Mountain View, California — Do you own a restaurant, a super-store, but scarcely any customers? Do you wish to showcase your business to million of potential customers? Google has added a novel feature to its Places and Street View service that may deliver the exposure you desire: Google Business Photos.
For over a year now there were rumors of Google Store Views, a feature where Google will let people walk through your store, and recently, Google started going around taking pictures of the inside of stores, for what seemed like the indoor equivalent of Street View for businesses. But now, it turned into the official launch of Google Business Photos.
The point is to give would-be customers a view of the interior of that restaurant or local shop for which they are searching. The Mountain View, Calif., company began accepting applications Thursday from business owners for free photo shoots conducted by Google-paid photographers
“Millions of prospective customers visit Google every day to learn about places and businesses,” Google says on its Business Photos page. “Through scheduled photo shoots, Google is introducing a new way for you to showcase your business to the world.”
“That is kind of what it is,” Google’s Marissa Mayer said in an interview, about the product being a street view for interiors. She also stated that it is “easy to imagine” that they might be able to call upon the user community to scale the effort.
Once the application is received, Google dispatches photographers to snap shots of retail stores, restaurants, salons and other businesses in its Google Business Photos project.
“Just as you cannot assess a book by its cover, similarly, you cannot always assess a business by its exterior,” Google says. “Interior photographs are a great way to show potential customers what your business is really like. By enhancing your Place Page, business photos will help your business stand out above the competition and get discovered on Google. Millions of users will be able to visit your establishment from the comfort of their own homes, or preview it to help them decide on a visit. Best of all, it is free!”
Perhaps of even greater interest to small businesses, Google’s professional photographers will take the 360 degree shots themselves, gratis. Alternately, business owners can also upload their own photographs to Google by logging in to Google Places.
Moreover, Google Business Photos are snapped by a photographer using a high-end digital camera and tripod. Hence, no props or special lighting are required, so your normal business activity will go uninterrupted.3
In addition, if your business is selected, our photographers will work with your schedule to ensure that photos are not taken at an inconvenient time. You can see examples on this business. See the “from Google” pictures?
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Businesses can apply here for a Google photo shoot. If you are selected, you will get a phone call from Google letting you know.
Currently, Google is assigning photographers to shoot businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area, Phoenix, San Antonio and St. Petersburg, Fla., as well as London, Paris, Seoul and select cities in Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
Additionally, not on the list as yet, as much will be determined by demand including future cities in which it is offering the service — are legal, medical, or chain establishments. The pictures from the shoot will be added to the company’s Place page.
The effort is a move to bolster up the content on Google Places pages for businesses and an expansion of a Business Photos pilot program launched in October.
Here is a video demo from Google on this service:
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