--- title: Does Geotagging Photos Improve Google Business Profile Rankings? description: A new study by Search Engine Land reveals that geotagging images has minimal impact on Google Business Profile rankings—sometimes even lowering them. image: https://www.hireawriter.us/hubfs/HAW%20blog%20-%202025-03-31T114137.872.png --- [Skip to the main content.](https://www.hireawriter.us/business/does-geotagging-photos-improve-google-business-profile-rankings#main-content) [![Untitled design (90)](https://www.hireawriter.us/hs-fs/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20(90).png?width=500&height=500&name=Untitled%20design%20(90).png "Untitled design (90)")](http://hireawriter.us) [![Untitled design (90)](https://www.hireawriter.us/hs-fs/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20(90).png?width=500&height=500&name=Untitled%20design%20(90).png "Untitled design (90)")](http://hireawriter.us) - [FOR BUSINESSES](https://www.hireawriter.us/for-businesses) - [SEO COPYWRITING](https://www.hireawriter.us/seo-copywriting) - [SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT](https://www.hireawriter.us/social-media-services) - [WEBSITE COPYWRITING](https://www.hireawriter.us/website-copywriting) - [LEAD GEN COPYWRITING](https://www.hireawriter.us/lead-generation-copywriting) - [MARKETING STRATEGY](https://www.hireawriter.us/marketing-strategy) - [FOR AGENCIES](https://www.hireawriter.us/agency-partnership) - [WHITE LABELED COPYWRITING](https://www.hireawriter.us/white-labeled-copywriting) - [FRACTIONAL SEO LEADERSHIP](https://www.hireawriter.us/fractional-seo-leadership) - [TECHNICAL SEO](https://www.hireawriter.us/technical-seo) - [TRAINING](https://www.hireawriter.us/training) - [ABOUT HAW](https://www.hireawriter.us/about) - [JOBS](https://www.hireawriter.us/hire-a-writer-jobs) - [LEARN](https://www.hireawriter.us/learn) - [LEARN SEO](https://www.hireawriter.us/seo) - [LEARN BUSINESS CONTENT](https://www.hireawriter.us/business) - [LEARN SOCIAL MEDIA](https://www.hireawriter.us/social) - [LEARN STORYTELLING](https://www.hireawriter.us/storytelling) - [LEARN CREATIVE WRITING](https://www.hireawriter.us/creative) - [LEARN TECHNICAL WRITING](https://www.hireawriter.us/technical-content) - [LEARN FREELANCE WRITING](https://www.hireawriter.us/freelance) - [CONTACT](https://www.hireawriter.us/contact) Search Toggle Menu Search Toggle Menu - [FOR BUSINESSES](https://www.hireawriter.us/for-businesses) - [SEO COPYWRITING](https://www.hireawriter.us/seo-copywriting) - [SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT](https://www.hireawriter.us/social-media-services) - [WEBSITE COPYWRITING](https://www.hireawriter.us/website-copywriting) - [LEAD GEN COPYWRITING](https://www.hireawriter.us/lead-generation-copywriting) - [MARKETING STRATEGY](https://www.hireawriter.us/marketing-strategy) - [FOR AGENCIES](https://www.hireawriter.us/agency-partnership) - [WHITE LABELED COPYWRITING](https://www.hireawriter.us/white-labeled-copywriting) - [FRACTIONAL SEO LEADERSHIP](https://www.hireawriter.us/fractional-seo-leadership) - [TECHNICAL SEO](https://www.hireawriter.us/technical-seo) - [TRAINING](https://www.hireawriter.us/training) - [ABOUT HAW](https://www.hireawriter.us/about) - [JOBS](https://www.hireawriter.us/hire-a-writer-jobs) - [LEARN](https://www.hireawriter.us/learn) - [LEARN SEO](https://www.hireawriter.us/seo) - [LEARN BUSINESS CONTENT](https://www.hireawriter.us/business) - [LEARN SOCIAL MEDIA](https://www.hireawriter.us/social) - [LEARN STORYTELLING](https://www.hireawriter.us/storytelling) - [LEARN CREATIVE WRITING](https://www.hireawriter.us/creative) - [LEARN TECHNICAL WRITING](https://www.hireawriter.us/technical-content) - [LEARN FREELANCE WRITING](https://www.hireawriter.us/freelance) - [CONTACT](https://www.hireawriter.us/contact) [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/Hireawriteronline) [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/joywriteryouell/) [Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/company/hireawriter/) [X](https://www.hireawriter.us/business/does-geotagging-photos-improve-google-business-profile-rankings#0) [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8sZOTANgCCjtn29m4J0Z6A) [Medium](https://medium.com/hireawriter) [Tiktok](https://www.tiktok.com/@joyyouell) [Pinterest](https://www.pinterest.com/joyfromhireawriter/) 3 min read # Does Geotagging Photos Improve Google Business Profile Rankings? [![Picture of Writing Team](https://www.hireawriter.us/hubfs/HAW%20Logo%20T%20%26%20White%20square-3.png) Writing Team](https://www.hireawriter.us/business/author/writing-team) : Mar 31, 2025, 11:45:38 AM [SEO](https://www.hireawriter.us/business/tag/seo) [News](https://www.hireawriter.us/business/tag/news) [geographics](https://www.hireawriter.us/business/tag/geographics) ![Does Geotagging Photos Improve Google Business Profile Rankings?](https://www.hireawriter.us/hubfs/HAW%20blog%20-%202025-03-31T114137.872.png) A comprehensive 10-week study published by **Search Engine Land** has finally provided clarity on a topic long debated by local SEO professionals: **Does geotagging images help improve Google Business Profile (GBP) rankings?