A Matterport virtual tour can do more than give customers an interactive look inside a business. When properly prepared and published, it can also become part of a business’s presence on Google Maps and Google Street View.
At Momentum 360, we work with Matterport technology and Google publishing tools to create immersive virtual tours for businesses, commercial properties, and other locations. In this guide, we’ll walk through the basic process of preparing a Matterport space and publishing it to Google Street View.
If you’re a business owner, marketing professional, photographer, or agency considering a virtual tour, this guide will help you understand how the process works and what to expect.
What Is a Matterport Virtual Tour?
Matterport is a platform for creating immersive 3D digital spaces. A compatible camera is used to capture a physical location through a series of scans. Those scans are then processed into an interactive digital model that people can explore online.
A virtual tour can be used on a business website, shared through marketing channels, or published to supported Google products.
For businesses, the biggest advantage is simple: customers can get a better understanding of a physical location before they ever visit.
This can be particularly useful for:
- Retail stores
- Restaurants
- Medical and healthcare facilities
- Hotels
- Real estate properties
- Offices
- Event venues
- Salons and spas
- Auto dealerships
- Educational facilities
- Commercial properties
If you need a professionally designed experience for your business, you can learn more about our custom 360 virtual tours.
Why Publish a Virtual Tour to Google Street View?
Google Maps is often one of the first places people look when researching a local business.
A Google Business Profile provides customers with important information such as the business name, address, phone number, hours, reviews, photos, and directions. Adding professionally captured interior imagery can give potential customers another reason to explore the business before visiting.
For a local business in Philadelphia, Cleveland, or another competitive market, that additional visual information can help create a stronger first impression.
It is important to remember that a virtual tour is not a replacement for a complete local SEO strategy. It is one part of a broader digital presence that can include accurate business information, reviews, photographs, useful website content, citations, and ongoing engagement.
Step 1: Capture the Property With Matterport
The first step is creating the Matterport space.
The amount of time required depends on the size and complexity of the property. A small business location may require only a limited number of scans, while a large commercial property may require considerably more.
For example, a small office or retail space can sometimes be captured relatively quickly when the layout is straightforward.
The goal is to capture enough scan points to create a smooth and accurate experience.
Before scanning, make sure the location is ready for photography. Remove unnecessary clutter, organize important areas, turn on appropriate lighting, and make sure the space represents the business accurately.
The quality of the final tour starts with the quality of the capture.
Step 2: Organize Your Matterport Space
Once the scans have been processed, log into your Matterport account and locate the space you want to publish.
Keeping your Matterport account organized makes this process much easier.
A useful naming convention is to use the business name followed by the address or location. For example:
Phone Repair Philly | 3508 Market Street
This makes it easier to identify the correct space if you manage virtual tours for multiple businesses.
Before publishing, review the tour carefully.
Walk through the digital space and check that the navigation works properly, the scans are aligned, and the most important areas of the business are represented accurately.
Step 3: Make the Matterport Space Public
A Matterport space may be private by default.
If you plan to publish it through Google Street View, make sure the appropriate sharing and visibility settings are enabled.
From the Matterport account, open the space and review its privacy settings.
If the space is private, change the visibility setting so that it can be shared publicly.
You can also review the available sharing options and generate links for use on websites and marketing channels.
This is also a good opportunity to make sure you are working with the final version of the tour rather than an unfinished draft.
Step 4: Enable Google Street View Publishing
If Google Street View publishing is available within your Matterport account, you will need to make sure the feature is enabled.
Go into your Matterport account settings and locate the product settings associated with Google Street View.
The exact interface and available options can change as Matterport updates its platform, so always verify the current settings in your account.
Once the feature is enabled, return to the Matterport space you want to publish.
Step 5: Connect the Correct Google Business Profile
This is one of the most important parts of the process.
The virtual tour needs to be associated with the correct business and physical location.
When prompted, search for the business using its name and location.
For example, if you’re publishing a tour for a Philadelphia business, you may search for the business name along with the relevant street or neighborhood.
Pay close attention to the map location.
This is especially important for businesses located inside:
- Office buildings
- Shopping centers
- Multi tenant properties
- Medical buildings
- Large commercial complexes
- Properties with multiple entrances
The map pin should correspond as closely as possible to the actual business location.
Don’t simply choose the first result that appears.
Step 6: Check the Map Position
After selecting the business, carefully review the location displayed on the map.
If the property is inside a larger building or complex, the map placement may require additional attention.
You want the virtual tour to start from a logical location that corresponds with the physical business.
Take a moment to zoom in and verify the entrance, building position, and surrounding area.
A few extra minutes here can prevent confusion later.
Step 7: Select the Google Account
The publishing process requires the appropriate Google account and permissions.
Use the Google account associated with the business or the account that has the necessary access to manage the relevant Google Business Profile.
If you’re working with a client, it is generally better to use appropriate account permissions or collaboration access rather than asking a client to hand over personal login credentials.
This is an important security and account management consideration for agencies and marketing professionals.
Step 8: Review the Publishing Information
Before publishing, review the information presented by the platform.
Depending on the current Matterport and Google integration, you may see information associated with the business location, including location details and other publishing information.
