Which Nashville Businesses Are Having Google Photograph Their Insides? A Funeral Home, For One

Photographers from Google will be in Nashville for the next few weeks, putting local businesses on the map. Nearly a decade ago, the company started taking pictures from the road for its Street View technology. In recent years, Google has been taking cameras inside — but only where they’re invited. 

Lou Golato, a spokesperson for Google, says people are more likely to come in person if they’ve been on a virtual visit. 

“Any time anybody does a search for their business, the inside tour is going to get more interaction than a regular static page,” Golato says. “People feel more comfortable going in and doing business there because they’re familiar with the place.”

Retail shops and tourist destinations, even a Murfreesboro day care, have partnered with Google. Golato says the funeral industry has been a surprising early adopter.

Nathaniel Holman, from the Nashville Cremation Center, invited Google photographers in his business last time they were in town. 
 

“We figured that they may be a bonus for some people,”
Holman said. “They can see where they were going and could see that it was nicely laid out, well decorated, a nice quiet area to handle arrangements, rather than some of the alternatives.”

Google Street View has stirred up controversy in the past. People complain about an invasion of privacy. But for the internal photos, companies have to opt in. Google also charges the business a fee.