On the Google Maps Facebook page, Google is pointing to some Street View imagery it has from inside a plane. The imagery actually comes from Google’s Business Photos program.
The photos are of the inside of the Airbus A380. Take a look:
The images come from Dubai International Airport.
For a glimpse into how Google’s Trusted Photographers operate within the Google Business Photos program, read our recent interview with one of them.
Back in January, Google revealed that Google Business Photos were being used by 100,000 businesses, a number that has no doubt grown significantly in the first half of 2013. In late May, Google announced the expansion of the program into seven additional countries.
Do you have business photos up in Google’s local results? Have Google Business Photos ever helped you decide where to go? Let us know in the comments.
Google Business Photos give businesses a chance to show off their interiors to prospective customers, and further entice them into coming to their physical locations. Just as Google lets you virtually tour the Eiffel Tower or the abandoned Fukushima town of Namie-machi, Google will let you tour the inside of the coffee shop down the street or the florist downtown.
Unlike with its more publicized endeavors, however, Google is not using its various Street View camera equipment to go inside every store around the world. It relies upon groups of local certified photographers which have applied and met Google’s requirements to become a Google Trusted Photographer. These photographers then find businesses to photograph to fill up Google with more interior imagery.
We had a conversation with one of Google’s trusted photographers, who gave us a better idea of what it’s like to go through the process. Sue Ann Tomlinson runs SuePH Photography. She applied to be part of Google’s program back in November of 2011, and was called upon by the company the following April, when it invited her to join the program.
Given how an online presence can make or break even a brick and mortar business these days, you would think businesses would be champing at the bit to have Google certified photos from inside their establishments make their way into the local search results, but that’s not always the case, Tomlinson tells us. Some businesses simply don’t want to have their interiors photographed for Google.
“It’s about 50-50,” she says. “Some businesses see value, and others don’t. We are creating a buzz about Google Business Photos and the value of these services. When the right business is approached they do not hesitate and jump on the opportunity. In the last month I have seen more and more of this.”
I would guess interest will continue to grow, especially as businesses see their competitors’ Google listings.
On average (though it varies by square footage), Tomlinson says she shoots about 144 shots for a business.
“I submit the imagery [to Google] for the virtual tour,” she explains. “Everything I submit gets posted to the clients’ Google+ Local page. The client has the option to remove or add photographs of their own to the Google+ Local page.”
With only about half of businesses wanting their photos on Google, it only make sense that Tomlinson doesn’t just wait for businesses to come to her, though each Google Trusted Photographer is listed on the Google Business Photos site, where if a business is seeking this service, they can simply go and find a trusted photographer in their area.
She says she hasn’t received many calls for work this way. Instead, she does more reaching out to businesses herself, and does so daily with referrals, calls, or visits to businesses based on market research.
“I mainly target businesses with a heavy social media presence and new businesses just starting out,” Tomlinson tells us. “I also have built SuePH Photography on the power of referrals.”
Google does not give any kind of assignments to its trusted photographers.
“Each photographer is an independent business and/or trusted agency, and I work directly with each business I contact,” Tomlinson says. “As a qualified Business Photos Trusted Photographer I am able to run my own independent business – with free support from Google.”
When asked how much professional time is being spent photographing businesses for Google, Tomlinson says, “That depends on how many shoots I schedule for the week. I can spend 4-10 hours a week just photographing. I plan to expand my business to include architectural and real estate services as my business grows.”
In the state of Nevada, there are only seven Google Trusted Photographers operating, and in northern Nevada, it’s only three. There are over a hundred and twenty-five in the region of Nevada/California/Oregon.
Interestingly, the photographers are not so much in competition with one another as they are collaborators.
“I work with the two other GTP in the Reno market (Northern Nevada),” Tomlinson says. “We collaborate on pricing, leads and work together to market the program.”
This is apparently a common dynamic. This recent al.com article discusses a trio of Birmingham area photographers working together to put together virtual tours of a least 150 places for Google.
Between the 3 photographers in Reno, Tomlinson says, they are pushing 100+ tours.
We’ve seen various businesses do some silly things in their business photos. For example, we recently saw a guy in an office posing with a lampshade on his head. Then there was this bizarre corporate costume party.
“Most of my clients want to keep things professional and simply want to have an employee group shot,” Tomlinson tells us. “However, the most unusual virtual tours I have seen from other GTPs were for various ad agencies and marketing companies worldwide as you may have seen. Why not have fun with these tours and stand out even more?”
Probably good advice. You want to be less boring than your competitors right?
What are some interesting things you’ve seen businesses do in Google Business Photos? Has a photo you’ve seen on Google ever deterred you from going somewhere? Let us know in the comments.
Google announced today that it is launching 360-degree, interactive photos for 167 of the 294 restaurants participating in NYC Restaurant Week (next week).
