Today at the Social-Loco conference in San Francisco, Google VP of Product Marisa Mayer announced the newest addition to Google Places and Street View – Google Business Photos.
With Google Business Photos, Google Street View no longer stops at the front stoop of that French bistro you’ve been wondering about but not yet ventured to – it goes inside and gives you a full, sneak peak, 360 view of what’s inside.
Mayer announced the new feature today, explaining that Google Places now has more than 50 million place pages, with 5 million ratings and reviews, which grow at a pace of more than a million new reviews each month.
ReadWriteWeb actually reported on Google Street View going into stores more than a year ago, but today that report has become a reality. According to Mayer, the feature is set to go live in around a week, but business owners can request to be included starting today. The feature will roll out initially in the U.S., Japan, Australia and New Zealand in select cities.
If you’re hoping for Google to come take places of your business, don’t let the limited city list deter you. According to the Business Photos page, “Any business can apply for a photo shoot, and demand will help us decide where to send our photographers next.”