** [The study](https://searchengineland.com/geotagging-photos-google-business-profile-rank-453525) set out to answer this question with a large sample size, a controlled testing methodology, and multiple ranking metrics—and the results may surprise you. --- ## What Is Geotagging and Why Do SEOs Use It? **Geotagging** involves embedding GPS coordinates into the EXIF (Exchangeable Image File) data of photos. When these [geotagged](https://www.hireawriter.us/technical-content/building-local-seo-outside-your-core-location) images are uploaded to a Google Business Profile, the theory is that Google could use the embedded location data as a local ranking signal. This theory makes intuitive sense—especially since most smartphones automatically include EXIF location data. However, critics argue this practice is unreliable because: - EXIF data can be easily manipulated - Google strips EXIF data in many cases - [Google’s John Mueller](https://www.hireawriter.us/seo/is-technical-seo-still-relevant-googles-john-mueller-weighs-in) has repeatedly stated that geotagging has *no SEO benefit* --- ## Overview of the Study: Testing the SEO Impact of Geotagged Images **Search Engine Land’s study** was designed to settle the debate with real data. ### Test Setup - **Duration:** 10 weeks - **Sample Size:** 27 lawn care business locations - **Control Period:** 5 weeks (no EXIF data in images) - **Test Period:** 5 weeks (EXIF data with targeted geocoordinates added) - **Posting Schedule:** 2 images per week per location (Tuesdays and Thursdays) - **Tools Used:** Local Falcon for rank tracking and reporting ### Targeting Two towns per client were selected (e.g., *Little Falls* and *Garrisonville*) that needed ranking improvement. - Tuesday images were geotagged for **Town A** - Thursday images were geotagged for **Town B** Each week, rankings were monitored for: - **“Lawn care near me”** - **“Lawn care \[Town A\]”** - **“Lawn care \[Town B\]”** This setup allowed the researchers to evaluate whether geotagged photos influenced rankings across both generalized and location-specific queries. --- ## Key Findings from the Study The study uncovered a complex relationship between geotagged images and local search rankings. Here’s a breakdown of the main insights across different query types and metrics. ### 1. “Near Me” Queries Showed Improvement in Targeted Areas For queries like **“lawn care near me”** within the towns where images were geotagged, rankings **increased significantly**. This was the only area where geotagging demonstrated a **statistically significant positive effect**. This suggests that Google may use geotagged EXIF data to better match businesses with geographically relevant “near me” searches—at least in those specifically tagged locations. ### 2. City-Based Queries Declined in Rank Conversely, rankings for queries like **“lawn care \[city name\]”** in the geotagged locations showed a consistent **decline** during the test period. This pattern held across nearly all locations and contradicts the goal of increasing visibility for searches that include specific town names. ### 3. No Improvement at the Business’s Physical Address When analyzing rankings at the **Center of Business Address** (where the business is actually pinned on the map), geotagging had **no positive effect**. In fact, rankings at the physical address **declined** when EXIF-tagged images targeted different towns. ### 4. No Rank Gains Across Broader Service Areas Metrics such as **[Average Total Rank Position](https://www.localfalcon.com/knowledge-base/kb25-what-does-arp-atrp-mean) (ATRP)** and **Share of Local Voice (SoLV)**—which track visibility across the entire service area—also showed **no improvement**. In some cases, rankings **dropped further** when images were geotagged. This undermines the idea that adding images with coordinates for different parts of the service area would boost overall visibility. --- ## Summary of Metric Results Out of seven core [ranking metrics](https://www.hireawriter.us/seo/decoding-googles-ranking-factors) tracked in the study: - **1 metric** showed measurable improvement: “near me” rankings in the geotagged area. - **6 metrics** showed **no benefit** from geotagging. - Of those six, **four showed a noticeable decline** in rankings. The overwhelming conclusion: **geotagging offers limited upside, and even potential downside, depending on how it’s used.** --- ## Should You Geotag Your GBP Images? Based on this data, the answer is generally **no**—at least not as a primary local SEO tactic. ### Here’s why: - You may improve “near me” rankings in a very **narrow geographic zone**—but hurt rankings elsewhere. - You'll need to geotag and upload **dozens or hundreds of images** to cover an entire service area, which can overwhelm your GBP with low-quality or redundant photos. - City-specific queries, which often have high intent, may actually perform **worse** when geotagging is applied inconsistently. The researchers concluded that this trade-off isn’t worth it—and that image quality and relevance should be prioritized over EXIF data manipulation. Bottom line: G**eotagging does not deliver scalable, consistent local SEO results**. Instead of focusing on [EXIF data,](https://exifdata.com/) businesses and marketers should invest in: - High-quality, original images that reflect real services and customer experiences - Consistent GBP posts and Q&A updates - Strong service area configuration - Gathering and responding to reviews - Content that reinforces location relevance on the business website Until further evidence proves otherwise, **geotagging should not be relied upon as a core local SEO tactic.** - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![Local, Hybrid, and Geo-Targeted Business Playbooks](https://www.hireawriter.us/hubfs/HAW%20blog%20(2)-Jul-11-2025-09-00-16-0637-PM.png)](https://www.hireawriter.us/business/local-hybrid-and-geo-targeted-business-playbooks) 1 min read #### [Local, Hybrid, and Geo-Targeted Business Playbooks](https://www.hireawriter.us/business/local-hybrid-and-geo-targeted-business-playbooks) ![Picture of Writing Team](https://www.hireawriter.us/hs-fs/hubfs/HAW%20Logo%20T%20%26%20White%20square-3.png?width=30&name=HAW%20Logo%20T%20%26%20White%20square-3.png) [Writing Team](https://www.hireawriter.us/business/author/writing-team) : Jul 14, 2025, 8:00:00 AM Want to know the fastest way to waste a marketing budget? 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