Key takeaway
Google Maps 360° imagery helps people discover and recognise your business inside Google's interface. A website virtual tour gives you control over branding, hotspots and calls to action. They complement each other, and one well-planned shoot can supply both.
Two places, two jobs
People searching on Google Maps are often deciding between several nearby options. Being able to look inside can help them recognise your entrance and get a feel for the space. People on your website are usually further along: they want details, comparisons and a way to enquire. These different moments call for different tools.
Side-by-side comparison
- Hosting — Google Maps: hosted by Google. Website tour: hosted on a tour platform or your own infrastructure, as agreed.
- Branding — Google Maps: none. Website tour: your logo, colours and scene names.
- Hotspots and links — Google Maps: not supported. Website tour: information panels, menus, capacities and enquiry buttons.
- Control — Google Maps: Google reviews imagery and decides what appears. Website tour: you decide what's shown and can update panels.
- Discovery — Google Maps: shown to people already searching for places. Website tour: seen by people who visit your site or receive your link.
How publishing to Google Maps works today
Google retired its standalone Street View app in 2023. Today, 360° photos are added through Google's own tools, such as the Google Maps app for individual images and Street View Studio for larger uploads. Google sets technical requirements (such as a 2:1 equirectangular format and minimum resolution) and content policies, and these can change. Any provider who promises guaranteed publication, placement or ranking is promising something only Google controls.
Which should you choose?
- A café or shop focused on walk-ins may start with Google Maps imagery.
- A hotel, venue or developer that sells on detail will benefit from a branded website tour.
- Most growing businesses use both, planning one shoot so the same panoramas serve each purpose.