How Geotagging Affects Google Business Profile Rankings

Geotagging, the practice of adding geographic coordinates to an image's EXIF data, has been debated among SEO professionals for years. A recent study conducted over 10 weeks assessed the impact of this technique on Google Business Profile rankings for local searches. The findings offered new insights into how this factor may influence “near me” queries. Geotagged images showed a positive and statistically significant effect on rankings for “near me” queries, specifically in the areas indicated by the EXIF coordinates. Interestingly, however, the study found a drop in rankings for searches that directly mentioned specific city names during the same period. For example, when EXIF data was set to Salt Lake City, Utah, the query for '' saw a sharp increase in rankings. By contrast, direct searches such as '' saw an average drop in rankings. This prompted a fresh look at when and how geotagging can be used to boost a business's digital presence.

The debate over geotagging

There is a long history of debate about how effective geotagging is at improving Google Business Profile rankings. The theory suggests that when images with EXIF location data are uploaded to Google Business Profiles, the platform could use this as a ranking signal. However, this theory has faced opposition, mainly because EXIF data can be easily manipulated using free editors. John Mueller from Google said in a Reddit thread that geotagging is not necessary for SEO. Mueller's statement has been reiterated several times, as he himself said he was unfamiliar with the specific details of how Google Business Profiles work.

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Study methodology

The study analyzed 27 clients in the landscaping industry, with SEO efforts paused to focus exclusively on the test. Each client added two images per week to their profile, with EXIF data modified to point to different service areas. The specified areas were kept apart to avoid cross-influences. A control period was established to ensure that any ranking changes could be directly attributed to the presence of georeferenced EXIF data. The test found that geotagging had a positive effect only on “near me” queries, while other search categories showed no significant impact or even saw rankings decline.

Conclusions and practical insights

The study found that geotagging benefited only “near me” searches, suggesting that this data may improve visibility in specific local searches, but can pose challenges in terms of consistency across broader areas. According to the research, large-scale image uploads may be needed to effectively cover multiple areas, but this could have side effects, such as lowering the quality of visual content on GBP. Based on the findings, the recommendation is to prioritize high-quality photos and other local optimization strategies that can deliver more significant, lasting benefits for Google local profile rankings. New approaches to incorporating geotagging are encouraged, but should be paired with broader, carefully considered strategies.