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How Much Does it Cost to Make a Virtual Tour?

Virtual tours are one of the newest marketing innovations. Using this technology, a customer can walk through your business from the comfort of their home. This is a great way to make your business stand out by showing off your facilities.

This has started to become more popular lately, with many small businesses wanting to capitalize on this type of marketing. This raises an important question.

How much should you budget to create a virtual tour?

Let’s answer this question and learn more about what’s involved with creating one of these tours.

What is a Virtual Tour?

Let’s start by briefly discussing what this technology is. A virtual tour allows you to explore an area remotely. It will be like you are standing in the room. 

Using the cursor, you’ll be able to get a 360-degree view of the room, checking it out from every angle. There will be arrows to help you move into the next space. One of the best examples of this technology is Google Street View. These representations are made by combining dozens of panoramic images.

  • Read more on what is a virtual tour?

Do Virtual Tours Benefit Businesses?

Before we go into more detail about how much they cost, we need to know whether they are effective. So, should you be spending money on designing one at all? The answer is a strong yes. There are plenty of benefits that this technology can unlock.

First, analytics have shown that websites that offer a walkthrough have higher customer engagement. People spend more time on your site. You get a higher clickthrough rate and get more calls from interested people.

Unlike other types of marketing, the user will be able to change the experience to suit them. As an example, imagine that you are running a restaurant. Your customers can replicate the experience of sitting at one of your tables on a romantic evening. This is much more impactful than just reading about it on your website.

Secondly, this technology is still relatively new. As a result, not many small businesses have it. This presents a valuable opportunity. You can be the first in your area. This gives you the chance to make sure that your business stands out from the competition.

Thirdly, you’ll be able to use this technology to improve your Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This is how search engines will decide where to rank your website. Tags can be embedded into the virtual tour. When done properly, this can be all it takes to get to the number one spot.

How Much Does a Virtual Tour Cost?

Now that we know some of the reasons why it’s worth the investment, we can turn our attention to finding out how much it will cost. Usually, this will depend on a few factors.

Most importantly, the size of your location. The more square feet the business is, the more time it takes to photograph and compile. As a result, you will end up paying more.

You’ll also need to consider who is creating the tour. If you want to save money, you can hire an inexperienced team. But the quality of the experience will suffer. Remember, this is an investment in your businesses’ future. Because of this, you want to find someone who knows what they are doing.

Sometimes, you will find companies that try to get ongoing monthly or yearly fees. This structure works well for them, providing a stable income stream. But it doesn’t work as well for you. Because of this, it’s best to use a company that has a simple one-off fee.

Usually, a virtual tour will start at around $750. But the price can increase rapidly from there. The best way to compare prices is by getting a quote.

Creating the Virtual Tour

Creating a virtual tour can seem like an expensive proposition. But once you learn everything that goes into making them you’ll understand why they come with a premium price tag.

First, the company will need to bring in a camera. This will be positioned on a tripod, holding it still. Then, they will need to take a series of scans of the area. This lets them create a virtual picture of the site. The camera will then be moved to the next location where the process will begin again.

Once the pictures have been taken, they will be rendered. This is the process of stitching all the photos together to create a realistic 3D walk-through of your property. After this, you can preview the tour. Sometimes, you might want to add special features to spice up the tour a bit. For example, you can embed a YouTube video.

After you are happy with the tour, it’s time for the team to put on the finishing touches. They might want to embed tags to improve the SEO. Next, it’s time to add it to Google Street View and put it into your website. This will allow your customers to enjoy the experience of walking through your business.

How Long Does it Take to Create a Virtual Tour?

The process of making your virtual tour can be intensive. The good news is that it won’t take too long before you start to see results. Usually, it will only take a few hours to get the shots. Then, the team will work their magic. Before you know, the shots will be on Google for the whole community to enjoy.

When you choose 360-virtual.com, we will work around your business schedule to take the shots. This will help minimize the disruption that your business will face.

Finding the Best Virtual Tour Photographer

If you are going to create a virtual tour, you want to make sure that you are getting the right team for the job. When you start searching online, you’ll discover there are plenty of people advertising this service. But this can be confusing. After all, you don’t want to end up a lot of money on someone who will give you an inferior product.

But how can you find someone you can trust?

First, you must find someone who is a certified Google Trusted Photographer. This is a program that was started by the tech company, making sure that they are giving their users the best possible experience. Certified photographers are allowed to upload their work directly to Google. This will increase their visibility on the platform. As a result, people who choose to hire these photographers will see an increase in their SEO.

At 360-virtual.com, our photographers are certified Google Trusted Photographers. This ensures that we can offer our clients a superior product.

Another important element to check is the type of equipment that the photographer is using. Today, anyone can come along and snap some shots with a phone.

But these handheld shots will all be at different heights, giving the tour a disjointed feeling. Because of this, you need to make sure that the photographer has a tripod. This will hold the camera steady, giving you clearer pictures. They’ll also need to use a specialized camera.

Third, it’s a good idea to check out their online reputation. You need to find a company that has a long history of positive customer reviews. Ask for examples of their work. This lets you check that they are providing quality products.

Finally, make sure that you own the rights to the tour. This ensures that you can use the tour however you want. While this might seem like a given, some companies seek to retain the copyright. This means that you need to pay them a fee for allowing you to use it on their website. Once you’ve found a company that you like, reach out to them and ask for a quote.

Using Your Virtual Tour

Once you have made your virtual tour, it’s time to put it to use. There are dozens of scenarios where a virtual tour can be a useful tool. Real estate agents have started using virtual tours extensively. They have proven to be a good way for a customer to get acquainted with the house before they decide to buy it.

There are dozens of other uses for this technology. Restaurants and cafes can use it to show off their ambiance. Gyms can use it to showcase their facilities. Office managers can use a virtual tour to attract staff, illustrating what sets their workplace apart. Or it can be a fun way of connecting with your customers.

Contact 360-virtual.com Today

A virtual tour is quickly becoming one of the most important marketing tools that companies have at their disposal. There are plenty of reasons to use them. They can boost customer engagement. They can improve your SEO. They can help set you apart from your competitors. Plus, they might not be as expensive as you expect.

If you are looking for a reliable organization to create your virtual tour, you should contact 360-virtual.com. Our team are certified Google Trusted Photographers. We have a wealth of experience helping small businesses throughout the country. Plus, we have dozens of positive reviews from satisfied customers. So, give us a call today and find out how we can help you make the perfect virtual tour.