Review everything carefully before confirming.
Once you submit the tour, Google needs to process the imagery and connect the individual scan points.
The process is not always instantaneous.
Step 9: Publish the Tour
Once everything looks correct, submit the virtual tour for publishing.
The tour may initially appear as processing or pending.
Don’t be concerned if the finished experience isn’t visible immediately.
Processing time can vary depending on the size of the tour, the number of scan points, Google’s processing systems, and other factors.
Give the system time to complete the process before assuming something went wrong.
How Long Does the Process Take?
The total project time depends heavily on the property.
For a smaller location, the workflow might include:
Capture: Approximately 15 to 60 minutes
Processing and upload: Varies by project and connection speed
Editing and preparation: Depends on the number of scans and requested features
Google publishing: Processing time varies
For larger commercial properties, the capture and editing process can take considerably longer.
The important thing is to separate the capture time from the complete project timeline. A quick scan does not necessarily mean the entire project will be finished immediately.
What About Mattertags?
Mattertags can add another layer of usefulness to a Matterport experience.
They allow you to add contextual information or links to selected areas of a virtual space.
For example, a business could use interactive points to highlight:
- Products
- Rooms
- Services
- Equipment
- Amenities
- Contact information
- External resources
This can turn a basic virtual tour into a more interactive marketing experience.
The strategy should always be based on the type of business and the purpose of the tour. Adding too many tags can make a tour feel cluttered, so focus on information that actually helps visitors.
How Virtual Tours Can Support Local Marketing
A professionally created virtual tour can complement a local marketing strategy in several ways.
First, it gives potential customers a better visual understanding of the business.
Second, it creates reusable visual content. A tour can potentially be incorporated into a website, shared through marketing channels, and used as part of a broader content strategy.
Third, it can help businesses differentiate themselves from competitors that provide little or no interior visual information online.
For local businesses in Philadelphia, Cleveland, and other major markets, trust and convenience are particularly important. A customer who can virtually explore a business before visiting has more information available when deciding where to spend their time.
How Much Does a Matterport Google Street View Project Cost?
Pricing depends on several factors, including:
- Property size
- Number of scan points
- Travel requirements
- Editing
- Mattertags
- Google publishing
- Additional photography
- Video production
- Custom website integration
- Ongoing marketing services
A small project may be relatively straightforward, while a large commercial property can become a much more involved production.
For that reason, professional virtual tour pricing should be based on the actual scope of the project rather than using one fixed price for every property.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Choosing the Wrong Business Listing
Always verify that the Google Business Profile corresponds to the correct physical location.
Skipping the Quality Check
Walk through the completed Matterport space before publishing. Look for missing areas, alignment issues, blurry imagery, or navigation problems.
Ignoring the Entrance
The entrance is one of the most important parts of the experience. Visitors should be able to understand where they are entering the property.
Overloading the Tour With Mattertags
Interactive content should add value. Too many tags can make navigation confusing.
Treating the Virtual Tour as a Complete SEO Strategy
A Google virtual tour can support your local marketing efforts, but it should work alongside a properly optimized website, Google Business Profile, reviews, local citations, useful content, and social media.
Why Work With a Professional Matterport Partner?
Capturing a virtual tour is only one part of the process.
A professional provider can help with planning, scanning, editing, presentation, publishing, and marketing strategy.
At Momentum 360, our work combines visual content with digital marketing experience. That means the goal isn’t simply to create a 3D model. We want the finished experience to support the business’s larger marketing objectives.
For businesses that want a more customized experience, our custom 360 virtual tours can be designed around the property, audience, and marketing goals.
Final Thoughts
Publishing a Matterport virtual tour to Google Street View can be a valuable addition to a local business’s online presence.
The process starts with a properly captured Matterport space, followed by careful preparation, accurate location selection, appropriate Google account permissions, and final publishing.
The most important thing is to treat the virtual tour as part of a larger customer experience.
A high quality tour should accurately represent the property, make it easier for potential customers to understand the space, and complement the business’s existing website and local marketing strategy.
Whether you’re marketing a retail store in Philadelphia, a healthcare facility in Cleveland, a hotel, restaurant, office, or commercial property, professional 360 imagery can give customers a more immersive way to discover your business before they arrive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can any Matterport tour be published to Google Street View?
Not necessarily. The property, account, platform settings, and current Google and Matterport requirements all need to be considered. Always verify the current publishing requirements before beginning a project.
How long does Google Street View publishing take?
Processing time varies. Smaller projects may move through the process relatively quickly, while larger tours can take longer. The platform may also require additional processing before the complete experience becomes visible.
Can a Matterport tour be added to a business website?
Yes. Matterport spaces can be shared and embedded on websites when the appropriate settings are enabled.
Can virtual tours help local SEO?
A virtual tour can support a business’s local online presence, but it should not be viewed as a standalone SEO solution. Strong local SEO typically combines Google Business Profile optimization, reviews, relevant website content, technical SEO, citations, and other local marketing efforts.
Should businesses use Mattertags?
Mattertags can be useful when they provide helpful information or direct visitors to relevant resources. They should be used strategically rather than added simply to make the tour more interactive.
