In my last post I laid out the top four reasons why people seem to be hiring Google Trusted Photographers. But perhaps I should have started with a simple definition that answers the question: what is a Google Trusted Photographer?
The answer actually begins with what we are NOT. We are NOT Google employees. We are official Google partners who are helping Google to expand Google Maps, Google Street View, and Google+ Local pages by creating virtual tours for independent businesses. I sometimes think of the program as Phase 2 of Google Street View. Phase 1 of Google Street View involves Google employees who drive around with special cars that photograph public property. The “public” part is key, because Google Trusted Photographers are working exclusively with private property owners.
Here is everything you need to know: a Google Trusted Photographer will have an official certification (which is featured on all of my blog posts, like this one, in the top right corner), and that certificate means that they have passed all of Google’s officially administered photography tests, both in the field and the classroom.
The official name is actually Google Independent Trusted Photographers, and as partners we act as liaisons to Google. We handle 100% of the virtual tour creation process, and we then work with Google to add the virtual tours to Google+ Local pages, Google Maps, and Google Street View.
I hope that this definition helps you understand a little more about the program, and I also hope that you let me know if you have any other questions that I can answer.
Will Marlow is the founder of Circle View Photos, the original Google Trusted Photography Partner in the Virginia, DC and Maryland region. He creates virtual tours of businesses that are featured in Google Maps, Google Street View and Google Places. He is also a marketer who specializes in Google AdWords (certified), Google Analytics (certified), SEO, social media, and PR. Follow Will Marlow on Twitter or Like Circle View Photos on Facebook.
