Is Google's Street View | Trust Photographer Program Worth It?

[Travis Van Slooten]

I have a client considering ponying up the money to have a Google Trusted photographer take pictures of his dental office.

Aside from the obvious - nice pictures and the virtual tour - is there any other value provided? By that I mean, is it worth the cost?

I've never done these before so I'm not sure what to advise the client to do.

Travis

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hi Travis,

Moved your post from Google Local to the <a href="http://www.localsearchforum.com/google-business-view/">Google Business View</a> forum. Here you will find lots of answers and TONS of other benefits. Esp see my sticky at the top.

 

[Travis Van Slooten]

Sorry about that, Linda. I didn't see the Business View sub forum. Thanks for moving it...and thanks for the tip on the Sticky thread.

Travis

 

[Colan Nielsen]

Hey Travis,

Phil summed it up better than anywhere else that I have come across - 10 Reasons to Get a Google Business View Photo Shoot | LocalVisibilitySystem.com

 

[CodyBaird]

We've been doing a lot of user testing lately. 2 users test that saw or clicked on virtual office tour this week raved about how cool it was to walk around the business. Both thought it was something cool that the business did, no mentions about Google. Each time the virtual tour was the deal closer or what impressed the tester the most.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

[Linda Buquet]

Awesome to hear Cody.

AND what does that spell for the average surfer/potential customer?

Better stick rate and maybe even some links, social shares or word of mouth!

 

[Jo Shaer]

Have a client who wants to get one of these done but I was told that any photographer can now do these for you? Anyone know if this is true?

Also, are the Virtual Tours going to continue to be shown with the latest shenanigans? I don't want my client to waste his money...?

As mentioned on another thread, if you click the Virtual Tour button on the Business dashboard, it says you will get a call from a trusted supplier. I managed to find a list elsewhere on the Google Virtual Tour website - about 5 options in my area which contains about 100 actual photography businesses, many of whom I know. I don't recognise ANY of the guys who are listed as being trusted by Google

 

[Adam Potaznik]

Have a client who wants to get one of these done but I was told that any photographer can now do these for you? Anyone know if this is true?

Also, are the Virtual Tours going to continue to be shown with the latest shenanigans? I don't want my client to waste his money...?

As mentioned on another thread, if you click the Virtual Tour button on the Business dashboard, it says you will get a call from a trusted supplier. I managed to find a list elsewhere on the Google Virtual Tour website - about 5 options in my area which contains about 100 actual photography businesses, many of whom I know. I don't recognise ANY of the guys who are listed as being trusted by Google

Hi, I am enrolled in this program and not actually a TP yet but I plan on qualifying shortly and have the equipment.

Anyone can join the program, provided that they have the equipment that meets the minimum specs, namely a DSLR camera, tripod, panoramic head and a few other bits and pieces. Alternatively, there are some automated cameras, the first one being the NCTech Iris 360. However that has some flaws which is why I decided to go the DSLR way.

Unless you get a TP, you won't get the "See Inside" box showing up, or the high quality images or the virtual tour. Anyone can now shoot a panorama for google street view however.

Not only are virtual tours going to continue to be shown on Google Maps and Search, I have also used my Galaxy S7 Edge with Gear VR headset to virtually visit businesses which I have shot as a virtual tour. At the moment it is awkward to navigate a virtual tour in Oculus VR. I have found the best way is to use a 360? video created from the static images. The other benefit of this is that it can be embedded on Facebook.

Check out the first one I made by opening your Facebook app on your smartphone and searching for Cloudstorming (my business page). The direct link is also here: https://www.facebook.com/Cloudstorming-448295448588384/

Of course, most trusted photographers aren't as cutting edge as I am

When compared with other forms of advertising like the cost of newspaper ads, mass media, adwords - the cost of getting a virtual tour done is pretty affordable.

 

[edwindevey]

I have been a certified Google Trusted Photographer in UK since early 2012. The benefits are given some quantifiable measure here https://www.google.co.uk/maps/streetview/trusted/ where it suggests that prospects are twice as likely to click through where a tour is in place.
Personally, the hybrid mentioned previously, using a virtual tour within a 360 video environment, does not work well, confuses the issue, and works against one of the main advantages of vt over video when it comes to user interactivity.
Here's an example of a recent office suite, https://www.google.com/maps/@53.855...rJEMkmyXyfQAAAQvOqDyJw!2e0!3e2!7i10000!8i5000
As Adam suggests, the cost is such that it affords a rapid ROI.