A virtual tour can refer to many things. Technically, anything that is online that in any way shows your website visitor your real location is a virtual tour. There are, of course, several ways to give a virtual tour.

The first and most simple is a series of pictures. They can have captions explaining each picture, or not. I actually recommend pictures for most of my clients even if they are also going with one of the more high-tech solutions. This makes your site more accessible for those still using dial-up for their Internet connection.

The second, and one I do not recommend, is using a video of your location. While this can show your location to potential clients, it's analogous to using a black and white flyer with clip art when you have the capability of producing a professional full-color ad. Unless you have pros producing it, it ends up looking very amateur and brings down the professionalism of your site.

The third is using what is generally referred to as a "virtual tour." Now this can cause some confusion, as the two methods I previously mentioned can be referred to as a virtual tour. But when you're using actual virtual tour technology, a visitor to your website can actually control the tour. They can virtually stand in a location, look around, turn in multiple directions and zoom in and out. This is the higher end virtual tour, but is often more affordable than one might think.

So which of these would be appropriate for your business, if any? If your business is run from a location that many clients won't see or just don't need to see, there's no reason for a virtual tour. I just have a small office, so I do not have a virtual tour on my website. You would not need one if you sold product exclusively online. If your business was run primarily out of a warehouse, there would be no reason for one.

However, if you have a retail location, it is perfect. If you are trying to rent or sell property, it's a great tool. If you have corporate headquarters, it's perfect for those clients who are far away. Basically, if you have a location that you already have many clients and/or vendors coming to visit, a virtual tour can be a great tool.

The tour helps visitors to your actual location because they can already be familiar with it before they even get there. If they find your website first and visit your location later, they know that they are in the right place because they've already virtually visited it.

And if your website visitor never gets around to visiting your physical location, they still feel like they've been there. This can go a long way to demonstrating your openness and accessibility. They feel like they are welcome to visit your location at any time, even if they can't.

Tim Priebe

Tim is the owner and senior web designer at T&S Web Design. His company has developed and maintained website for dozens of small businesses and organizations. Tim also maintains a blog with free website advice for small business owners.