Help with your hypothesis: A clear "How to" for a photo to be picked as main pic for a location.

[ele]

One of my goals for 2018 as a local guide is to create a clear "How to" for a photo to be picked as the main photo for a location, and share it with the community.

To me, having your picture representing an important building or monument is an accomplishment as worthy as your review being marked as most helpful by the users of Google maps. It shows mastery, and it helps the Map users. 

So far, based on other popular posts, I plan to test several hypotheses.  

My current main hypotheses for  "significantly increase your chances for the photo to be picked as the main by the AI algorithm" as the following:

1. Your camera photo has better chances than a phone photo.

2. Framing well the location (good frontal view of the building, signage included, sky or trees for perspective). At times, a detailed photo of items being sold or consumed will be the main photo. 

3. Good exposure and contrast, mainly achieved via editing software (Lightroom or the like)

4. The resolution of the original file is above a certain threshold (will test this with 300K, 1M and 4MB) 

5. The photo is geo-tagged. 

Where I need your help: 

1. Are the five above the right ones? 

2. Add your hypothesis to test, based on your experience.

[LucioV]

Hi @ele as far as I know any method will not give your expected results... Is the same with agencies that promise you the first page of Google.

No one knows the algorithm, and is changed a lot during time, as like keywords of a bank caveau! 🙂

If you claim a business, is more likely you can choose your header image, but this is not guaranteed too!

[ele]

Thanks @LucioV. I appreciate there is a level of variability on the AI - I've seen a lot of posts about pics being picked as the main one being fuzzy, low quality etc.

Hoping to tap into the collective experience on "what do you think made your pic the main pic for the posting". 

Hope this helps. 

[LucioV]

My best examples, some of the most viewed photos, are the first photos of places I added. This is something that always work 😉

[ele]

That's a given - 100% probability that the first pic added will be the main photo :).

What other factors will make your photo the main pic? What will make a better "first pic" to replace that first photo? 

[StephenAbraham]

@LucioV  I don't know this, and was curious.. if a business is claimed, the owner can suggest set of photos to be the header photo.. and Maps will take from one of the owner's photo right? Is there still a chance for Map to take a photo from a random stranger over the owner's one?

I have seen at least a few places where the header photo is replaced by some low resolution photos probably crawled by one of Google's internal bots maybe.. i remembered it says Google.. 
That too sometimes can be a little distressing, when there are some very good high resolution photos behind in the location.. Don't know if you have seen instances of these before.. 

[LucioV]

---

@StephenAbraham wrote:

@LucioV  I don't know this, and was curious.. if a business is claimed, the owner can suggest set of photos to be the header photo.. and Maps will take from one of the owner's photo right? Is there still a chance for Map to take a photo from a random stranger over the owner's one?

I have seen at least a few places where the header photo is replaced by some low resolution photos probably crawled by one of Google's internal bots maybe.. i remembered it says Google.. 
That too sometimes can be a little distressing, when there are some very good high resolution photos behind in the location.. Don't know if you have seen instances of these before.. 

---

Yes @StephenAbraham users photos could replace header photos also for claimed businesses.... this is odd, and we are asking to have more control since years, but seems this is not Google policy.

[ele]

I believe that allowing user photos to replace the “stock owners photos” allows for fresher, and more relevant content. Window design changes, changes in the places around them, promotions being placed in the windows would be some examples. 

Now, back to my main question “what increases the chances for a picture to become the main pic ?

[dbateser]

I notice that the top photo on popular locations has a shelf life and rotates out of service after an indeterminate amount of time. I've monitored view count surges and then stagnation for images. Fun while it lasts anyway.

Also drone shots seem to please the algorithm.

[ele]

Very helpful, will add the drone hypothesis. I have a few videos from Iceland, will see how that works. 

For the normal residential places, a bit of problem to fly a drone where we live (there is an airport in within a few miles anywhere we look).