate risk. In New York state and the European Union, Google's published policy prohibits AI-edited or AI-generated Local Services Ads images beginning August 2, 2026. A real photo of a real team member keeps you clear of that rule everywhere.
Business photos should show the team, the work and the equipment
For the rest of your profile, Google describes photos as a way to show customers the business and its work. Strong choices include your crew on a job, finished work, tools and equipment, and your service vehicles. The Local Services Ads photo guidance and requirements name what gets photos refused:
- Unrelated images: Anything that does not show your business or your work.
- Poor lighting or blur: Dark, soft or cropped shots.
- Screenshots and duplicates: Upload the original file once.
- Contact details: Phone numbers, email addresses and street addresses, including on a truck door or a sign in the background.
- Another business's watermark: Only upload photos you own.
A clean work uniform can help a customer connect a face to your crew in a broader photo. Google's headshot rules do not require one.
Your Google Business Profile photos and your Local Services Ads photos are separate. A photo on one does not automatically fill the other, so check both, and see why Business Profile photos sometimes fail to show if the profile side looks off.
Google Screened and Google Guaranteed badges come from Google's checks, not from a photo
A headshot sits beside your badge on the profile, but the badge is earned another way. Per Google's definition of Google Screened, the badge means the professional or business passed checks that can include background, business registration, insurance, license and review requirements, depending on category and location. Google's page on how providers qualify explains the process.
So, if your badge is missing or pending, a new photo will not fix it. Look at the verification steps in your account instead. The photo is a separate part of the profile, and it matters for how customers see you, not for whether Google approves you.
Ten minutes in Profile & Budget covers the whole check
Google's documented path for changing photos is the Local Services Ads lead inbox, then the menu, then Profile & Budget, then the information you want to edit. Choose photos, upload or change the assets, and save. Google's help page on editing your ad lays out those steps. Photos are reviewed before they publish.
While you are in there, list every person shown anywhere on the profile and confirm each one still works for you. Then check each file against the rules above. If you use a headshot, make sure it is one person only.
| Problem | Fix | Rough job size |
|---|---|---|
| Group photo used as a headshot | Upload one person's head-and-shoulders image | 10 to 30 minutes |
| Former employee shown | Replace the image and review the others | 15 to 45 minutes |
| Text, phone number, address or watermark | Use an unbranded image | 15 to 45 minutes |
| Dark or blurry photo | Retake in good light, steady framing | 15 to 60 minutes |
| Stock or synthetic person | Use a real employee, owner or approved technician | 15 to 60 minutes |
| Screenshot or duplicate | Upload the original or a different image | 10 to 20 minutes |
Those times are planning estimates for the work itself, not Google review times. If Google disapproves a photo or an ad, follow the instructions in the email, appeal through Policy Manager when it is available, or contact Local Services Ads support. A rejected photo is a fix-and-resubmit task, not a sign your account is shut down.
Judge the photo by calls and booked jobs, not by a promised lift
Google says high-quality photos can help an ad stand out, and it cites an experiment involving business photos. That is not a figure for headshots, so treat any promise of more leads from a headshot as unproven. A compliant photo removes one avoidable problem. It does not change your reviews, response time, budget or lead handling, which move results more.
So, measure what the business feels: qualified calls, booked jobs, cost per lead and how fast you answer. Our post on whether Google Local Services Ads are worth it walks through that test, and the one on Local Services Ads hiding a phone number helps you read call data correctly. Change one thing at a time so you can tell what moved.
Pay for help when the problem is bigger than a photo
You do not need an agency to crop an image, pick a plain background or upload a file. Help pays off when photo rejections keep repeating, when workers or licenses no longer match your profile, when lead quality or response time is poor, or when you manage several locations or categories.
In those cases, the photo is a symptom. A good partner audits the account, fixes the policy issue, keeps worker and business information current, and reports qualified calls and booked jobs. Nobody can promise that one photograph will bring more leads, so be wary of anyone who does.
Check your Local Services Ads photo knowledge
Pick an answer to begin.
1. Which businesses does Google's published headshot guidance apply to?
2. Which headshot fits Google's rules?
3. Will a new headshot earn you a Google Screened badge?
Frequently Asked Questions About Local Services Ads Professional Photos
Does every Local Services Ads business need a headshot?
No. Google's headshot guidance applies to selected categories, and home service advertisers generally use compliant business photos. An October 2026 account notice reportedly makes headshots optional, so confirm what your own account shows.
Who should appear in the photo?
Someone who works at your business, such as the owner or a technician customers will meet. Do not use a stock person or an AI-generated face.
Can I use a team photo as a headshot?
No. A headshot shows one person. A team photo belongs with your general business photos.
What size and format should the file be?
JPEG or PNG, square 1:1, at least 500 by 500 pixels and under 10 MB.
Can the photo include a logo or phone number?
No. A headshot should have no text overlay or logo, and Google's general photo policy also bars phone numbers, email addresses, street addresses and another business's watermark.
What if Google rejects the photo?
Read the rejection email, fix the issue, and upload a compliant file. You can also appeal through Policy Manager when it is available, or contact Local Services Ads support.
What This Means for You
If you run a home service business, a headshot is not a general requirement, and the October 2026 account notice reportedly makes it optional. Where your account does ask for one, use a real person who works for you, one subject, a plain background and a clean file. For everything else, show your team, your work, your equipment and your vehicles with no contact details in view.
A tidy, truthful profile removes avoidable rejections and keeps customers from wondering who will show up. Badges and lead volume depend on other things, so keep your attention on calls, booked jobs and how quickly you answer.
If you would rather have someone audit the account, Web Leveling can review your Local Services Ads profile, photos, worker details and lead tracking. Our Google Ads management work reports qualified calls and booked jobs, and if the photos are the only problem, we will say so. We work with small and medium businesses across the country and overseas. Contact us about your Local Services Ads account and we will tell you what to fix first.
Terms
Local Services Ads words in this post
Tap a term to see what it means.
Local Services Ads. Google's pay-per-lead ads for service businesses, shown with a profile that can include photos, reviews and a badge.
Featured professional. A person shown on a Local Services Ads profile, with a headshot, in selected categories.
Headshot. A square, head-and-shoulders photo of one person who works at the business.
Google Screened. A badge showing the business or professional passed Google's checks, which can include background, registration, insurance and license review.
Policy Manager. The Google tool used to see policy problems and appeal a disapproved photo or ad when available.
Profile & Budget. The menu in the Local Services Ads lead inbox where you edit photos and business details.
