Two images, two jobs
Your logo is identification. It sits small on the profile and tells people they’ve found the right business, especially when your name is similar to someone else’s. Your cover photo is first impression. It is the image you’d most like customers to see when your profile opens.
For the logo, use the same version that’s on your sign or website so returning customers recognize it. For the cover, check how the photo looks cropped small on a phone screen before you settle on it.
Both are still settable from the Photos section of your profile. Google’s labels are Add a logo and Add a cover photo the first time, and Change logo and Change cover after that.
The catch with cover photos
Google is upfront that the cover is a preference, not a guarantee. Its help says a cover photo may not always appear as the first image. Google chooses what to show and can lead with a different photo depending on the search.
It can also go further. If your cover is low quality, or other sources suggest it doesn’t represent the business, Google may replace it with a photo a customer submitted. That’s how a stranger’s blurry snapshot can end up at the top of your profile.
The defense is a cover Google has no reason to doubt: a sharp, well-lit, honest photo of your storefront, your dining room or your crew at work.
Getting the logo to show
A logo that uploads but never appears usually points to gaps elsewhere on the profile. Google lists five things the logo may depend on: a business name, a valid street address, categories, a phone number and opening hours. Fill in any that are missing, then check again.
For the file itself, Google doesn’t publish logo-specific dimensions. The general photo rules apply: JPG or PNG, 10 KB to 5 MB, minimum 250 x 250 px. A square version of your logo on a plain background is the safest choice.
Timing and verification
Google says new media can take 24 to 48 hours to appear. Nothing appears at all until the profile is verified; before that, uploads sit as Pending.
If it doesn't work
- Logo doesn't appear: Google says the profile may be missing a name, a valid street address, categories, a phone number or opening hours. Fill in the gaps.
- Your cover was replaced by a customer photo: Google may do that if the cover is low quality or other sources suggest it isn't representative. Upload a better one.
- Both stay Pending: the profile may not be verified yet. Media shows only after verification.
- Upload failed: check for a duplicate of a photo already on the profile, then try again.
Questions owners ask
A customer's photo replaced my cover. Can I have it removed?
Not just because Google promoted it. Customer photos come down only when they break Google's content policy, and those you can report. Our advice: upload a sharper, more representative cover of your own, since a low-quality cover is what Google says can lead it to swap in a customer photo.
My business has no street address showing. Can I still have a logo?
Google lists a valid street address among the things a profile may need for the logo to appear. Its help doesn't explain how that applies to service-area businesses with hidden addresses. If your logo won't show, make sure every other listed field is complete.
Can my cover be a graphic with text on it?
Google's photo guidance favors real, unfiltered photos of the place and lists text overlays and collages among things to avoid. Our advice: keep promotional graphics for posts and leave the cover as a plain photo of the place.
Sources
- Manage your Business Profile photos & videos (support.google.com)
- Maps user contributed content policy: photos and videos (support.google.com)
Checked 13 Nov 2026. When the platform changes its process we update this page and log it in What changed.