Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Business Photos from Google are now on Place pages

Six months ago, we announced the pilot of a project to take photos of business interiors. Through this program, business owners located in the U.S., Australia and Japan could invite our photographers into their establishments to take high-quality images of their businesses. Excitement from interested business owners grew quickly, and we’ve since taken photos of businesses in about 30 cities.

Starting today, the images we’ve taken as part of the pilot can be viewed on the Place pagesof participating businesses. Users and potential customers who look online for local businesses can now see more high-quality photos that give them a sense of what a place is really like. The photos may include the storefront, decor, layout, merchandise, food, signage about hours and accepted payment types, and other items that help people learn more about a business and decide if they want to go there. For example, if you’re looking for the perfect restaurant to make a good impression on a first date, the high-quality interior photos might help you decide if the ambiance and atmosphere of a particular place are right for the occasion you’re planning.

Here are a few examples of these high-resolution photos:


Susan Avery Flowers and Event Styling, a wedding services, event planning and florist shop in Sydney, Australia

法善寺横丁 正弁丹吾亭, or Shoben Tango Tei, an authentic Japanese restaurant in Osaka, Japan


Pane e Vino, an award-winning Italian Restaurant in San Francisco, CA

Business owners who worked directly with our photographers across these three regions will see the photos from Google on their Place page within the coming weeks. Thanks to all of you who welcomed us into your businesses. We’re continuing to take photos at more business locations, and urge others to let us know if you’d like us to visit you as well.

In the meantime, you can also upload your own photos and videos of your business by signing in to Google Places. By building out your Place page with visuals and other relevant business information - such as hours of operation, offers and more - you’ll help potential customers learn more about you and feel like they know what to expect when they actually walk through your doors.

Posted by Gadi Royz, Product Manager