Why You should Invest in Professional Photography for your Google Business Photos

Peter A. Liefer II | Posted: December 11th, 2017 | Updated: July 26th, 2022

Earning the trust of customers can be very tough, especially in this day and age where everything is done online. If you are a business and you want to attract more customers or maintain a pristine online reputation, you need two things: stellar reviews from your customers, and maximum visibility online. You need an informative website that is impeccably designed – and you want it to rank high in search engine page results.

 

Google Virtual Tour

Placing high enough to gain a spot on the first page of search results can mean great things for your business because there is a high chance that customers will click on your website. If they like what they see or find what they need, they will do business with you. Customers rarely click on the second page of search results because they often find what they are looking for on the first page. Additionally, having a coveted spot in the top five search engine results for a specific keyword you are targeting does not only guarantee that you get first-page visibility, but the chances of customers clicking on your website are also higher. After all, as far as search engines are concerned, your business is one of the most reliable for the service you provide, or at least for the keyword you are trying to rank for.

Why You Should Invest in Virtual Tours and Google Street View

The problem nowadays is that everybody invests in SEO, which evens out the playing field. One way to stay ahead of the competition and boost your visibility is to offer your customers an immersive, virtual experience. This is done best through a virtual tour that lets prospective customers find your location and get a feel of your store even before they arrive. These tours inspire greater confidence both among prospective customers and existing ones.

The results of a quantitative market study conducted in 2015 reveal that consumers use mapping products 44% of the time when searching of businesses and that on average, 41% of the place searches result on an on-site visit. Furthermore, listings with photos and a virtual tour are twice as likely to generate interest.

With these figures, it is therefore recommended that businesses invest in Google Street View, not only to enhance customer experience but also for visibility purposes. Your Google Business listing is your most valuable asset, and Street View improves your presence. It also integrates with Google Maps, which then allows you to plant your flag and enable prospective customers that seek you out on Google Maps. You also get to provide your customers with a complete virtual tour of your facilities and amenities –  valuable if you are a restaurant or hotel – when they find your property on Google Search or Google Maps.

 

Other benefits of Google Business Photos and Virtual Tour

Apart from the benefits listed above, Google’s new Business Photos service and virtual tour also:

  • Increases the size of your search results – literally.

A search result typically only has a couple of lines of text, which has the tendency to be easily overlooked. Once your Business Photos have been uploaded to the Google servers, your listing will expand to almost a full page, with the knowledge graph on the right side. It’s impossible to miss when your search results take up almost the entire screen, and that’s a great thing for the online visibility of your business.

  • Increases traffic on your business listing.

When you have Business Photos, your listing will have a “See inside” button which encourages visitors to take your virtual tour. That alone makes it more likely for your business to be clicked on instead of your competitor’s. These listings are very visible on any local search, map search, or Google search, and acts a call to action to have visitors of your listing stay longer. This results in traffic on your Google + Local page to increase, and for your bounce rate to decrease. This is because when people land on your page, they are more unlikely to leave because they will take a longer time on your page, thanks to your virtual tour.

  • Allows you to manage customer expectations and increase online interaction.

Business Photos makes it easier for businesses to manage your customers’ expectations because customers are given a chance to leave reviews, and as you know, they can either make or break your business. Virtual tours give potential customers a concrete view and firsthand experience of your establishment even before they visit, so they know exactly what to expect and are less likely to be disappointed when they arrive. This means the chances of them leaving negative reviews and comments will be much lower.

Furthermore, because customers can leave reviews on your listing, you are made aware of your strengths and areas of improvement, which can positively impact how you run your business. Another good thing is that you can respond to your customers’ concerns, so the issue is resolved before their next visit. A business that goes out of its way to respond to customer complaints and come up with resolutions always gets repeat visits and a solid reputation.

  • Increases foot traffic to your shop.

Having Google Business Photos and a virtual tour helps entice your potential customers to visit your store. This is especially helpful for small businesses looking to gain leverage over popular corporate chains. Your virtual tour can make your customers realize that the interiors of your restaurant are beautiful, that the amenities of your hotel or bed and breakfast are first class, or that your store’s unassuming façade houses amazing finds.

  • Lets you discover tools that can help improve your business.

Google Business Photos are linked to your Google + account, which has a full suite of tools to help you understand reviews, lets you know keywords to target for and analytics, and how customers want to interact beforehand. Most of these tools are free, so all you have to do is take the time to learn the ins and outs. Doing so can enhance how you market your business offline and online, which can lead to more sales.

