Your Phone Photos Could Be Doing Hidden SEO Work

Every time you finish a job, you probably snap a quick photo. Maybe it goes on your Google Business Profile, perhaps Facebook, possibly nowhere at all. But here’s what most local business owners don’t realise: those photos contain invisible data that Google actually reads. And if you’re not paying attention to it, you’re leaving easy wins on the table.

Let me explain what I mean, and more importantly, what you can do about it starting today.

The invisible location data already in your photos

Every photo your phone takes can include something called EXIF metadata – essentially hidden information embedded in the image file. If you’ve got location services enabled for your camera, this includes the exact GPS coordinates of where the photo was taken.

Here’s why that matters: Google can read this data.

When you upload a photo to your Google Business Profile that was taken at a customer’s house in Birmingham, Google knows that image was captured in Birmingham. That’s a geographic signal linking your business to that location. Now multiply that across dozens of job photos over months and years. You’re building a web of location signals that tell Google exactly where you operate.

The beauty of this is it’s almost entirely automatic. Your phone does the work. You just need to make sure the setting is switched on – and many people have it turned off without realising.

For your Google Business Profile, GPS data is the win

When you upload images to your Google Business Profile, Google compresses and reprocesses them. Your original filename often gets changed internally, so spending time renaming photos before uploading to GBP isn’t where your effort should go.

The real value is in that embedded location data. A geo-tagged photo of a completed kitchen installation in Solihull tells Google something meaningful about where you work. A photo with no location data is just pixels.

This is genuinely low-effort, high-impact stuff. You’re not learning new skills or spending money. You’re just making sure your phone is set up correctly and then carrying on as normal – taking photos of your work like you probably already do.

For your website, it’s a different story

Here’s where things change. When you upload images to your website, most content management systems and image optimisation tools strip out that EXIF metadata during processing. Your GPS coordinates often don’t survive the upload.

So for website images, you need to be more deliberate. This is where filenames and alt text earn their keep.

Instead of uploading “IMG_4521.jpg”, rename it to something descriptive like “kitchen-renovation-solihull.jpg” before uploading. Google reads filenames as a signal for understanding what an image shows. Keep it readable, use hyphens between words, and include the location where it’s natural.

Alt text is your other opportunity. This is the short description you can add to images in your website’s media library – primarily an accessibility feature for screen readers, but also read by search engines. Write what you’d say if describing the photo to someone who couldn’t see it: “New composite front door installation in Redditch” tells both humans and Google exactly what they’re looking at.

Your jobs are your proof – document them properly

Every completed job is content waiting to happen. That new driveway, the rewired kitchen, the freshly landscaped garden – these aren’t just finished projects, they’re visual evidence that you do good work in specific areas.

Get into the habit of photographing your work consistently. For Google Business Profile uploads, the GPS data does the heavy lifting automatically. For your website, take an extra minute to rename files and write proper alt text before uploading.

This isn’t complicated once it becomes routine. But those small efforts compound into genuine local SEO signals over time.

How to check your phone is set up correctly

This takes two minutes and you only need to do it once.

On iPhone, open Settings, scroll down to Privacy & Security, tap Location Services, then scroll down to Camera and make sure it’s set to “While Using the App”. That’s it – your photos will now include GPS coordinates automatically.

On Android, open your Camera app, tap the settings cog, and look for “Location tags”, “Geo tags”, “GPS tags” or “Save location” – the wording varies by manufacturer. Make sure it’s switched on.

To check it’s working, take a photo and view its details. On iPhone, open the photo, swipe up, and you should see a map showing where it was taken. On Android, open the photo, tap the three dots for info or details, and look for location data.

If your recent photos don’t show location information, the setting was probably off. No problem – just switch it on now and every photo from here onwards will include it.

Your one thing to do this week

Check your phone’s camera settings today and make sure location tagging is switched on. Then photograph your next completed job and upload it to your Google Business Profile. That’s it. One properly geo-tagged image, doing invisible SEO work for you.

Most of your competitors aren’t doing this. Their photos are location-less and invisible to Google beyond the pixels. Yours don’t have to be.

Thanks for reading,
Ollie

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Your Contact Page Is Probably Losing You Customers.

Most local business websites treat the contact page as an afterthought. It's usually the last page built, gets the least attention, and ends up being nothing more than a lonely form floating in a sea of white space. Name, email, message, submit. Job done.

Except it's not done. That bare-bones approach is quietly costing you enquiries.

Think about it from your customer's perspective. They've browsed your site, liked what they've seen, and now they're ready to get in touch. They land on your contact page and find... a form. No phone number prominently displayed. No indication of when they might hear back. No reassurance that a real person is on the other end. Just a form that disappears their message into the void.

Some people will fill it in anyway. But plenty won't. They'll hit the back button and try the next business on Google instead.

Give people options, not obstacles

Not everyone wants to fill in a form. Some people prefer to pick up the phone. Others would rather send a WhatsApp message or fire off a quick email. Younger customers might want to reach you through social media. Older customers often don't trust forms at all.

Your contact page should cater to all of them. Display your phone number prominently, and make it clickable so mobile users can tap to call. Include your email address as a proper mailto link. If you use WhatsApp for business, add a direct link to start a chat. List your social media profiles if you actually respond to messages there (and only if you do).

The form can still be there for people who prefer it. But it shouldn't be the only way to reach you.

Tell them what happens next

One of the biggest reasons people abandon contact forms is uncertainty. They don't know if their message will actually reach anyone, how long they'll wait for a response, or whether they'll get a response at all.

Fix this by setting clear expectations. Add a simple line underneath your form: "We typically respond within 24 hours during working days." Or "I'll get back to you within one business day, usually sooner." Whatever your actual response time is, state it.

If you have specific working hours, mention them. "I'm available Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm" tells the customer exactly where they stand. It also explains why they might not hear back immediately if they contact you at 9pm on a Saturday.

Show them you're a real person (or real people)

A contact page with nothing but a form feels impersonal and slightly suspicious. Is there actually someone at this business? Where are they based? Can they be trusted?

Combat this by adding some human elements. Include a photo of yourself or your team. Add your business address, even if you don't have a physical shop front. Mention the areas you cover if you're a service business. A brief line like "Based in Sheffield, covering South Yorkshire" or "Serving customers across Bristol and Bath" adds credibility and helps local customers feel they're dealing with someone nearby.

If you have reviews or testimonials, consider adding one or two to your contact page. Someone who's on the fence about getting in touch might be nudged over the line by seeing that other customers had a good experience.

Make it mobile-friendly (properly)

More than half of your website visitors are probably on their phones. Yet many contact pages are awkward to use on mobile devices. Forms with tiny fields. Phone numbers you can't tap to call. Addresses that don't link to maps.

Check your contact page on your own phone. Can you easily tap the phone number to call? Is the form simple to fill in without zooming? Does your address link to Google Maps so people can get directions? These small details make a big difference when someone's trying to contact you while standing outside a job site or sitting in their van.

Your one thing to do this week

Pull up your contact page on your mobile phone right now. Try to use it as if you were a potential customer. Call your own number using the link (or notice that you can't because it's not clickable). Fill in the form. See how the experience feels.

Then add at least one more way for people to reach you. A prominent phone number if you only have a form. A WhatsApp link if you use it. An email address as a backup. Give your customers options, and more of them will take you up on the offer.

Thanks for reading,
Ollie

Ps. Sign up to my free newsletter here for more local SEO tips and guidance.

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