How to Prepare Your Business for a Google Virtual Tour

Sep 30, 2020

Are you preparing for a tour? See what great preparation can do for a tour by taking one here.

You’ve booked a Google Virtual Tour. Great! But...now what do you do? Planning for a Google Virtual Tour photographer to come to your business (or visit all of your locations) might sound overwhelming, but Advanced Online Insights makes it simple and straightforward to present your business in the best way possible. 

Our team wants to set you up for success. Working as efficiently as possible requires good prep work. It’s our goal to minimize as much work as possible for you in the process, so we’ve gathered our best tips, tricks, and requirements to prepare your business for a Google virtual tour.

We Get to Work Right Away


One of the most important benefits we offer our customers is exceptional project management. Whether you are planning for a virtual tour of your 2,000 square-foot business office or 500 tours of your company’s offices across the country, we will handle the process from the very beginning.


Planning your virtual tour requires a bit of knowledge and insight from our team. To put together your estimate and proposal, we research your geographic location, sunrise/sunset times, distance between one location and the next, traffic flow, surrounding streets, and more. We plot out the plan so you know exactly what needs to be done and when. We will ask the right questions to get the information we need, and we’ll minimize your time investment in the planning process.


Good-to-Know Information:

There are always a few key pieces of information that the majority of our clients ask before a tour. Here are some of the most helpful insights and good-to-know details about most Google Virtual Tours we complete:

People-free is the way to be

It is best to have your business clear of all people during the 360° photo shoot. If people are present they will need to remain motionless for the duration of the virtual tour capture process. Google mandates that all faces are to be blurred for privacy and that no people are to be present in imagery for any type of medical practice. In most cases, we prefer to shoot during non-business hours to accommodate these best practices.

Areas typically NOT included in the virtual tour (unless specifically requested):

  • Restrooms
  • Private Offices
  • Breakrooms
  • “Employees Only” areas

Areas typically INCLUDED in the virtual tour (unless specifically restricted):

  • Exterior Entrance
  • Lobby and Waiting Areas
  • Areas of business
    • Retail space
    • Exam rooms
    • Service departments
    • Office stations
    • Etc...
  • Meeting Rooms
  • Activity Centers
  • Hallways/Walkways

Preparation: Before the Advanced Online Insights Photographer Arrives

Our team will work with you to determine the best point of contact for each location that we visit. Each onsite contact will be responsible for:
  • Arriving 15 minutes before scheduled shoot time
  • Having keys, access cards, and security/alarm codes for the facility 
  • Working knowledge of all lights and electronic signage

Virtual Tour Preparation Checklist

Please take the time to review the Google Virtual Tour Preparation Checklist in advance of the photography session to ensure the most efficient and cost-effective (and beautiful) imagery possible.
  • Entrance and parking area in front of the business are clean and clear of debris.
  • Rugs and mats are clean and straight.
  • All light fixtures have working bulbs.
  • All windows and glass surfaces are clean and clear.
  • All client and employee private information is clear from offices and cashier areas. Ie. receipts, mail, internal documents, etc.
  • All product displays are straightened, clean, and current.
  • All tables and chairs are arranged properly and set up as they would be during operating hours.
  • Televisions, computer screens, and digital displays with moving images should be turned off or set to display a still image.
  • Business hours sign is clean and hours are current and correct.
  • Electronic doors can be set to stay open for enough time to take the photos that are adjacent to them.

Staging: 5 to 10 Minutes Upon Photographer’s Arrival

Upon arrival, the photographer will walk through the facility and choose the rooms/areas to be

shot and the path of the virtual tour. We will help to remove any items from the selected rooms that do not need to be in the photos and straighten any areas that need attention.

Imagery Capture: Time Varies Based On Size Of Tour

When we capture the 360° imagery for the virtual tour, the onsite contact will need to stay out of site. Most customers spend time in a break room or a private office. In the case of multiple locations being shot in the same day, we will call the next location’s onsite contact once we finish the previous tour. 

Post-Tour: 5 to 10 Minutes After Photographer’s Departure

The Advanced Online Insights team respects all of our customers’ offices and spaces, and we do our best to return furniture and any items we may have moved for the tour back to their original location. It’s advised to allot 5-10 minutes after the session for final adjustments once our team has finished capturing the images needed. We always try to leave spaces as clean (if not cleaner!) then we found them!

Check Email for Updates

After the session is complete, each tour requires hours and hours of editing and “weaving” together the images from the day’s shoot. We provide a timeline and an estimated completion date for every project, and we do our best to honor that in every way. You can always plan to hear from our team if there’s any need to adjust deadlines based on the scope of the project. Our production process lasts anywhere from two weeks to several months. We will do our best to accommodate important dates and deadlines on your calendar!

In the end, Advanced Online Insights is honored to have your business and we work hard to make the process as easy as possible for our customers. If you are interested in learning more about having your office, place of business, or multiple locations photographed for a virtual tour, connect with us! You can reach our sales team, via our primary email address: sales@advancedonlineinsights.com. We look forward to working with you!



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