The under-an-hour checklist for gutter photos that actually sell the job

By Steven Von · 2026-11-01 · 4 min read

Most gutter profiles show a clean gutter from the ground, but homeowners want to see the before. An under-an-hour checklist to fix your photos and site.

Most homeowners have never looked inside their own gutters. They do not know what a clogged downspout looks like, or what a full gutter weighs. So when they see a gutter company's photos of a clean white gutter from the driveway, it means nothing to them.

The photos that sell gutter work show the problem. Leaves packed to the lip. Shingle grit and sprouting seeds. Water pouring over the edge and down the siding. Then the same spot, clean.

Here is how to fix your photos in under an hour, using shots you probably already have on your phone.

Before you start (5 minutes)

Open your phone's photo app and search for "gutter" or scroll back through the fall. Pull every job photo into one album. You are looking for three kinds of shots:

• Before: debris inside the gutter, clogged downspouts, overflow marks, sagging runs.
• After: the same spot clean, water running through.
• Proof of work: a crew member on a ladder, the debris pile or bags on a tarp, your truck in a driveway.

Most owners find more than they expected. If you have very few, start taking them on every job this week. It takes ten seconds per job.

Step 1: pick the best ten (10 minutes)

From your album, pick ten photos. Aim for this mix:

1. Three before and after pairs from the same angle.
2. Two close-ups of the worst debris you found.
3. One of a clogged downspout being cleared.
4. One of a crew member working safely on a ladder.
5. One of the debris pile on a tarp next to a house.
6. One of your truck in a customer's driveway.

Skip anything blurry, dark or that shows a house number or a customer's face.

Step 2: make the pairs easy to read (10 minutes)

A before and after works best side by side in one image. Most phones can do this with a free collage app. Keep it simple: before on the left, after on the right, same angle. You do not need text on the image. If you add any, keep it to "Before" and "After."

Step 3: upload to your Google profile (10 minutes)

Open your Google Business Profile on your phone and go to Add photos. Upload the ten photos. Do not upload fifty at once. Ten good photos beat fifty random ones, and you can add a few more every week through the season.

Most gutter profiles already have some photos. 91.8% of gutter company profiles have at least one. What is rare is a profile that shows the problem clearly. That is where you stand out.

The Google Business Profile guide covers the rest of the profile, including services and posts.

Step 4: add a post with your best pair (5 minutes)

Write a short post with your strongest before and after pair:

"This is what we pulled out of one gutter on a two-story home in [town] last week. If you have not had yours cleaned since spring, they probably look like the left side. We have openings next week."

A post with a real photo and a real town reads as an active local business.

Step 5: put the pairs on your website (10 minutes)

Your website should show the same proof. Add your three best pairs to the home page or the gutter cleaning page, near the phone number. A homeowner on their phone should see the problem, the result and the call button without scrolling far.

Gutter companies with a website hold a median of 11 reviews, against 2 for those without one. A site also gives your photos room to tell the story. The website essentials guide lists what else it needs.

Step 6: set a weekly habit (5 minutes)

Pick one person on the crew to take three photos on every job: before, after and the debris pile. Put a reminder in the group chat for Friday to send the best ones to you.

Then every Friday, upload two or three to the Google profile. It takes five minutes and keeps the profile fresh all season.

Why this works

Photos do the explaining you cannot do on the phone. A homeowner who sees a gutter packed with leaves understands why the job costs what it does. That makes your price easier to accept, and it makes the call more likely in the first place.

They also help reviews. A customer who sees the before and after on the day of the job is more likely to leave a review, and some will mention it. The median gutter company has 6 Google reviews, so every one you add moves you up. The reviews guide covers the ask.

The checklist

• Pull every gutter job photo into one album.
• Pick ten: before and after pairs, debris, crew, truck.
• Make side-by-side pairs.
• Upload ten photos to Google and post your best pair.
• Add three pairs to your website near the call button.
• Take three photos on every job and upload a few every Friday.

If you want help with the profile or website side, the free 14-day trial covers any service, no card required. Text or call (801) 509-9725.

Steven Von, Editor
Steven has spent the last several years running growth campaigns for local service businesses, gutter companies among them, and builds the benchmark datasets on this site from public Google listings. About the editor