What is a Virtual Tour?

Virtual tours are interactive online 360° x 180° panoramic 3D images that simulate a location. They represent a real location in virtual reality. They are not video that limit what a viewer can see, but are 360° image based that are interactive. They give the viewer a choice in what to look at in the given location in high definition and the freedom to move around the location as they choose. The freedom to interact makes the tour a realistic and an engaging marketing tool.

How long does the process take?

The actual photo shoot will take between 1 – 2 hours.

The virtual tour for real estate will be available the next day.

The imagery for Google virtual tours are uploaded the next day and depending on the time Google takes to link them, will be completed with 1 – 5 days.

The Virtual Sales Platform is more complicated, but is usually completed within 10 business days.

What types of businesses should use Virtual Tour technologies?

Just about every single industry uses virtual tours. From real estate companies to hospitality to retail and even professional services such as dentist, chiropractors and physical therapists can benefit from having a virtual tour.

Why should I have a Real Estate Virtual Tour?

For any property you promote on your site or other sites, you present it in a more attractive and explorable manner through a virtual tour. Studies show that properties sell 20% faster and a 9%  higher price.

You will also have a 24/7 marketing tool that lets prospects visit when they want even when you can’t be there. It will also help to expedite the decision making process since prospects have previewed a virtual tour and it will save you time in showing the property to only truly interested prospects.

What is a Google Virtual Tour?

A Google virtual tour is a series of 360° panoramas linked together to create a walk-through virtual tour. They are hosted on Google maps and associated with a business’s Google Business Profile listing. When someone finds your business listing on Google, they will be able to take a walk-through tour of the inside of your business. As a part of Google’s StreetView program and a program that Google is looking to grow, those businesses participating in the program see improved search results, especially in the “Local Pack,” the map with listings on the first page of Google Search Results.

Why should my business have a Google Virtual Tour?

It is a Google program and Google loves them. It will help your visibility on Google, especially in the Google Local search results. It will also help build trust that lets people experience your location before they arrive. These interactive, virtual experiences inspire greater confidence among prospective clients and significantly increases the chance that they will make an in-person visit.

When prospective customers seek you out on Google, help ensure that their first encounter is a good one by showing them what you have to offer when they do visit in person.

Do I need to sign an agreement?

No signature is necessary. We have an online agreement that you should review prior to scheduling a photoshoot to make sure you understand our terms and conditions.

What size package will I need for my business?

The size package needed for a Google virtual tour is based on the size of your facility and the number of separate rooms or isles it has. A Google Street View tour is basically a walking tour, so you can’t walk through walls or solid objects. Each image needs to be in line-of-sight of another image so you can “walk-through.” You can show as much or as little of the business as you’d like.

How are your virtual tours different from a MatterPort tour?

We also provide a 3D high definition 360° x 180° panoramic walk-through virtual reality of the property. Our tours are simpler to use and allows visitors to move around faster to see what they want to see.  That means you can keep the prospects interest and are less likely to lose a potential client to the frustration of having to click too many times to move around the property. No dollhouse to confuse visitors.

Can the virtual tour be on my website?

Definitely! You can easily place it on your business website with the instruction we provide. It is just a matter of adding one line of code. You can also link it to share on social media networks, blogs, email and wherever else you can think of placing it.

Why should I put a virtual tour on my website?

To make it stickier. Furthermore, there’s some serious benefit behind the use of visual content for marketing. We know that humans process images 60,000 times faster than text. Search users’ eyes aren’t drawn toward your hours of operation, they’re immediately pulled toward the provided pictures. The addition of a virtual tour allows you to establish the trust and credibility that’s crucial for converting web searchers into actual customers.

Can you provide a virtual tour in my city?

We can provide a virtual tour almost anywhere in the US and Canada with our network of professional 360° photographers.

How much does a virtual tour cost?

It is surprisingly affordable! It is based on the number of panoramas and the areas you wish to include in the virtual tour. Virtual tours start at only $200 for real estate virtual tours and $499 for Google virtual tours. Digital marketing is a rapidly changing field, and there are very few proven tactics that offer as much bang-for-your-buck as a virtual tour. It can be challenging to track and prove the ROI of marketing, but you’ll reap the benefits of this tactic with lead generation, improved trust, foot traffic, and online visibility. See our Pricing page for more specifics.

Will there be additional recurring charges?

It is a onetime fee with no additional charges relating to the virtual tour. Hosting for the first year or until the property is sold or leased is included for custom/real estate tours. An additional year of hosting is only $50.00.

What is a Google Trusted Photographer?

A Google Trusted Photographer is someone who has demonstrated to Google their proficiency in producing 360° interactive panoramas by having at least 50 Google approved 360° Panoramas uploaded to Google Street View. We have thousands of images uploaded and over 48 million views of our photos on Google. In addition we have achieved the Google Master Photographer designation.

What is a Google Local Listing?

A Google local My Business listing is an online profile that contains your business name, address, phone number, website, photos and other details. They are a free business listings on Google. When someone searches for your business on Google, the results will show your Local Listing on the top right side of the page.

What if I don’t have a Google Business Listing?

We will create one for you.

What is Google Street View?

Google Street View is a technology in Google Maps and Google Earth that provides 360° interactive panoramic images from positions along many streets in the world. It was launched in 2007 in several cities in the United States and has since expanded to include cities and rural areas worldwide as well as interiors of businesses.

How is a Google virtual tour created?

A trusted Google Trusted Photographer will create and publish your virtual tour. For the layman, it is a fairly complicated process. For the Google Trusted Photographer, it is a technically complicated, but straightforward process. It involves taking multiple overlapping photographs at different exposure levels of each scene to create high definition photographs (HDR) using a special panoramic tripod head, as well as special software and applications to merge and enhance the photographs into panoramas.

Once the panoramas are uploaded to Google Maps, we link them together using tools provided exclusively to Google Trusted Photographers. When completed the viewer can doa walk through of your property and look around as they please.

What is the difference between a standard definition and high-definition virtual tour?

It is the resolution, the detail the image holds. Images on screen are made of colored squares called pixels. The difference is the pixels per inch (ppi) in the image. Both will be around the same total size of 5400 x 2700 pixels. A standard resolution will have a resolution of 72 ppi while a high definition tour will have 300 pixels or more per inch.

It is generally accepted that the ideal screen image resolution is 72 pixels per inch. The only exception is when viewing them on large high definition monitors. They could look a little fuzzy. On mobile devices such as smart phones and tables, as well as most desktop monitors, you cannot tell a difference.

Where are you located?

We are headquartered in the Seattle area and have a network of Google Trusted Photographers throughout the US.

How will a Virtual Tour enhance my Google Search results?

Google loves them and it will give your Google Business listing more SEO juice. Tours appear on Google Search results, Google Local, and Google Maps, enticing searchers to look further at your listing. They will also differentiate you from your competition providing you better visiblity from Google and improve your search positioning in the Local Pack.

Could my photos be removed from Google?

Yes. Your photos will be removed if they are found to violate the Google Map Street View Policy. It is unlikely, but if some photos are reported as inappropriate, they may be removed.

Will Google be using the imagery in other applications?

Yes. As Google expands their mapping program, they may use these images new ways that will make your business information more useful and accessible to users. As an example, further Google Maps will allow searchers to find your images from the 360° Street View images of nearby roads at many locations.