Why is Google Local Service Ads Rejecting Attorney Headshots?

I have set up local service ads for a dozen law firms recently and a problem we keep running into is rejections of our headshots. After going through the setup process, Google may send an email out a few days later saying “your headshot was rejected”.

Why was my Headshot Rejected?

You could have a very nice picture get rejected with no explanation. The fist time this happened to me, I uploaded the same picture again, hoping that someone at Google had made a mistake.

The most common reasons headshots are rejected are because:

  • Google wants a head and shoulders. Nothing more, nothing less.
  • Face must be centered in the ad.
  • Text is not allowed. Many attorneys had their headshot taken with their firm name in the background.
  • Color filters. I have seen Google reject headshots which had a color filter or color removed from them.

Here’s a screenshot of Omaha personal injury attorneys with some good examples of decent headshots that Google is looking for:

screenshot omaha personal injury LSA

A Complete List of Google’s Requirements:

Taken from the Local Services Ads Photo Guidelines page:

Requirements:

  • Resolution: 500 x 500px or greater
  • Maximum size: 10 MB
  • Owner: you must own the copyright for all images
  • Content: image content must be someone who works at your business
  • Aspect ratio: The photo needs to have a square aspect ratio. You can upload a photo that includes your head and Local Services will enable you to crop your image.

The following types of headshots will not be accepted:

  • Shows the torso or below; should only show the head and shoulders
  • Face is not centered
  • Individual is not looking at the camera
  • Includes more than one person
  • Is not a person (e.g. logo, buildings, objects)
  • Is low quality
  • Contains text or text overlays
  • Is black & white or has excessive color filters applied
  • Has a non-neutral background

Need help with Local Service Ads?

We were setting up Local Service Ads within an hour of the program being released. If you would like assistance setting up your ads or getting them to display more frequently please feel free to visit our Local Service Ads page or contact us today.