Google Street View: Should You Promote Yours?

You’ve probably heard about Google Street View: It’s a 360 degree street level view of streets in your neighborhood. It’s interactive in that you can “walk” up and down the streets to see businesses and houses in the area.

I never paid much attention to Google Street View until recently when I went out for lunch with a friend to a part of town I rarely go. I wanted to find the building I was supposed to go to – I wanted to know what it looked like (without having to search for the street number while I was driving). I found it online and that helped me find it in person.

Google Street View gives local guidance

Here’s an example below of Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Maryland.

You see the map.

But do you also see the little orange human-shaped figure in the navigation section of the map? If you go to Google Maps and drag-and-drop him onto the map, you get Google Street View.

I viewed Johns Hopkins University Hospital through Google Street View and here is what I got:

Cool!

Now imagine the possibilities for your business. Link to or embed the map on your website. Encourage people to view the street view of your business. Create an online video using Google Street View to show people where to park, where to enter, etc.

And, if Google hasn’t been by your neighborhood to film your street, why not give your business a quick facelift so that you’re ready when they are.