1. To show off your business personality 

One key feature of a virtual tour is that it provides a great representation of your brand at first glance. A majority of direct searches looking for your business will be greeted with a virtual tour that immediately shows off your company’s personality and aesthetic.The benefit of this is that people immediately get an idea of your brand identity without having to read too much into it or show up in person! 

2. Increase transparency and trust as a brand 

There’s something to be said about showing, rather than just telling, and adding a virtual tour to your business says a lot more than just your personality. It shows that your company is open, honest and transparent about its space without just saying so. This ultimately provides a level of transparency that many businesses are missing, as it shows people exactly what they’re getting by choosing your business. 

3. Give the people what they want 

Generation Z and millennials make up the majority of today’s internet users. They learn about products mostly through social media and search. And as for Gen Z’s very limited attention span, providing a virtual tour enables your business to grab that short span of attention! This is because virtual yours are engaging, interactive, and informative, keeping viewers interested. People are attracted to content they can touch, visualize and quickly understand, and a virtual tour addresses those needs.

4. Let out-of-state prospects experience your business 

One key thing that virtual tours (that is often overlooked by businesses) is giving long-distance prospects the ability to tour your property. This is also true for people who may have a harder time getting around, like seniors looking for a retirement community. Giving out-of-state prospects the ability to tour your space refines their search and helps prospective business partners feel more confident in the decision to visit your space in person.

5. Let people experience your development 

Virtual tours don’t just have to be made up of photos. What many businesses don’t realize is that we can also curate a 3D virtual tour. There are plenty of developments in senior living, multifamily and commercial real estate that can get a jump start on their marketing with 3D virtual tours. For instance, real estate developments that need to sign contracts and leases during construction. A 3D virtual tour lets people explore your space even before it’s completed.

6. Increase visibility

Research has shown that businesses with a virtual tour and photos tend to rank higher than local competitors. The reason for this is typically due to users spending more time on your site browsing the 360 images and 3D tours, which tells Google that people are interested in the business, thus ranking the listing higher for others to see.

7. High quality content increases click-through rates 

High quality photographs and 3D virtual tours lead to more click-throughs on the website. So adding a virtual tour not only increases traffic to your site, it’s also giving you a leg up on the competition that has yet invested in photography and a virtual tour.

8. Help customers make informed decisions 

A virtual tour is a crucial research tool for users, as it allows people to refine their search and thereby make an informed decision about your business. With a Google tour, you’re truly giving people an inside look at your business during that crucial discovery phase.

9. Attract more customers 

Nearly 100% of people search for a business before making a decision, and if you have a virtual tour at their disposal, you’re more likely to attract them to your business - even those people who aren’t local. There are no barriers for people who are immobile or across the globe. You offer a connection that reaches even more customers than just those people in your neighborhood.

10. Keep people engaged longer 

Naturally, a virtual tour is going to help boost website engagement rates. This is because it’s an interactive tool that doesn’t require a quick look. It requires that the user engages and clicks through the tour in its entirety. This will likely to keep people on your website longer. In fact, embedded virtual tours keep people on your website 5-10x longer than those that do not have a virtual tour at all. When extended time on your site increases, Google boosts your rankings to appear higher in search results simply because it recognizes your site as helpful to others. So naturally, it wants to show even more people.