Google Business Photo programme open in India

Program gives users virtual tour inside businesses through interactive 360-degree imagery

Google today announced the availability of Google Business Photos programme, a Google Maps project, for businesses in India.

This program gives Google users a virtual tour inside the businesses through interactive 360-degree imagery created using Street View technology. This imagery can be viewed on Google Search, Google Maps, and Google+ Local Pages.

In order to get Google Business Photos, business owners can hire trusted agency photographers to capture the interiors of their premises. Along with taking pictures of layout, facilities, and merchandise, these trusted agency photographers will also capture images of displays on the storefront, like business hours, rating details, credit cards accepted, and posted menus.

These photos can help customers get a better sense of what a business has to offer and what sets it apart from others, said a statement from Google.

“Consumers who look online for local businesses can now see more high-quality photos that give them a sense of what a place is really like. For the businesses, this provides an opportunity to visually present their product and services. For example, before visiting a store to purchase an electronic device, consumers can use business photos to evaluate and view the selections offered by various retailers,” said Shailesh Nalawadi, Product Manager - Geo, Google.

Before officially launching this program today, Google worked closely with thousands of businesses to pilot this program with restaurants, bars, retail stores, showrooms and boutiques.