If you have any experience with Google Places, then you know you’re limited to only 10 business photos for your listing. But Google is currently running a pilot program that will allow
360° walk-throughs inside your business!
With this pilot program, Google is essentially taking its “
Street Views” technology
inside your building!
- How does the Business Photos program help my Business?
When potential customers search for your business by name on Google, they will see the images displayed directly on the search results page. These panoramic images will also be published on Google Place pages, Google Maps and other Google properties and give customers a better sense of the layout, decor and beauty of your business interior. Using easy-to-use html snippets or Maps APIs, you can also link to these images from your own business website, attracting potential customers who visit your website too.
Below is a sample from the Spice Market in NYC:
View Larger Map
Unsurprisingly there aren’t any “Trusted Photographers” who can take these images in Vermont yet, but then again there are still places with terrible mobile phone coverage (I’m talking to you Malletts Bay!) Still, you can apply for the program and request a photo shoot in your area. *UPDATE* As of 4/15/14, there are currently 2 "Trusted Photographers" in Vermont, which you can find by
filtering this list.
We haven’t actually seen these showing up anywhere yet but doing some test searches for the companies listed under the “
Success Stories” section of the new site prove that they are featuring these as described in the FAQs. Below are a few examples both in SERPs, where the new images show up under the map to the right when you search a specific company name:
And now check out how those 360° images also now appear on those same companies’ Google Places pages:
Have any of you seen these images in your search results or in Google Places listings yet?
This is going to be amazing if this rolls out a lot more, and given the speed with which things change in local search, it’ll probably happen sooner rather than later. If you need help with local search or claiming and optimizing your Google Places page,
contact us today. It’s obviously recommended that you get as far ahead as you can in the local search game now so that when things like 360° interior photos come along, you’re well positioned to implement them in to part of your local search marketing campaigns.
If you have any experience with Google Places, then you know you’re limited to only 10 business photos for your listing. But Google is currently running a pilot program that will allow 360° walk-throughs inside your business!
With this pilot program, Google is essentially taking its “Street Views” technology inside your building!