Google Maps summer intern Evelyn Chang writes on the Google Maps blog:
Let’s say you’re in New York City, home to over 25,000 restaurants, just before the start of NYC Restaurant Week (TM) (July 22 – August 16). You can quickly narrow down the choices by picking from a list of eateries participating in their summer’s Restaurant Week.
Google Maps lets you see the interiors of more than 50% of participating restaurants with Business Photos, so that you can make sure you’re choosing the right setting for your meal out. Street View allows you to take a closer look at the exterior of any destination, and even virtually stroll through the surrounding neighborhood.
Earlier this week, we looked at the process of getting business photos onto Google, talking with one of Google’s Trusted Photographers, who provided a great deal of insight into how they get your businesses photos into Google’s local search results.
In January, Google announced that Google Business Photos were being used by 100,000 businesses. This has no doubt grown significantly since then. A couple months ago, Google announced the expansion of business photos into seven additional countries.
While many of us were pre-occupied with Facebook’s big unveiling of Graph Search on Tuesday, Google let out a little tidbit of information about its own local search offering: over 100,000 businesses have used the Google Business Photos feature since it officially launched a year ago.
This is essentially Street View taken inside of stores.
“With the use of high-quality panoramic imagery and Street View technology, businesses have been able to offer customers an interactive tour without physically setting foot inside – perfect for showcasing the ambiance of a wine bar or the layout of a gym,” said Google Maps product manager Shailesh Nalawadi.
Users can view business photos from Google Maps on the desktop, or on Android and iOS smartphones and tablets.
As it continues to grow, this should be a key feature for Google when it comes to local search, especially considering Facebook’s new offering, which has the advantage of users’ friends.
Last month, Google started highlighting the Business Photos from search results pages, making the imagery even more visible to users.
So far, Google Business Photos are only available in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Spain, Italy, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, but the company says it is working on expanding to more countries.
If you have a store, and you want to add this feature, check out Google’s site here.
Google is now highlighting its indoor photography for businesses from search results pages, making the imagery much more visible to users.
Businesses who have been able to participate in this get the added bonus of letting customers browse their store before actually getting them in the door. Let’s hope they like what they see.
Google said in a Google+ post, “Ever wonder what the inside of a business looked like before visiting? Google Search just made it easier to find Google Business Photos – which allows you to virtually walk-through a business with Google Street View-Technology. Just click the “See Inside” image on Search to enter the business and walk around as if you were there.”
Google started taking photos of store interiors back in 2010, then officially announced Google Business Photos last year.
“Just as you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can’t always judge a business by its exterior,” Google said at the time. “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’s free!”
Of course, the Place Page concept has changed a bit over time, with the newer Google+ Local interface.
You can see the new functionality in action here.
About a month ago, Google added indoor maps to the desktop version of Google Maps after availability on Android devices. With the feature, users can view floor plans for some airports, department stores, malls, etc.
Last year, Google started going around taking pictures of the inside of stores, for what seemed like the indoor equivalent of Street View for businesses. Google has now announced the product around this, which it is calling Google Business Photos.
“That’s kind of what it is,” Google’s Marissa Mayer said in an interview, about the product being a street view for interiors. She also that it’s “easy to imagine” that they might be able to call upon the user community to scale the effort.
Businesses can apply here for a Google photo shoot. So far, the companies photographers are only visiting businesses in select cities in the US, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, though any business can apply. “Demand will help us decide where to send our photographers next,” Google says .
“Just as you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can’t always judge 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’s free!”
Google is starting with the types of businesses it knows are searched for most regularly. These include restaurants, hotels, retail shops, and other storefront businesses. While the company says it’s open to other interesting kinds of businesses that users would “love to see,” they are not currently photographing legal, medical, or chain establishments.
The photos will appear on a business’ Place Page. Google is taking panoramic photos, which will appear on the page as single shots, but they may be stitched together into a panoramic view.
Note that Google owns all of the photos it takes. The company does say it will always give businesses the option to ask for removal, and users’ own photos can be uploaded through Google Places. Google may also end up using the photos in other applications, besides Google Places, it says.
Given that Street View has come under a great deal of scrutiny for privacy-related issues, it’s worth noting that Google addresses this with Business Photos as well. “Business photos capture nothing different to what a customer would see by visiting the business in real life,” the company says. “We’ll run the photos through our state-of-the-art blurring technology to blur out faces of people who appear in the photos.”
Of course businesses often change the way their stores look, and you don’t want your business presented on Google Places in a way that doesn’t represent it properly. Google says it will “try to accommodate” you.
US locations where Google is currently sending its photographers include: Orange County, Phoenix, Bay Area, San Antonio, and St. Petersburg. All locations for the other countries can be found here.
If you apply and get selected, you will get a phone call from Google letting you know.