While many of us were pre-occupied with Facebook’s big unveiling of Graph Search on Tuesday, Google let out a little tidbit of information about its own local search offering: over 100,000 businesses have used the Google Business Photos feature since it officially launched a year ago.
This is essentially Street View taken inside of stores.
“With the use of high-quality panoramic imagery and Street View technology, businesses have been able to offer customers an interactive tour without physically setting foot inside – perfect for showcasing the ambiance of a wine bar or the layout of a gym,” said Google Maps product manager Shailesh Nalawadi.
Users can view business photos from Google Maps on the desktop, or on Android and iOS smartphones and tablets.
As it continues to grow, this should be a key feature for Google when it comes to local search, especially considering Facebook’s new offering, which has the advantage of users’ friends.
Last month, Google started highlighting the Business Photos from search results pages, making the imagery even more visible to users.
So far, Google Business Photos are only available in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Spain, Italy, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, but the company says it is working on expanding to more countries.
If you have a store, and you want to add this feature, check out Google’s site here.