Most product photo advice is written for marketplace listings. But if you run a physical shop, a showroom or a pop-up with a fixed address, there is a second shop window many sellers ignore: the map. When someone searches "inline skates near me" or taps your pin on Google Maps or Apple Maps, the photos on your business profile decide whether they come in or drive past.
Google and Apple both let local businesses show products directly on their place listings. Their image rules are different from Amazon or Shopee, and they are strict about authenticity. This guide covers the current specs for both platforms, how the three routes for putting products on Google differ, and how to prepare one set of photos that works everywhere.
Why map listings deserve proper product photos
The most-quoted figure is Google's own: businesses with photos received 42% more requests for directions and 35% more clicks through to their websites than those without. That number comes from a 2014 Google study, so treat it as a direction rather than a current benchmark. The logic still holds, though. A profile that shows real stock on real shelves answers the question every local shopper has: do they actually have what I want?
Map listings also reach people at the moment of intent. Someone browsing a marketplace may be comparing forty sellers. Someone looking at your pin is often a few minutes away and deciding whether to make the trip.
Google Business Profile photo specs
Google publishes one set of technical requirements for business photos:
- Format: JPG or PNG
- File size: between 10 KB and 5 MB
- Recommended resolution: 720 x 720 px
- Minimum resolution: 250 x 250 px
- Quality: in focus, well lit, with no significant alterations or excessive filters
Video is also supported: up to 30 seconds, up to 75 MB, at 720p or higher. New uploads go through review and Google says processing can take 24 to 48 hours. Your profile must be verified before anything appears publicly.
Google does not publish separate official dimensions for logos, covers or product editor images. Local SEO practitioners commonly work to the figures below, which sit comfortably inside the official limits:
| Image type | Common working size | Aspect ratio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logo | 720 x 720 px | 1:1 | Keep a clear margin; it is often shown in a circle |
| Cover photo | 1024 x 576 px | 16:9 | Google does not guarantee it will be the first image shown |
| General business photos | 720 x 720 px or larger | 1:1 or 4:3 | Exterior, interior, team, products |
| Product editor images | 1200 x 900 px | 4:3 | One image per product |
| Post images | 1200 x 900 px | 4:3 | Offers, updates, events |
What gets photos rejected on Google
Google's guidance is that photos should represent reality. In practice, the usual reasons for a "Not approved" status are:
- Stock photography instead of your own shop and products
- Heavy text overlays, particularly phone numbers, URLs or promotional banners
- Large logos or watermarks across the image
- Collages, heavy filters or obvious AI alteration
- Images that are blurry, dark or unrelated to the business
A clean product on a plain background is fine. A product image with "30% OFF, CALL NOW" stamped across it is the kind of thing that stalls in review.
Three ways to put products on Google
This is where many shop owners get confused, because Google offers three different routes and they are not interchangeable.
1. The Business Profile product editor
You add products one at a time directly in your Business Profile. Each product gets a name, optional category, price or price range, a description of up to 1,000 characters, a link and one photo. Google positions this for local shops that do not sell online, do not have barcodes on their products, or do not have up-to-date stock data. Products must follow Shopping ads policy, and Google warns that a violation can remove every product you uploaded, not just the offending one.
Because you only get one image per product, make it your strongest angle, usually a three-quarter view on a clean background.
2. In-store products via the Local Inventory app
This syncs barcoded stock from a compatible point-of-sale system. It requires manufacturer UPC or EAN barcodes and is currently limited to a handful of countries, including the US, UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia. Sellers in Singapore and most of Southeast Asia cannot use it yet.
3. Merchant Center free local listings
If you already sell online and have a Merchant Center account, you can add local inventory so in-store products appear as free local listings across Search, Maps and Shopping. This is available in far more countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. It uses standard Merchant Center image rules: at least 100 x 100 px (250 x 250 px for apparel), no larger than 64 megapixels or 16 MB. Google has announced that the minimum for all product images rises to 500 x 500 px on 31 January 2027, so anything smaller should be replaced now.
| Route | Best for | Images | Singapore availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Product editor | Small shops, unbarcoded goods | 1 per product | Yes |
| Local Inventory app | Barcoded stock with a supported POS | Pulled from product data | Not yet |
| Merchant Center local listings | Shops that also sell online | Feed images, 500 x 500 px minimum from 2027 | Yes |
Apple Maps: Apple Business image specs
Apple Business Connect became part of Apple Business in April 2026, combining it with Apple's device management and business tools. Existing place card data, including photos, moved across automatically. The image rules are more specific than Google's:
| Image type | Size | Aspect ratio | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logo | 1024 x 1024 px | 1:1 | JPEG or PNG |
| Cover photo | Minimum 1600 x 1040 px, maximum 4864 px on the long edge | 1.54:1 | JPEG or PNG |
| Showcase | 492 x 492 px to 4864 x 4864 px | 1:1 | JPEG or PNG |
| Gallery | Up to 4864 px on the long edge | Between 1:2.2 and 2.2:1 | JPEG or PNG |
Showcases for new products and offers
Showcases are Apple's closest equivalent to Google posts. They appear on your place card and are ideal for highlighting a new arrival or seasonal item. Each showcase has a heading of up to 38 characters, body text of up to 100 characters and alt text of up to 100 characters. They can run for up to 365 days, defaulting to 90. Review can take up to three calendar days, so schedule launches in advance. Apple expects authentic photography: no watermarks, no heavy filters and no stock images.
One shoot, every map listing
The sizes above look scattered, but they collapse into a simple plan if you shoot with enough resolution and composition room:
- Shoot at full camera resolution. Anything above 2000 px on the short edge gives you room to crop to every ratio.
- Leave generous space around the product. You will be cropping to 1:1, 4:3, 16:9 and 1.54:1 from the same frame, so keep the product centred with padding on all sides.
- Export in sRGB JPG. PNG is accepted but produces much larger files for photographs, which matters with Google's 5 MB ceiling.
- Keep files lean. A 1200 x 900 px JPG at sensible quality typically lands between 150 KB and 400 KB, well inside every limit.
- Mix product shots with shop shots. Local shoppers want to see the shelf, the counter and the front door as well as the item.
Cropping one master photo into five sizes by hand is tedious. A batch resizer such as PixelPrep can produce the square, 4:3 and 16:9 versions in one pass, with padding so the product is never clipped at the edges.
Local listing photo checklist
- Google Business Profile is verified and the logo, cover and at least three product photos are uploaded
- All Google images are JPG or PNG, 10 KB to 5 MB, at least 720 x 720 px where possible
- No stock photos, phone numbers, large logos or promotional text on any image
- Product editor entries each have one strong photo, a clear name and an accurate price
- Merchant Center feed images are at least 500 x 500 px ahead of the January 2027 change
- Apple Business logo is 1024 x 1024 px and the cover is at least 1600 x 1040 px
- Showcases use square images between 492 and 4864 px, with a heading under 38 characters
- Photos are refreshed whenever stock, signage or shop layout changes
Map listings rarely get the attention marketplace galleries do, which is exactly why they are an easy win. An afternoon of shooting and resizing can give nearby shoppers a reason to walk through your door instead of the one down the road.