Leverage Marketing

Google Business Photos – Like Google Street View, but inside

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Do you have a brick and mortar location in one of the following areas:

  • Orange County, CA
  • Phoenix, AZ
  • Bay Area, CA
  • San Antonio, TX
  • St. Petersburg, FL?

If so – this interesting opportunity from Google is just right for you.  Business Photos from Google allows businesses to showcase the interior of their establishment to all interested searchers.  Google Business Photos stand to revolutionize the way you search via a map the same way Google’s Street View did a few years ago. Interestingly enough this concept was released back in late October 2010, but most people didn’t pick up on how cool it was until blogged about recently on both the Google Lat Long Blog and the Google Retail blog.

While I think this is another great move by Google to get people to become 100% dependent on the search giant – I do wonder about the following:

  • How will all of the retail merchandisers of the world react when their online merchandising photos do not match the correct season? I.E. Your Google Business Photo shows a bunch of mohair sweaters, but you really are selling tons of swim-wear just right for the hot summer weather.
  • Is Google Business Photos going to do the same thing for local businesses that some thought Foursquare did for the criminal world?  I’m thinking of you – https://robmenow.com
  • How soon will Google Business Photos become a paid feature from Google?
  • Will Google Business Photos soon be upgraded to allow people to surf and eventually purchase your businesses products via your brick and mortar store from the comfort of their own home?
  • Will retail businesses notice a down-tick in ‘window-shoppers’ because the ‘window shoppers’ have become ‘web-shoppers’ and they have already done that at home?
  • Will restaurants allow the Google Business cameras behind the kitchen door?

To top it off Google sends a FREE photographer to your location!  All in all, I think this will be a great opportunity for online searchers and businesses alike.  Congrats if you are in one of the target cities and get in on this opportunity.  This really seems like a great idea!