Photos on your café’s Google Business Profile: sizes, types and review, by Google’s help page

Google’s help page says photos show up on Google only after you verify your Business Profile. It lists JPG or PNG files between 10 KB and 5 MB as standards for photos to look best, and recommends 720 px by 720 px. The minimum is 250 px by 250 px, and photos should be in focus and well lit. After you upload, Google reviews the photo, and the page says it can take up to 24 to 48 hours before it shows. Video can be up to 30 seconds and 75 MB, at 720p or higher.

When do photos appear on a café’s Business Profile?

Photos appear only after the profile is verified. Google’s page says it can take up to 24 to 48 hours before your photos and videos show on your Business Profile. Google’s help page says: "Your photos and videos show up on Google only after you verify your Business Profile." If you have not claimed and verified your listing yet, our article on getting a café on Google Maps covers the first step.

After you upload, the page says Google reviews the media "to make sure it meets our photos and videos policies". It names these statuses:

• Pending. "The media is in either the upload or processing stage, or your profile is currently not verified. Pending media doesn’t show up on Google Search or Maps to customers."
• Not approved. "The media is flagged and has violated policies. Since it was flagged, the media doesn't show up on Google Search or Maps."
• Live. "The media shows up on Search and Maps for customers."

On timing, the page says it "can take up to" 24 to 48 hours "before your photos and videos show on your Business Profile". Our reading: a photo that is still Pending the same afternoon is not necessarily a problem. An unverified profile is one reason it stays Pending.

What size and format should café photos be?

Google lists JPG or PNG, between 10 KB and 5 MB, as standards for photos to look best, and recommends 720 px by 720 px. The page says: "Your photos look best on Google if they meet the following standards". Its list is:

• Format: JPG or PNG.
• Size: Between 10 KB and 5 MB.
• Recommended resolution: 720 px tall, 720 px wide.
• Minimum resolution: 250 px tall, 250 px wide.
• Quality: "The photo should be in focus and well lit, and have no significant alterations or excessive use of filters. In other words, the image should represent reality."

The last line matters for a café. For a café, our reading: a photo of the real counter that is in focus, well lit and not heavily filtered fits what Google describes. That example is ours. The page also says photos must "comply with Google’s content policy".

Which kinds of photo can a café add?

Google lists these types: a logo, a cover photo and business photos. In its words:

• Logo: "Help your customers recognize your business on Google. For businesses that have their basic information, such as a phone number or hours of operation, the Business Profile highlights the logo."
• Cover photo: "Set a cover photo at the top of your profile that best represents your business. In some instances, this action doesn’t guarantee the cover photo will show up as the first image for your business."
• Business photos: "Add different photos to highlight features of your business to attract and inform customers."

So, in some instances, choosing a cover photo does not guarantee it is the first image people see. The page adds that if the cover photo you select is low-quality, or if other sources suggest it is not the best one to represent your business, "a user-submitted photo may be selected instead".

The page says photos and videos can show your "storefront, products, and services", and that "When you add an exterior photo, it helps customers recognize your business when they visit." For a café, our reading: the shopfront is the first photo to add, so a person standing on the footpath can match the picture to the door. After that, the counter, the seating and the food and drink you serve. That list is ours, not Google’s.

To add photos or videos, the page says to search for your business’s name and city in Google Search or Maps on a computer, then click "Photos" and "Add photos". For a cover photo or logo it is "Photos", then "Add a cover photo" or "Add a logo". On Google’s local ranking page, the “Add photos & videos” section says you "can show customers what you offer and tell the story of your business with photos and videos".

What about video on a Business Profile?

Videos can be up to 30 seconds long, up to 75 MB, at 720p or higher. Google’s page lists them as: "Duration: Up to 30 seconds long", "File size: Up to 75 MB" and "Resolution: 720p or higher". Videos go through the same review and the same statuses as photos, and they show only after the profile is verified.

Why is my café’s logo not showing on Google?

Google’s page says to check that you have entered all the necessary information in your Business Profile. Its words: "If your logo photo doesn't appear, make sure you've entered all of the necessary info in your Business Profile." The list it gives is:

• Name
• Valid location with a street address
• Categories
• Phone number
• Opening hours

Our reading: the logo checklist fits the logo line above, which says the profile highlights the logo for businesses that have their basic information, such as a phone number or hours. Our reading: also check the upload status. A logo that is Pending, or one that was Not approved, will not show, going by the status lines above.

And the photos on the café’s own website?

The photos on your own website are a separate job, with their own rules. Everything above is about the Business Profile on Google Search and Maps. Our article on café photos, alt text and Google Images goes through what Google’s documentation says about the photos on your own site. One note on our own tool: our free check reads your website, and it does not look at the photos on your Google profile.

Sources

• Google Business Profile Help, Manage your Business Profile photos & videos, read 5 November 2026.
• Google Business Profile Help, Tips to improve your local ranking on Google, the "Add photos & videos" section only, read 5 November 2026.
• Cupán Studio, Is my café website AI ready? (cupanstudio.com/check), read 5 November 2026.

This is a summary of Google Business Profile Help pages read on 5 November 2026. The café suggestions are ours and are not from Google. Cupán Studio builds websites for cafés in Ireland.