Why you should hire a professional photographer for your Business Photos

Now that you know the importance of investing in Google Business Photos, you need to understand why it is essential to have a professional photographer to handle your company photo shoots. Sure, it is cheaper to do it yourself (especially if you have a professional-grade camera), but hiring a professional photographer for your Business Photos offers a lot of perks, which includes:

  • Having gorgeous 360° photos.

Powerful virtual tools require high quality, immersive 360° images. Spherical panoramic images can be pieced together into a complete virtual tour that can recreate or capture an event or place for a viewer who wants to learn more about your business from the comforts of home or from a handheld device. Professional photographers are well-versed at taking panoramic shots that capture all important details, and at angles that will showcase the best of your facilities. Panoramic images can be tricky to shoot, and a professional photographer has the skills and equipment necessary to capture every nook and cranny of your business, for an experience that is as realistic and immersive as possible.

  • Letting you save time and resources.

While it can be expensive to book a professional photographer and schedule a photo shoot, in reality, you are still racking up a lot of savings, especially concerning time and resources. A professional photographer can do the job fast and accurately, so you can focus on running your business. Furthermore, professional photographers already have the tools and equipment needed to take the images you need for your virtual tour and Google Street View, so you no longer have to invest in expensive photography paraphernalia – especially if you don’t need to use them very often.

  • Owning images that are guaranteed high quality.

Hiring an experienced photographer means you get to own professionally-shot photos, 10 of which you can upload on your listing. Apart from the images you will embed to your site and listing, you get to have endless choices of beautifully-shot photos that you can use for non-Google listings, marketing collateral, social media posts, and just about anything your business needs.

Additionally, professional photographers are experts in lighting techniques, post-production photo processing, and editing. In regards to shooting the right angles, you are assured of nothing but topnotch photographs you can use for a very long time.

  • You get the desired results.

The risk of DIY photography, especially for something that will be used for Google Business Photos and virtual tour, is that you risk not getting professional-looking, highly-detailed images. Working with professional photographers gets you the results you want. These pros are open to feedback and are familiar with the usual requests of business owners, so they will know what to do during the course of the photoshoot. You don’t need to worry about color balance, image clarity, and other photography-related concerns – pro photographers got them covered. Pro photographers are also able to improvise props on location if necessary and are adept at creative direction, so all you really need to do is sit back, relax, and let them take control of the shoot.

  • Getting additional online marketing.

Google-trusted photographers are well-versed on Google tools and apps, so they will know how to take marketable shots. They often have online marketing skills, so you can seek their expertise in other areas to help ramp up your SEO and online marketing efforts. Plus, they very likely have websites of their own where they post photos for their online portfolio, so it is possible to for your business to get a link and a citation from them, which means increased visibility for you. Their efforts in marketing their services can augment the marketing that you do for your business because with your permission, they can use some of the images from your photo shoot as samples.

Professional photography from PrimeView

Choosing a professional photographer for your Google Business Photos and a virtual tour can be tricky. After all, numerous photographers are offering similar services. You want to hire photographers from a reputable agency that has been around for many years — pros who have been tried, tested and gained positive reviews from their clients.

PrimeView employs a team of professional photographers who have the skills and experience needed to produce powerful 360° panoramic images for your virtual tour and Google Street View listing. They use only the best tools and equipment in photography to give you the most professional-looking shots for all your marketing needs. They are highly flexible and will be able to work closely with you to ensure that you get only the results you seek. Best of all, our professional photographers are well-versed with the most effective online marketing techniques, so they can teach you a thing or two to help boost your company’s marketing efforts. Our photographers are eager to provide you with the best service possible and submit deliverables promptly and accurately.

PrimeView is Arizona’s leading web design firm with over 20 years in the business. We take pride in our numerous web design awards and effective methods that helped multiple brands, both in and out of Arizona, get a robust digital presence and a memorable brand identity that lasts. We help businesses make their mark on the web and ensure that customers respond positively to the message that our clients want to send. Apart from professional photography, we also offer web design, page layout consultation, application development, and complete Internet solutions. Our clients consist of both startup companies and established Fortune 500 businesses, a testament to our ability to provide high-quality services regardless of the size of the business.

Contact us today at 480-970-4688 to learn more about our professional photography services.

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