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.

Or email him here.

I was one of the very first Google Trusted Photographers, and I love the program. It allows me to partner with Google on one of their cutting edge program, help expand Google Maps, and meet lots and lots of business owners in Virginia, DC and Maryland.

But I also wanted to share the top four reasons why you (as a business owner) should consider hiring a Google Trusted Independent Photographer.

1. Enhance Your website. A virtual tour is easily added to your website. In fact, it’s as easy to do as it is to add a YouTube video to a website. You just take a small bit of HTML code (which I would provide you) and drop it into your website. It’s so easy to do that I refuse to charge someone for help with it. I’ll just do it for you. Then, you can have a virtual tour embedded right into your page, just like I have here. And the result looks both beautiful and impressive — an awesome addition to your website.
2. Search Engine Optimization. There is no question that creating a virtual tour of your business is intimately tied to search engine optimization, because the tour will live on your Google+ Local page. Google wants Google+ Local to replace Yellow Pages. You might be surprised to learn this (I was!) but the Yellow Pages are not dead yet. In fact, they are still one of Google’s biggest competitors in the incredibly lucrative “local” search market. This means that local businesses should expand their “local” presence by building out their Google+ Local Pages, as well as taking many other steps — this will help ensure that Google can deliver your name to the right people who are searching for it at the local level.
3. Make your Google+ Local page more interesting. Your Google+ Local page is going to be coming up more and more as people search for your business’s name. As we learn in the “pay per click” advertising business, your “branded terms” (including your name, your business name, your address, or your product names) are the most valuable and easiest clicks to optimize for. But if your Google+ Local page is consistently occupying the space at the top of the search engine results page, then you’re going to want it to look great. A tour is the best way to do that — instead of seeing a boring text box, you’ll see a picture of your store with a caption that says, “Look Inside!” that people can click on and begin navigating around your business.
4. Rent out your space. This only applies to some customers, but I have found that people who make money from renting their space are the first ones to signup for Google Business Photography. This is a no-brainer — it’s a lot easier to rent a building if you can explore every part of it at your leisure, without the hassle of driving out. At best, especially in the DMV area, you are not going to have time to physically check out every location in person. But you can explore virtual tours of lots of businesses before making your decision.

So there you have it. These are the top four reasons that I encounter as I help create virtual tours for people in DC, Maryland and Virginia. If you’re interested, give me a call for a free consultation to see if you qualify for a tour.

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.

Or email him here.