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Why Stock Photos Are Quietly Costing You the Job
A generic stock photo of a garage floor tells a homeowner nothing about whether YOU can do the job. Real photos of real work are the actual proof.
Your audit's AI vision review scores whether the images on your site are real project photos — actual completed jobs — versus generic stock photography or an unrelated image. Fewer than 3 real photos caps this entire category's score, because for a $3,000+ job with no way to "try before you buy," photo proof of your actual work is close to the whole game.
Homeowners can tell — and it works against you
A stock photo of a garish, over-lit epoxy floor gets reused across hundreds of contractor websites, and homeowners have seen it before. It doesn't prove you did anything — if anything, it raises the question of why a real business would need to borrow someone else's photo instead of showing their own work.
The fix is a phone, not a photographer
Real photos don't need to be professionally shot. A well-lit phone photo of an actual finished floor, taken right after the job, reads as far more trustworthy than a polished but obviously generic stock image — because homeowners aren't grading photography, they're checking for proof this is a real, active business.
This compounds with your before/after and Google photos
The same photos you take for your website should also go on your Google Business Profile, and every job is a chance to grab a before/after pair — the single highest-converting image type in this trade. One habit (photograph every job, before and after) covers three separate parts of your audit at once.
Want us to just fix this for you?
Free audit shows you exactly what's costing you jobs on your own site — no obligation.
Related
FAQ
How many real project photos do I need?
The audit looks for at least 3 clearly real, relevant photos — below that, the whole image-quality score is capped regardless of anything else on the page.
Are phone photos good enough, or do I need a professional?
Phone photos are fine, and often perform better because they read as more authentic. Good lighting and a clean, uncluttered shot matter more than equipment.
Can I mix in a few stock photos for variety?
Better not to — even one or two obvious stock images undercut the credibility of the real photos next to them. Keep the gallery 100% real work.