Should your site use real job photos or stock images?

Real photos, every time you can get them. Homeowners scrolling a trades website can spot a stock photo instantly — the same smiling guy in a hard hat shows up on a dozen competitor sites in the same city, and it quietly signals "this business didn't want to show you the real thing."

Why real photos convert better:

• They prove you've actually done the type of job the visitor needs done, not just that you know what one looks like
• A messy attic full of new ductwork is more convincing than a polished stock shot of an HVAC unit on a white background
• Real photos of your actual truck, crew, and uniform build the "this is a real local business" trust stock photos can't fake
• Google Business Profile and local search results reward listings with genuine, varied photo activity over time

How to get them without hiring anyone: phone photos are fine. Before-and-after shots on every job, a couple of the crew mid-work, one of the truck parked outside a finished job. Ten decent phone photos, taken over a few weeks, beat zero professional ones sitting on a to-do list.

Stock is fine as filler for a section that isn't the focus — a generic hero background, a texture. It's never fine standing in for photos that are claiming to show your actual work or your actual team.