A virtual tour is a series of 360° panoramic images or videos that are connected in a space and allow navigation. A button called a hotspot connects the images or scenes to one another to allow the viewer to move from scene to scene. The closer the 360° scenes are created together the more realistic the experience. 

Buttons called info spots allow us to display traditional video, traditional 2D photos, 3D models, website links, audio, text, pdf documents, maps, or embedded code into a tour to enhance the interactivity of a tour. 

Any business that is customer or client facing will benefit from a virtual tour. If your business relies on marketing and search engine optimization you and your clients will benefit.

We start the process by determining your needs and budget. Once we’ve established that your business is a good candidate for a virtual tour we take a series of 360° degree photos. Those 360° are stitched together into a single equirectangular photo that is 100% in length by 50% in height. 

We then color correct the photos, remove little blemishes like scrapes in the wall or dirt on the floor and of course we remove the tripod from the image. The images are then uploaded to a software and we build the tour to suite your needs. If we are creating a Google Business Listing virtual tour they are published to Google’s servers where they live for as long as you have a business listing. 

If we are building a custom tour we will complete the build, publish the tour to our servers, and provide you with a link to view your tour, the html code so you can embed your tour on your website, and as an option a link to download the 360° photos which can be uploaded to social media post.

A short answer is 48 hours to 90 days. Here are the factors that affect the delivery date.

-How large is the space?

-How many scenes or 360° images need to be photographed?

-Are their multiple buildings or locations?

-Will the tour be a custom hosted virtual tour, a Google Business Virtual Tour, or a combination.

-If the tour is a custom tour . . . 

What kind of content is needed for your info spots (videos, 2D photos, maps, menus, 360° videos, documents, embedded code, custom menus, ect.)

That all depends on the kind of tour that is being created and your individual needs. 

For Google Business Virtual Tours, we publish them to your Google Business Listing, Google Maps Listing, and Google Street View app for you. We provide you with the link and html code which we recommend you post on your website, share the links in your social media, and upload the 360° to your Facebook page because they improve engagement.

For custom tours we recommend the same as with our Google tours but we also recommend you share the links in your marketing campaigns. You can create a QR code that links to your tour on your marketing material. We highly recommend embedding your tour on your website landing page to encourage exploration and engagement which helps your SEO organically.

We see our tours sent out in emails, social media post, direct mailers, physical marketing material, your website, your Google Business Listing, real estate flyers and yard signs and other creative ways you market your business. 

Once again this is going to be determined by the time it takes to produce the tour. Many of the factors that are discussed in the FAQ “How long does it take to create a virtual tour?” There is a wide range from $360 for a Google Virtual Tour in the OKC metro area to thousands of dollars. 

Virtual tours have been around for a very long time, however Google accelerated the technology with their Street View technology in 2007. The concept really began to take flight internationally in 2020 with the pandemic fueling the need. Post pandemic consumers have begun to expect interactive and immersive technology especially virtual tours in industries like small business listing, colleges, tourism and hospitality, and of course real estate. With the recent mass adoption of VR and AR headsets like the Meta 2 & 3 and Apple Vision Pro, we are seeing an increased demand increasing. Allied Market Research states that the virtual tour market size was “…Valued at 448.10 million dollars in 2020 and is projected to reach 6.5 billion by 2030, growing at CAGR of 31% from 2021 to 2030.”

The depends on your use case, goals, and objectives. For small businesses like retail we typically recommend a Google Virtual Tour. They are cost effective, quick, and produce great ROI as there is only a one time charge.

For more complex industries like real estate, museums, colleges, hospitality, and tourism a custom tour is a better fit, however we will typically include a Google Virtual Tour as part of your custom tour package.