Your company’s Google Business Profile is arguably the most important asset in your online portfolio. It’s the first thing users when see they directly search your company’s name on Google and it’s a major ranking factor that contributes to the visibility of your website.

Missing or incorrect information and unclaimed listings can be very detrimental to your visibility. Google really want end-users to find the exact information they’re looking for - and Google virtual tours are just one of the facets of Google Business Profiles and Google Map searches.

What follows is a complete breakdown of reasons why you should add a virtual tour to your Google My Business listing - including the benefits of doing so and the downfalls you may face if you neglect to add one.

3 Reasons to Add a Virtual Tour to Your Google My Business

1. Rank Higher on Google

There has been a long debate on whether or not a Google Street View virtual tour influences a website’s position on Google.

Google recognizes when content is helpful to a user, and when content is useful, Google bumps up that company’s website and listing higher in search results. This is done by a number of ranking factors that recognise engagement and click-through rates.

Statistics tell us that 360 photos on a Google Business listing double the interest in a company and therefore produce higher engagement rates. That means you can expect a higher chance of appearing the Local Pack with a Google Street View virtual tour.

Listings with few or no images have much lower engagement rates and therefore generate less clicks. 

We are certainly not saying the Google Business virtual tour tied to a listing is the magic bullet for appearing in the Local Pack and outranking local competitors, but it is a part of the ranking puzzle and along with other pieces creates engagement which in turn makes Google favour it.

2. Make a Better First Impression

While a virtual tour on your GBP has some SEO value, it’s also going to give your company some brownie points with users that happen to land on your listing.

Consumers rely on Google Maps and other map websites 44% of the time when beginning their search for a business. What’s more: 41% of those searches result in an on-site visit. That’s huge.

But that also means there’s a lot of competition on Google Maps and GBP. Standing out is growing increasingly challenging for businesses online, especially locally in near me searches.

Considering that many businesses have still not opted in for a Google virtual tour, there’s a lot of opportunity therefore to create a more complete accurate listing against local competition.

According to Google, 67% of people are looking for more virtual tours in their search today. Why not give the people what they want?