What IS Google Street View for Business?

Google Street View for Business (GSVB) takes Google Streetview inside of your business space, whether it is office or lab space, retail, a museum, the inside of a restaurant or health club, or any other business where professional photographs can showcase your best features and enhance profitability.  GSVB invites customers to take a 360 degree virtual tour of your entire business.  Because Google Streetview is becoming commonplace it makes great sense for you to add the (free) GSVB feature to your website so that customers with Google Streetview can navigate from the street directly into the interior of your business enterprise.  It is a cost-effective means of transforming external viewers into “insiders”, thereby enhancing your ability to capture them as customers.  GSBV appears in the box popping up on the right side of a Google search page (aka Google +) of companies with a Google My Business (GMB) page. Visitors to a GMB page will see a photo of the host company’s business branded with “See Inside”.  Clicking on “See Inside” launches the virtual tour.  Only photographers with the professional designation of “Google Trusted Photographer” are allowed to provide virtual tours for the “See Inside” market. 

How does Google Street View for Business enhance our business's digital marketing strategy.?

Essentially a mini website within Google, the GMB page and GMBV significantly increase your search engine visibility across the Google spectrum and the likelihood potential customers will click through to the company website you invested scarce resources to create.  There is truth to the saying “A picture is worth 1000 words”.  GMBV is a cost-effective way to illustrate your company’s story and enhance your ability to compete for new customers.  A GMBV tour is an essential part to any 21st century digital marketing strategy.

What makes GSVB so cost-effective?

The Google My Business page is free to create and to maintain once proof of eligibility has been established.  In turn,  GSVB is hosted at no cost by Google.  Therefore, the only costs of creating your unique GSVB virtual tour are soft cost of the relatively brief  company staff time involved on your end and the hard cost of the photo shoot.  Because click through rates are much higher for companies with GSVB than those without it, the costs of the photo shoot are leveraged dramatically and effectively.   Your return on investment will be tangible and immediate.

What does the photo shoot cost and what does my company receive in return?

360 Degree spherical panoramas made with highly specialized photographic equipment make up the building blocks of the virtual tour.  Depending on the size of your business and how much of it you want to show to prospective customers, the number of panoramas will vary.  As part of our free consultation, our sales staff will walk through your business with you to discuss the path that your virtual tour will take and then give you an estimate of how many panos will be required.  The final decision will always be yours.  In addition to the panoramas, we also offer Point of Interest photos, which are traditional "flat" photos.  These are anything that you feel can help sell your product or service.  It may be photos of merchandise, menu items, wide shots of the interior, unique features, awards, etc..  POI photos are very inexpensive and provide tremendous added value.  

A small business requiring five or fewer panoramas will start at $400 for a base package.  Larger companies with more space cost more, but the cost per panorama goes down as you need more.  Another important benefit of our relationship is that you own all of the panoramas and usage rights in perpetuity for all POI photographs, to be used for other purposes as you wish, including your website, brochures, Facebook or other social media.  The rights to these images for additional uses in and of itself creates value equal to and probably greater than the cost of the photography for GSVB purposes.

See the pricing page for complete details.

Can I have you just take a bunch of POI photos and then I decide which I want later?

Our goal orientation is the same as yours—to showcase your company and enhance its competitiveness and potential profitability.  As such, a lot of time and effort goes into producing each image for your business.  You may request as many POI images as you like, but they may not be "returned".  John or a member of our sales staff will work with you to figure out which images will maximize your value.  We will NEVER pressure you into photos you don't want or need.

What if we're already working with another photographer?

That's totally fine.  Many companies we work with already have a photographer.  However, unless they are one of the handful of Google "Trusted Photographers" in San Diego, they will not be able to create a GSBV virtual tour that is hosted on your Google My Business page with the "See Inside" branding. 

Do you offer a discount to military owned businesses?

Oorah, Hoorah, Hooyah, Hooah and absolutely, yes!!!  20%  across the board.  We owe our freedom to these men and women in uniform.

Can the outside areas of my business be part of the tour?

Yes, as long as they are a contiguous space to the interior, they can be part of the tour.

How long does the shoot take and when will it be “live” on Google? 

We are as time-conscious as we are cost-conscious on your behalf.  Most average sized assignments can be completed in well under an hour.  More complicated and larger businesses may take several hours, but advance planning on your part (POI shots identified, lighting on as suggested, space clean and furnished attractively) will minimize company staff time during the photography session.  The POI photos and virtual tour usually are “live” on Google within five business days, though some have been live within 24 hours!

What is the significance of a Google Trusted Photographer designation and why is it important to my company? 

The designation, “Google Trusted Photographer”, is awarded only to small group of professionals who have undergone a rigorous training program, passed an extensive exam and had a sample portfolio of photographs approved by Google.   This seal of approval is your assurance that John Riedy’s work will meet or exceed Google’s high standards.  It also ensures that the shoot will go smoothly, with minimal disruption to your enterprise.  In addition, even though you have had the opportunity to review the photographs during John Riedy’s visit, if you do not like the photos once they are up on your Google My Business page you have the ability to click on the “Report a Problem” button and request that one or more of them be removed. This situation rarely arises but will be handled to your satisfaction if it does.

What are John Riedy’s qualifications?

What sets John Riedy apart as a GSVB photographer is clearly evident the moment a customer compares the quality of his photos with those of other professionals in the marketplace.  From lighting to positioning and timing, his skill, attention to detail, athletic ability, keen eyes and sense of humor translate into outstanding photo quality and exceptional service.  A professional photographer for nearly 20 years, his work ranges from weddings, portraits and commercial shoots all over the world to an ongoing project photo-documenting World War II veterans returning to the scenes of their battles, most for the first time, on behalf of a major foundation dedicated to preserving the legacy of the men and women of the Greatest Generation.

When is payment due?

Full payment is due upon completion of the shoot prior to John Riedy’s departure.  Cash, checks (payable to John Riedy Photography) and Visa/Mastercard credit cards are welcome and can be processed on site.

I am not tech-savvy and do not have a Google My Business (GMB) page yet.  Can you help me set it up?

It will be our pleasure to assist you, for a fee you will certainly consider nominal.  However, if you were able to navigate to this page it is likely you are tech-savvy enough to create your own GMB page.  Please click HERE to see just how user-friendly the process is, but if you continue to feel uncomfortable please do not hesitate to give us a call at 818-445-7752 or to send a brief note to me at john@johnriedy.com.