On Thursday afternoon I received a text message from Mike, our Vice President of Operations (VPO) in regards to a message he was getting from our Pinellas Park tanning salon location. Those of you that read my blog on a daily basis or that subscribe to my RSS feed are already aware that I’m the founder of Extreme Tan and Smoothies, a chain of six indoor tanning salons serving over 750,000 tanners in the Tampa, Florida area.
Mike had received a phone call from the store manager at our Pinellas Park location in regards to Google. In short, someone claiming to be from Google wanted to stop by to take pictures of the exterior and interior portions of that specific Extreme Tan and Smoothies location. Now it sounds pretty simple, but we have a very strict no photographs policy that we’ve enforced for the past seven years. No notice, no approval, no pictures.
Screenshot from Google Voice – Click to enlarge
Keep in mind this is Google we are talking about and honestly they could stop by my house at 3am to take pictures (and write checks), and I wouldn’t complain for one second about it. Either way, since I hadn’t heard anything about Google Places or Google coming out to take pictures I jumped on the internet and did a quick search on that thing they call Google 
I found this on Google, it explains why Google is taking pictures of businesses.
Google Places Taking Pictures for Business
Extreme Tan and Smoothies Pinellas Park, FL 727-546-2660 8a-12a
Google Places Listing on Google Maps
Here’s an example of how a Google Places listing will appear on Google Maps, the example below is the Pinellas tanning salon that Google stopped by to photograph.
5 Basic Google Places Tips for Business Owners
- Claim your Google Places page
- Update your business information
- Be prepared to add photos and videos
- Make a list of the services you offer
- Complete your profile 100%
Parting Shots
Hearing that Google had called and would be stopping by to take pictures is pretty exciting to me, even if Google is doing this with many small businesses I’m still excited that out of all of the businesses in the area that Google came to my business. Everything went without a hitch and I’m excited to see if Google makes any changes to our GooglePlaces page in the coming weeks and months.
This also serves as another one of the MANY reasons that I don’t even consider Facebook a Google competitor, Google gets what it takes to work with small businesses where Facebook thinks they get small business.
Your Turn
Do you currently list your business in Google Places or has Google stopped by to take pictures for Google Places and their possible panoramic virtual photo tours, leave a comment and share your experience.
Oh yeah portions of the Extreme Tan and Smoothies TV commercial were also filmed at the Pinellas Park tanning salon location mentioned above, here’s a video of the TV commercial.
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: danalingga
Congrats for Google noticing. So, it means that Google really work hard to dominate the internet business. I think this Google place may be used of many small business to introduce their business to wider customers.
Dana @ Tablet PC Info´s last [type] ..Sony Ericsson W150i Yendo Cell Phone
Twitter: RoofCleanMD
Man, that’s awesome! Google Places dominates the top searches, but mine never shows. What an accomplishment, way to go!
Phil@Roof Cleaning Company in Maryland´s last [type] ..Cleaning for Heroes
Twitter: extremejohn
Thank you Phil I appreciate it, all though just about any business can get in that action.
Interesting blog John, looking more such…great footer also
sudeep´s last [type] ..Simple wallpapers for your desktop – Simple Desktop
Twitter: extremejohn
Thank you Sudeep I appreciate it.
Our Pet Store, PET SAFARI in Clearwater is on the Google Places list.
They sent us a Google Places decal to put on front door.
You can also go onto your Google account and add your own photos
If you have some special customers or friends ask them to post a good review for your business also.
tSiA
Twitter: extremejohn
Exactly Dave, Google has some excellent things to offer small businesses through Google Places.
Google will use a representative sample of photos from different locations within your business, including a picture of your business from the outside. However, if you’re not happy with them, you can upload different photos of your own through Google Places.
John, do you feel like you made it. Congrats. I have a few google places set up. Not getting any calls from it yet, but my business is pretty seasonal. Hoping in the spring it gets my phone to start ringing.
Twitter: extremejohn
Hey Tom, thanks for taking the time to comment. Ya know I can safely say that being as seasonal as the indoor tanning business is that doing the work in the off season pays off, or at least it has for me. I’m willing to be you see some serious results in your next season.
Claiming your Google places pages is really important because it integrates with the search engine results. They have a new thing called tags which you can use to highlight coupons in your Google Places listing as well. One more thing is the new boost ad that integrates with AdWords and Google Maps for local listings. It makes your ad stand out 75% more then regular Google AdWords.
Twitter: extremejohn
All excellent tips as always Crystal, and all features I like to take advantage of.
Hi there,
Done! In fact I set up our Google Places profile last Tuesday. The only trouble is that we’re not a retailer so it didn’t make sense to submit pictures. I realise that’s perhaps a handicap.
Thanks!
Pete
Pete @ Transfer Money Abroad´s last [type] ..BoE Minutes- Good News For People Planning To Transfer Money
Twitter: roof_cleaning
LOL, I have a pic of my HOUSE on my places page, since I work out of my home! I clean roofs in Tampa, and go TO the customer. It’s all good though, and I agree John. Google can come by at 3am and do whatever they want:)
Chris@Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa Florida´s last [type] ..roof stain removal tampa florida
Twitter: extremejohn
Post a picture of a clean roof that you’ve cleaned
or better yet a few pictures, take a before and after video. Use it completely 
Google is always making a way in which they can expand their services for the comfort of it’s users. They are now leading in providing relevant information to users.
But Google doesn’t stop there because they’re still up for more.
Google is now creating the Google maps to widen it’s services. This Google maps will help users to locate a certain business establishment in a map. On the other hand, they are allowing businesses to be listed for free. So, this is a free advertising opportunity for the businesses while Google widens it’s services.
Armil@google business listing´s last [type] ..Hello world!
Twitter: adamtoporek
Hi John,
We had Google come by one of our stores a few weeks ago. The photographer was very professional (even let me “direct” the shoot a bit). Two things I did find out: 1) he said it would be 6-12 months before the pictures posted and 2) he said he said from what he has seen they are focused on brick and mortar service businesses right now; tanning, massage, gyms, salons, etc. Not sure how accurate that is, as it is just based on the photographer’s knowledge.
Either way, congratulations on getting picked! They are obviously being selective. And kudos to Google for making the effort.
Adam Toporek @Small Business and Franchise Consulting´s last [type] ..3 Lessons Small Businesses Can Learn from the Best Franchises
I’d heard they’d started doing this, its all a part of their push to ensure places is populated by brick and mortar businesses that people can walk into if they choose as opposed to web based businesses. Very interesting.
Twitter: roof_cleaning
Google is also calling businesses to verify that the address they give on their place page is a real one.
Chris@Apple Roof Cleaning Tampa Florida´s last [type] ..Chemical Roof Cleaning Tampa