Inventory the evidence you actually have
List completed projects, process photographs, prototypes, practice work and relevant experience from previous roles. Our recommendation is to classify each item before publication: your business’s customer work, your individual contribution in another setting or a demonstration. The label should remain clear to a visitor who reads only the heading and caption.
A new company can show a thoughtful process without pretending it has a large client base. An organiser might demonstrate a storage system in their own home. A web designer might publish a concept site for an imaginary business. State those circumstances openly. Do not attach an invented client name or praise to make the demonstration look commissioned.
Write a small project explanation
Use four prompts: What was the situation? What work did you perform? What constraint shaped the approach? What can a reader observe in the finished result? Our illustrative example is a demonstration garden bed: “Sample project at the owner’s home. We planned a narrow planting area around existing paving and selected a layout that leaves the access path clear.”
The explanation does not need a dramatic percentage improvement. A factual account of materials, scope and decisions may be more useful to a buyer. If you worked on only one part of a larger project, describe that contribution. If photographs show a stage in progress, label the stage so it is not mistaken for the finished job.
Make the images understandable in context
Google’s image guidance recommends relevant surrounding text and descriptive image information. Give each work example a useful heading and caption rather than dropping it into an unexplained gallery. A local reference can help when it is accurate and permitted, but an exact address is usually unnecessary for demonstrating the quality or scope of the work.
W3C explains that informative images need alternatives conveying their relevant meaning. Our example for a before-and-after pair would describe the visible change, such as replaced damaged boards and a newly finished surface. Keep the images comparable in framing and explain any meaningful difference. Do not alter the picture to imply work or outcomes that did not occur.
Add customer voices only when they exist
When a real customer supplies a testimonial, preserve its meaning and confirm permission for the intended presentation. Keep a record of the source and any agreed attribution. Do not combine several comments into a single quotation attributed to one person. If you need to shorten a statement, ensure the edit does not change what the customer said.
Until then, use direct descriptions of your method and invite visitors to discuss a similar job. Connect each example to the relevant service rather than treating the gallery as a separate destination with no next step. Review examples periodically: your available services, team and working methods may change even when the old photographs still look attractive.
Your practical checklist
- Classify real client work, prior experience and demonstrations.
- Describe your actual contribution.
- Get permission for identifiable people and private spaces.
- Explain the scope and visible result.
- Use captions and meaningful image alternatives.
- Publish customer quotes only when authentic and authorised.
Written with AI-assisted research and drafting, with source checks and editorial review for this guidebook. Platform facts link to official documentation. Examples and recommendations are our own; no client results are implied. Sources reviewed October 8, 2026. About Getting Found Local