What Is a Virtual Tour? A Guide for Business Owners
Everything you need to know before you decide whether your business needs one.
Service and Format Guides · 14 September 2026 · 3 min read
Written by the Biztour team - Google Trusted Photographers since 2013.
A virtual tour is a set of panoramic photographs of your premises, linked together so a visitor can look around and move from area to area online, the way they would if they walked through the door. It replaces a static photo gallery with something a customer can actually explore before they decide to visit.
We've been building these for UK businesses since 2013, when we were among the first Google Trusted Photographers in the country, and we've shot 1,338+ of them since. This is the plain-English version of what a client is actually paying for.
- A set of linked 360-degree scenes, not a single photo or a video
- Two main formats: a Google tour (for Search and Maps) or a Matterport tour (3D, with floor plans)
- Opens in any browser, on any device, nothing to install
- Shows up on your Google Business Profile, your website, or wherever you share the link
The two formats: Google and Matterport
A Google virtual tour is published directly to your Google Business Profile and Google Maps, so it appears at the exact moment someone is searching for your business. It's a one-time investment with no hosting or subscription fees, and because we're Google Street View trusted photographers, it's shot and published to meet Google's own quality standard.
A Matterport tour adds a 3D dollhouse view and accurate measurements on top of the walkthrough, which matters more where floor plans and square footage are part of the decision, such as property, coworking or industrial space. Most businesses only need one format. If you're weighing the two, our comparison of Google vs Matterport breaks down when each one earns its keep.
Want this costed for your own space?
Tell us the size of the place and what it is for. You get a written quote, and we aim to reply within 15 minutes in business hours.
What's actually involved in getting one made
A photographer visits your premises and captures a series of 360-degree panoramic scenes, one for each distinct area, then stitches and links them so a viewer can navigate between them with on-screen arrows. A small single-space business typically needs 10 scenes or fewer; larger venues with several distinct areas need more.
Once it's stitched and published, it's a lasting asset rather than a one-off video clip. We retain copyright of the finished work, and you receive a lifetime licence to use it however you like: your website, listings, social channels, print and advertising.
An enhanced tour can also have hotspots added, clickable points inside a scene that carry information, images or a direct enquiry link.
Where it actually shows up once it's live
For a Google tour, that's your Business Profile and Google Maps, alongside your regular photos, plus wherever you choose to embed or link it yourself, your own website, an email, a listing. It keeps working long after the shoot, with no plugin, no app and no login required to view it.
Questions people ask
What is a Google virtual tour, specifically?
It's a virtual tour built and published in the format Google Maps and Search recognise, so it appears directly on your Google Business Profile the way your regular photos do. It's the most cost-effective format because there's no hosting fee, and it's shot by a Google Street View trusted photographer to meet Google's own publishing standard.
Is a virtual tour the same as a 360 photo?
Not quite. A single 360 photo is one panoramic scene. A virtual tour links several scenes together with navigation, so a visitor moves between rooms or areas rather than looking at one static panorama.
How much does a virtual tour cost?
Google tour pricing starts at £525 for a small single-space business, rising with the number of scenes a larger premises needs. Our full pricing breakdown has the exact tiers.
Google virtual tours for every kind of business
Over 13years of shooting means we've worked in almost every kind of space. Find yours to see what a tour does for your industry.
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Our prices start at £525 and are based on your specific requirements. We aim to respond to all form submissions and email enquiries within 15 minutes during business hours.
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