Technology is constantly evolving. In the past, patients were only able to view your dental office once they arrived at their appointment. With the improvement of cameras and the widespread influence of Google Maps and images, it is easier than ever to let your patients step into your office without ever leaving the comfort of their own homes.

Google offers a feature called “Google Street View” for businesses, which allows users to virtually tour the interior of a business. This is often used for restaurants, shops, and other establishments. But it can be used for dental offices too!

Add a Google Office Tour to Your Business Profile to Make Your Business Page Stand Out

From Google:

When searching for businesses, consumers use mapping products 44% of the time. Listings with photos and a virtual tour are twice as likely to generate interest.

What is a Google Street View?

Google Street View photo shoots allow Google-certified photographers to create spherical images that are linked together through an easy-to-navigate interface. By clicking on the arrows on a virtual office tour, your potential patients are able to explore your whole office and get excited about the theming you’ve used throughout your practice.

Check out this safari office on Google Maps

Here’s How to Add a Street View Tour to Your Google Business Listing

There are 2 easy ways to add an interior street view tour to your business listing.

Here are general steps you can follow to add a Google Office Tour to your business page using Google Street View:

1. Create a Google My Business Account:
   • If you don’t already have a Google My Business account, create one by going to the Google My Business website and following the instructions to set up your business profile.
2. Verify Your Business:
   • Google will require you to verify your business ownership. This is typically done through a postcard sent to your business address with a verification code. Follow the instructions provided during the verification process.
3. Access Google Street View:
   • Once your business is verified, log in to your Google My Business account.
4. Navigate to the ‘Photos’ Section:
   • In your Google My Business dashboard, find the “Photos” tab or section.
5. Upload Interior Photos:
   • Add high-quality photos of the interior of your business. These photos will be used to create the virtual tour.
6. Hire a Google Street View Photographer:
   • While you can upload your own interior photos, hiring a professional Google Street View photographer is recommended for a more polished and immersive experience. You can find a trusted photographer through the Google Street View website. Hire the Google Street View team here.
7. Work with the Photographer:
   • Coordinate with the photographer to schedule a photo shoot of the interior of your business. They will capture 360-degree photos to create the virtual tour.
8. Review and Publish:
   • Once the photos are taken, review them to ensure they represent your business accurately. Then, publish the virtual tour to your Google My Business listing.
9. Promote Your Virtual Tour:
   • Share the virtual tour link on your website, social media, and other online platforms to showcase your business to potential customers.

Remember that features and processes on online platforms can change, so it’s a good idea to check the official Google My Business guidelines or contact their support for the most current information.

First Impressions are Key to Gaining New Patients

By providing a beautiful and colorful virtual office tour to explore, you get the chance to grab the attention of potential clients from the very first look. Virtual office tours are easy to add to any website and adding business photos may correlate with a higher local search ranking.

Whether you have a small practice or several large ones, including a virtual office tour for your patients to explore is as obvious as brushing your teeth.

Check out these related resources for ways to make your office stand out:

Hire the Google Street View team to come to your office to create a virtual tour for you.

6 Tips to Help You Take Great Photos of Your Themed Office

5 Easy Ways to Use an Award to Market Your Dental Office

Key Strategies to Jump-Start Your Dental Marketing

Contact Imagination Design Studios (IDS) to get started transforming your office from a mundane to magical patient experience.

Want more tips for marketing your office? Download the free guide to learn how to claim and optimize your Google business page.

You’ve just opened the doors of your newly themed office to the public, so now what? Show it off of course! It’s time to start spreading the word by utilizing social media and viral marketing with great photographs of your newly themed office.

How do you do that? Well, the first thing you’re going to need is some great photos of your new themed office. We’re here to help you get the best promotional photos you can.

6 Simple Tips on How to Make Your Amazing Office Look as Exciting in Photographs as It Does in Real Life

1. Avoid Bad Lighting in Your Promo Photos

Lighting is crucial for capturing the details and vibrancy of your themed office.

Try to avoid using a flash as flashes can cause unwanted glare and shadows. Using natural or artificial ceiling lights will give you a much better photograph and show off the colors of your amazing new office.

However, it is important to be aware of bright windows and harsh sunlight shining into your office when taking photos. Bright sunlight streaking across your photos can bleach out props and details on murals.

Too much sun bleaches out details.

Perfect lighting shows all the details.

2. Use Models to Add Size and Context to Your Themed Decor

Use a child or staff member as a model to give an idea of the size of your props. This will give viewers the right perspective on how large your prop is and convey how much fun it is for kids to interact with your decor.

Use models to demonstrate how the theme is integrated into the functionality of the office. If there are interactive elements or themed workspaces, photograph them in action. This not only highlights the aesthetics but also conveys the practicality and usability of the themed design.

Don’t forget a model release form to make it official. A model release form will protect you against civil liability lawsuits should an issue arise later on. Here’s a great resource on why you need a model release and a free template for making your own.

Kids interacting with theming.

Showing scale and having fun!

Bonus Tip: Use your theming as a photo op backdrop for “Cavity Free Club” photos and post those on social media on a regular basis.

3. Get All the Angles of Your Theming

Zoom in, zoom out. Take some close up shots of unique characters, detailed shots of quirky characteristics of the props, and some wide angle shots that allow the viewer to see the entire atmosphere of the themed room. 

Get the whole room in a shot.

Take a step closer for another view.

Take photographs at different levels. Stand on a chair or bend down to take photographs that show new perspectives and unique detailing on high or low props. Many of your young (and short!) patients will have a very different view of the props then you will so keep that in mind too for some different types of photos.

4. Get Creative and Use Depth of Field in Your Photos

A basic definition of depth of field is: the zone of acceptable sharpness within a photo that will appear in focus. Basically, you want to purposely make parts of your photo out of focus to draw attention to the subject. It helps to show a visual of this to understand it better:

A flat-looking photo with no depth of field.

Depth of field creates blur and focus, make those clams stand out.

Depth of field helps to take a good photo and turn it into a great photo. Close-up shots add depth and allow viewers to appreciate the craftsmanship and creativity in your themed design.

Depth of field makes Dr. Pigeon pop!

If you want to learn more about using depth of field to give your photographs that extra pow, check out this photography tips site that runs through the basics – a great resource for anyone who wants to take up their photography skills.

Even your phone camera can take intriguing photos with depth of field. Start experimenting with what you have if you don’t have a fancy camera.

5. Sometimes More is More!

Make sure to photograph each room and each individual prop from multiple angles. More photographs mean more stock images that you can use in magazine ads, flyers, social media updates, and of course for showing off to all your friends and family.

6. Hire a Professional Photographer

This is the easy option if you and your staff don’t have an eye for photography. A real estate photographer will know how to shoot the interior and exterior of your building, but as we have learned over the years from sending photographers to capture our installs, they may not know just how to shoot the unique theming in your office without a couple of the tips on this list. Feel free to share this blog with your hire!

Now that you have some good dental practice photos you can market them to your potential clients. Now share them to your website, Google business page, and social media. Remember not to post all of the photographs to social media at once, but instead post a few at a time which will keep your potential clients interested, and make your office seem like there is always something new and exciting going on.

Check out these related resources for how to show off your office and attract patients:

The Importance of a Website for Promoting Your Dental Practice

Add a Cool Google Office Tour to Make Your Business Page Stand Out

Jump-Start Your Dental Marketing with These Key Strategies

Contact Imagination Design Studios (IDS) to get started transforming your office from a mundane to magical patient experience.

Want more tips for marketing your office? Download the free guide to learn about branding basics, social media tips, ways to improve your online efforts, plus event and promotional ideas.