Why is Having Google Virtual Tours for Business Important?

When you own a bricks and mortar business, it’s incredibly important to be found by local consumers, when they need your product or service.

Ironically, if your physical business can’t be found in a virtual world your customers might not be able to find you in real life.
Google virtual tours allows you to showcase your business online, giving users a 360° insider view.

In this post, we look at the importance of having Google virtual tours for business and how you can add this to your online presence.

How does it work?

A virtual tour is a view of your business which can appear on Google Search, Google My Business, Google+ and Google Maps.

A Google Trusted provider like PipeWolf Media can take 360° photographs which are then linked together to let the user to virtually ‘walk’ around and become completely immersed in your space.

Once these are uploaded to the Google platforms, users can navigate through the tour by simply clicking on ‘hot spots’ on the 360° photo. Sounds pretty cool right!? Go ahead, try it out for yourself:

What are the virtual tour benefits?

The benefits might be more rewarding that you’d first think. A virtual tour of your business allows you to capture website traffic, giving you improved online exposure in the search results.

You can also easily embed your virtual tour on your website. This means that no matter the time of day, or location, potential customers can see and find you.

There will always be competitors – online and offline. So what better way to stand out from the crowd then to showcase your business in a way that other businesses are not? Adding this to your marketing mix could be the difference between getting that customer or missing out because your competitor is doing a better job or yielding their products and services to their needs.

An astounding 97% of customers now search for local businesses online. You want to be there, like their own personal super hero – showing up exactly when they need you, and providing the information they want to make a purchase choice.

Local Businesses often don’t understand the importance of Local SEO (Search Engine Optimization). As results from an SEO campaign are not always black and white and usually take a minimum of 3 months to see the needle begin to move, many are not utilising this channel in their digital strategy.

Why follow when you can lead! Take advantage of your opportunity and position yourself by having a presence in the local pack. (What’s a local pack? It’s the top three results you get when you Google a local business, see below for an example.)

Is there a particular type of business that virtual tours are ideal for?

Great question and one we are asked quite often! A 360° virtual tour will be a great asset for many businesses including:

● Shops
● Restaurants
● Cafes
● Gyms
● Venues
● Universities
● Airbnb and holiday rental accommodation
● Showrooms
● Clubs
● Presentations and live events
● Concerts and music events
● Trade shows and exhibitions
● Corporate functions
● Real estate
● Tourism
● Property development

From small to large businesses and everything in between, this is an effective way to present
your business online and showcase your offerings clearly so consumers can make an informed
decision just by finding you online.

What are the Google virtual tour costs?

A Google Virtual tour cost can start from as little as $275.00. When compared to other
marketing options, this one comes in as being very affordable for most businesses.

We have created different package options to suit your needs, and that of your customers.

For more information about these, check out our 360º photography packages.

Get 360° ready!

Having 360° virtual tours as part of your marketing mix can yield positive results without having
to make a large investment of your time and money.

It’s an added layer of trust for users as they can physically see who you are and what you
provide.

So what are you waiting for? Make it a goal for your business this year. If you need any further
information on how to get started, the team at PipeWolf Media are here to help. Get in
touch with us today and let’s get you 360° ready.