Matterport 3D Virtual Tour FAQ's
Absolutely! Our 3D Virtual Tours are cross compatible for viewing on ANY device – desktop, mobile, tablet, VR headset – you name it.
You are not required to be on site while we scan the property. The scanning process can be time consuming and most real estate professionals prefer to provide a lock-box code or unlock the property themselves. During the scan, rooms must be empty (or appear so) in order to align properly and avoid inconsistencies. Even the camera operator has to “hide” from the camera for each scan. You are welcome to stay on site during the entirety of the scan, but you will be guided by the camera operator regarding where you can be so as not to appear in the tour.
Google and Matterport 3D virtual tours both have advantages. You will receive a FREE Matterport 3D virtual tour with every Google Street View Tour.
Google Virtual Tours:
- ONLY Google Virtual Tours appear right in Google search results and Google Maps. This doubles the effectiveness of your Google presence.
- Price: Automated processing allows a remarkably low production cost.
- Improved Google Local Search Results Ranking (Slightly, but even better with a virtual tour on you website.)
- Improved Click-Through Rates from search results to your website.
- See everything. A Google tour usually includes far more 360 steps, more closely placed, giving visitors the chance to look more closely at what is on the walls, hangers and shelves. Especially good for retail stores. Like walking through yourself.
- No website? No problem. Google Virtual Tours are hosted by Google and get results even if your business has no website. (Although a website is a major contributor to search engine ranking.)
- The best option if your website doesn’t allow virtual tours. This is especially true of franchise sites, many canned or template sites or if you just don’t want the programing challenge. And, if you can embed a YouTube video or Google map on your site, you can easily embed a Google virtual tour.
- Google Branding on the tour even when embedded on your website. Some feel this lends a cache’ of credibility.
- Embed the tour on your website or Facebook page.
Matterport 3D Virtual Tours:
- Significant Native Search Engine Ranking improvements on all search engines when tour is given proper exposure.
- Enhancements greatly improving effectiveness:
- Background sound or music
- Voice over narrator
- Automated cinematic motion
- Animated elements within images
- Thumbnail navigation to move rapidly from one location to another especially over long distances.
- Floor plans
- Maps
- Descriptive text, captions and titles
- Virtual objects
- Videos
- Essentially, anything you can think of can be done
- Share more of your story. Include voice over, pop-up text, even titles to tell visitors what they are looking at and why it is important adds significantly.
- Real 360×180 viewing on mobile devices. Look all the way up and down without distortion. Works on all modern iOS, Android and Windows devices.
- No Google Branding in the tour.
We understand that sometimes schedule changes are unavoidable. If you need to cancel or reschedule your scan, please do so within 72 hours of your scan to avoid additional fees.
48 hours in advance booking is required.
Staging must be completed in advance and other vendors scheduled at a different time from our appointment.
Please see our Preparing for a Property Scan page for more information
The 3D Showcase camera system incorporates HighDynamicRange Imaging (HDR) sensors which allow the camera to adjust to changes in light. This means that both light and dark areas can be captured at the same time. The only issues encountered with this system are direct overhead sunlight. Showcases ultimately turn out best when scheduled on a cloudy day, or in the morning or evening hours. As long as there is sufficient interior lighting, the finished project will look as good as a model created on a sunny day.
For oceanfront properties and similar spaces that feature a view to the outside property as a key selling point, good weather is best, but can be worked out on a case-by-case basis.
The nature of LIDAR 3D scanning is such that environments of harsh or bright sunlight may affect sections of the 3D model. Outdoor scanning is not supported and will be included only when possible. 360° photos are available if weather permits at time of scan.
Within 48 hours of scan completion.
It typically takes 60 minutes for every 1,000 square feet. Each individual scan takes about 1 minute. For projects larger than 25,000 square feet, scans may take several days to complete.
3D Showcases require an enormous amount of data and bandwidth, which is why they are stored in the cloud on special high speed servers. The first year of hosting is free, and to continue hosting there is a $79/model annual fee. You are free to cancel hosting at any time.
After you receive your 3D Showcase URL and HTML embed code, it’s easy!
Simply share the link with anyone and everyone via email, Facebook or even Twitter. Once you have your HTML code it’s just like embedding a YouTube video – you can put it in marketing emails or on your website/blog.
With a single page link, it’s even easier. Simply copy and paste the website URL as a link to share.
- URL link for the MLS
- HTML embed code (use like embedding a YouTube video) for your website
- 3D Showcase Tour
- Flyover Floor Plan View
- Dollhouse View
- Free hosting – includes 1 year of hosting. Each additional year of hosting is $79 per 3D Showcase Tour
- Single page website with custom URL (if applicable)
- Outdoor 360° Photospheres
A Rich Media Matter Tag is a drop pin description that highlights key features and labels rooms. It can include text, images or video descriptions embedded in your 3D Showcase Tour.
The 3D Showcase uses “WebGL”, the modern standard for handling 3D content viewed on the web. On desktop computers, WebGL is supported by all of the latest versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple’s Safari, and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.
On mobile devices, WebGL is supported by Apple’s Safari for iOS 8 and Google’s Chrome for Android devices. Loading times typically can take longer on mobile devices. If you can’t view the Virtual Tour, please update your browser.
