What Photos to Put on a Small Business Website
By Cedar & Ledger
On a small business website, photos do one main job: show people that you're real and that your work looks good. A handful of honest photos usually does that better than a page full of stock images. Here's what to include, where each one goes and how to get them ready, using a made-up business as the example.
The business and photo list below are made up to show the steps. This is general information, not legal or marketing advice. Only use photos you took yourself or have clear permission to use.
Quick checklist
- ☐ A clear photo of the work (before and after if it fits)
- ☐ A photo of you or your team
- ☐ Your truck, storefront or work setup
- ☐ Get permission from anyone in the photo, and from customers for photos at their place
- ☐ Skip stock photos where a real one would work
- ☐ Resize each photo before uploading
- ☐ Write short alt text for each one
- ☐ Use the same photos on your Google listing
The steps below walk through each one.
The example business
We'll use a made-up lawn care business, Oak Lane Lawn Care, one owner (Sam), serving three made-up towns. How to Write Your Small Business Website Text (Examples) uses the same business for the words on the page.
Step 1: Show the work first
The most useful photo is the result: a freshly cut lawn with clean edges, a cleaned-up flower bed, a finished repair. Before-and-after pairs work well for cleaning, landscaping, painting and repairs. Take them from the same spot and angle so the difference is obvious.
Example photo list for Oak Lane Lawn Care:
| Photo | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| Striped, freshly mowed front lawn | Top of the page (hero) |
| Before and after of a leaf cleanup | Services section |
| Sam next to the mower and trailer | About section |
| Truck with the business name on the door | About or contact section |
Four or five good photos is plenty for a one-page site.
Step 2: Add a photo of you or your team
People hiring someone to come to their home want to see who's showing up. A simple, well-lit photo of you at work (not a formal headshot) is enough. If anyone else is in it, ask them first.
Step 3: Show your truck, storefront or work setup
A marked truck, your shop front or your work table makes the business feel established and helps people recognize you. For a shop, a photo of the front door helps people find you.
Step 4: Get permission and skip stock photos where you can
Ask customers before you post photos of their home or yard, and leave out house numbers, faces and license plates unless they've said yes. Stock photos are fine for a background, but they don't show your work, and people often recognize them. If you do use stock or free photo sites, check the license terms first. Free One-Page Website for a Local Business covers what else goes on the page.
Step 5: Resize each photo before uploading
Phone photos are often several megabytes each, which makes a page slow on mobile data. Resize to about the width the photo shows on screen (around 1,600 pixels wide for a full-width photo, less for smaller ones) and save as JPG. Small Business Website Launch Checklist (Before You Share) has an example of how much faster a resized photo loads.
Step 6: Write short alt text
Alt text is a short description of the photo for screen readers, and it shows if the image fails to load. Describe what's in it plainly, for example: "Freshly mowed front lawn with clean edges along the sidewalk." You don't need to stuff in keywords.
Step 7: Use the same photos on your Google listing
Add a few of the same real photos to your free Google Business Profile so the listing and the site match. How to Put Your Business on Google Maps for Free walks through setting that up.
Common snags
- Dark or blurry photos. Shoot in daylight and hold the phone steady.
- Only stock photos. One real photo is often worth more than five stock ones.
- Huge files. Resize before uploading.
- Photos of people without asking. Always ask first.
A template with a photo spot
You can add photos to any website builder. If you'd like a simple file to start from, the One-Page Local Business Website Template ($12, HTML and CSS) ships with an original illustration at the top of the page, and its README shows how to swap that illustration for your own photo in one line (details). It also has services, about, reviews, hours and service area, and contact sections, 3 color themes and steps for free hosting. Honest limits: it has one main image spot, not a built-in photo gallery, and it's a file you edit in a text editor, not a drag-and-drop builder.
Honest note: I make these templates and sell them under Cedar & Ledger, so I'd earn from a purchase. General information only, not legal or marketing advice.
Related template: read about the html business template template
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Frequently asked questions
What does this guide cover?
Show the work, you or your team, and your truck or storefront. Get permission, skip stock photos, resize and add alt text. Made-up example.
What are the steps?
1) Show the work first; 2) Add a photo of you or your team; 3) Show your truck, storefront or work setup; 4) Get permission and skip stock photos where you can; 5) Resize each photo before uploading; 6) Write short alt text; 7) Use the same photos on your Google listing.
Do I need a template to do this?
No. You can build the page yourself or use any site builder. Cedar & Ledger also sells a one-page HTML/CSS website template (I'd earn from a purchase); see the template box at the top of this page.
Is this financial advice?
No. It's general information with example numbers only, not financial, tax, legal or medical advice. Use your own numbers and check anything important with a qualified professional or the official source.