Your Google Business Profile is often the first place a homeowner sees your work, and for many HVAC companies it shows almost nothing: a logo, an old van photo and a few blurry customer uploads. A photo strategy fixes that with a simple plan: which real job photos go up, how often, and how they are described. We plan and manage that schedule; we don't take the photos or do any HVAC work ourselves.
What Google asks for
Google's rules are short, and staying inside them is the first job. According to the Business Profile photo help page, checked in October 2026:
- files should be JPG or PNG, between 10 KB and 5 MB
- the recommended size is 720 pixels by 720 pixels, with a minimum of 250 by 250
- photos should be in focus and well lit
- images should represent reality, without significant alterations or excessive filters
That last point rules out heavy retouching, composite images and anything that is not your own work. Treat the help page as the authority and check it again before you change your routine.
What goes on an HVAC profile
The answer is a balanced mix that shows the company, the crew and the work. We usually aim for this spread across a quarter:
| Photo type | Share | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Finished installs | about half | furnace, boiler, heat pump, ductless head, water heater, in place and tidy |
| Work in progress | about a fifth | venting, line set, brazing, commissioning readings on a gauge |
| Team and vehicles | about a fifth | branded trucks, uniformed technicians who agreed to be shown |
| Exterior and premises | the rest | outdoor units in snow, the shop if customers visit it |
Seasonal timing matters. Heat pump outdoor units on stands in fresh snow are persuasive in January; air-conditioning installs belong in April and May, before the first heat wave.
The weekly routine
Most of the work happens in a short weekly pass through the photos your crews captured with our job-site photo system.
- Pick two or three images from consented jobs that passed review.
- Crop to remove anything personal, correct exposure, and strip location data.
- Upload with a short, plain description of the job type and city.
- Note what went up, so the same job is not posted twice and the mix stays balanced.
- Once a month, compare your profile's photo section with the three competitors closest to you on the map.
Who this service suits
It suits any HVAC company with a verified Google Business Profile and a supply of consented job photos. It is especially useful for companies whose listing is out-ranked by competitors with more reviews, because photos are one of the few profile elements you control entirely.
If you serve many communities from one base, see how GasBoilers.ca presents a division covering 26+ BC communities; it is a useful reference for profile presentation, though its results come from a full programme rather than photos alone.
How results are measured
We report profile numbers that you can see in your own Business Profile dashboard, and avoid claiming cause and effect we cannot prove.
- photos added each month, by type
- calls, website clicks and direction requests from the profile, month over month
- how your photo set compares with nearby competitors
- customer uploads that may need a reply or a report
Mistakes to avoid
- Posting the logo ten times. Branded graphics are not job photos and add nothing.
- Burst uploads. Fifty photos in one afternoon after a year of silence looks like a clean-up, not an active company.
- Faces without permission. Every technician shown should have agreed, and no homeowner should appear unless they asked to be featured.
- Stock or borrowed images. They break the "represent reality" standard and mislead buyers. Our stock photo guide shows how to retire them.
- Ignoring customer photos. Read them weekly; they reveal what customers notice.
Getting started
This service works best alongside before-and-after galleries, since one well-shot job can feed both. It is included in the plans on our pricing page. Call, text or email with your profile link and we will tell you what we would upload first.
Frequently asked questions
How often should we add photos to our Google profile?
Two or three a week is a sustainable rhythm for most HVAC companies. Consistency matters more than volume: a dozen photos every week of the year looks more alive than two hundred uploaded once.
What photo size does Google want?
As of October 2026, Google's help page lists JPG or PNG files between 10 KB and 5 MB, recommends 720 by 720 pixels and sets a minimum of 250 by 250. Check the page before a large upload, because requirements change.
Can we remove photos customers uploaded?
You can report photos that break Google's policies, but you generally cannot delete a customer's photo just because you dislike it. The better answer is to add enough strong photos of your own that theirs are not the first thing people see.
Do more photos improve our ranking?
We don't claim that, and we can't promise any ranking change. Photos help people decide whether to call once they see your listing; that is the outcome we plan around and measure.