Check your browser’s compatibility with this free browser compatibility tool: https://get.webgl.org
Google Virtual Tour FAQ's
The cost is one time, nothing additional. The business owner gets full access to and use of the virtual tour. The tour can be embedded on your website, Facebook or blog. If you ever want the tour removed you can do that. If you would like an updated shoot to reflect seasonal changes, new features, a remodeling or whatever it can be arranged as an additional shoot at a discount.
Google and Matterport 3D virtual tours both have advantages. You will receive a FREE Matterport 3D virtual tour with every Google Street View Tour.
Google Virtual Tours:
- ONLY Google Virtual Tours appear right in Google search results and Google Maps. This doubles the effectiveness of your Google presence.
- Price: Automated processing allows a remarkably low production cost.
- Improved Google Local Search Results Ranking (Slightly, but even better with a virtual tour on you website.)
- Improved Click-Through Rates from search results to your website.
- See everything. A Google tour usually includes far more 360 steps, more closely placed, giving visitors the chance to look more closely at what is on the walls, hangers and shelves. Especially good for retail stores. Like walking through yourself.
- No website? No problem. Google Virtual Tours are hosted by Google and get results even if your business has no website. (Although a website is a major contributor to search engine ranking.)
- The best option if your website doesn’t allow virtual tours. This is especially true of franchise sites, many canned or template sites or if you just don’t want the programing challenge. And, if you can embed a YouTube video or Google map on your site, you can easily embed a Google virtual tour.
- Google Branding on the tour even when embedded on your website. Some feel this lends a cache’ of credibility.
- Embed the tour on your website or Facebook page.
Matterport 3D Virtual Tours:
- Significant Native Search Engine Ranking improvements on all search engines when tour is given proper exposure.
- Enhancements greatly improving effectiveness:
- Background sound or music
- Voice over narrator
- Automated cinematic motion
- Animated elements within images
- Thumbnail navigation to move rapidly from one location to another especially over long distances.
- Floor plans
- Maps
- Descriptive text, captions and titles
- Virtual objects
- Videos
- Essentially, anything you can think of can be done
- Share more of your story. Include voice over, pop-up text, even titles to tell visitors what they are looking at and why it is important adds significantly.
- Real 360×180 viewing on mobile devices. Look all the way up and down without distortion. Works on all modern iOS, Android and Windows devices.
- No Google Branding in the tour.
We understand that sometimes schedule changes are unavoidable. If you need to cancel or reschedule your scan, please do so within 72 hours of your scan to avoid additional fees.
48 hours in advance booking is required.
Staging must be completed in advance and other vendors scheduled at a different time from our appointment.
Please see our Preparing for a Property Scan page for more information
The entry point to a Google Street View Tour is from the ‘See Photos’ link on your businesses listing. You can also enter your tour by dropping the ‘pegman’ on your building in Google Maps. In some instances, your tour may be linked to the actual street to where someone playing around with Google Street View can navigate into your business.
You can also choose to embed your GSV tour on your website. Our clients receive BOTH a Google Street View and Matterport Tour. We believe that Matterport Spaces are much easier to navigate, load faster, and are an overall better product. Therefore, we recommend using the Matterport Tour for your website.
It typically takes 60 minutes for every 1,000 square feet. Each individual scan takes about 1 minute. For projects larger than 25,000 square feet, scans may take several days to complete.
There is a large range of cameras that can produce 360° Photospheres. The Ricoh Theta is an inexpensive consumer camera that many low priced Google Street View photographers use. Hallmarks include low resolution, lack of depth of field and substandard image quality.
We use the latest Matterport Pro 2 Camera. This amazing camera provides high quality images and generates a standalone 3D tour for our clients’ websites
We come to your business with specialized equipment to produce 360 spherical panoramas allowing web visitors to look all around as if they were there. With proprietary software from Google we link these together into a virtual walk-through of your business, from the front entrance to as much coverage inside as you like.
Your Virtual Tour will appear in Google Search and Google Maps. It gives internet users a virtual walk-through allowing you to showcase all the details of your business. Sort of “try before you buy” that customers love. The service is perfect for restaurants, retail shops, automobile dealerships, doctors, dentists, lawyers, gyms, salons, and so much more. If you have made any effort to create a business environment to impress customers this is the perfect way to impress them even before they visit in person.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization — optimizing a website to improve its ranking on search engines. The higher your site appears in search results the more likely people are to click through to the site itself. Our custom tours have a significant impact on search ranking. Google tours have less although they do increase “time on page,” if given some prominence, which influences ranking. Google tours can significantly increase the click-through rates from the search results to a website, which also helps search ranking.
Google also has Local Search Results (e.g.. “dentists in Chicago”). A small selection with mini-map appears in the search results. Click that and you get a full map, much more extensive local listings and much more information about each business including the virtual tour, if there is one. Here Google Virtual Tours may influence ranking. More importantly it doubles your impact with Google searchers.
Only a Google certified “Trusted Photographer” such as Aaron Lilley of ReOrbitVR can provide this service. Especially valuable is our ability to produce a Google Virtual Tour, a more advanced Matterport 3D Virtual Tour and professional still photography. This maximizes your search visibility and interaction and the effectiveness of your marketing message once people get to your site.
For a free consultation and estimate, please call Aaron at (909) 686-1183 or Contact Us.