Last week, we were reviewing a kitchen retailer’s Google Business Profile during a conversation when we clicked into Street View.
And all of us had exactly the same reaction.
“Oh, dear…”
The retailer was genuinely shocked!
The rubbish and skip outside had only been there for a few days while work was being done at the property. But what really alarmed him was realising the image itself was two years old, based on renovation work visible in the background.
Yet there it was.
Still sitting on Google as a first impression of the business.
And it raises an interesting question.
In the world of property, people often talk about kerb appeal. For independent kitchen retailers, that matters enormously too - not just online through Google Street View, but in the real world every single day.
Have you really considered what your business looks like to somebody driving past or walking by on a completely ordinary Thursday afternoon?
Not after the windows have been cleaned.
Not before an event.
Not when everyone knows a photographer is coming.
Just… normally.
Because prospective customers are making assumptions long before they ever step into your showroom, the exterior of the business sets expectations. It gives people a feel for the level of care, attention and aspiration they can expect inside.
And often, it is not major problems that weaken kerb appeal. It is the everyday things that slowly become invisible over time - tired signage, old window graphics, clutter, packaging, overflowing bins or parked vans blocking the frontage.
But there’s something else at stake here.
Your Google Business Profile is increasingly becoming an extension of the showroom experience itself.
Customers not only read the reviews, they study the imagery too. They scroll through photos, check out the frontage, tour the showroom, and use Street View to get a feel for the business before deciding whether it feels worth visiting.
Which raises another question:
How much of that experience can you actually control?
Probably more than you think.
Here are a few practical things that are completely within your control:
Upload stronger, more professional exterior photography
Refresh older images so customers see the business as it looks today
Improve the quality and order of the imagery inside your profile
Make sure your best displays and projects are featured prominently
Review whether your signage, frontage and windows still reflect your current brand positioning
Check that temporary clutter, bins, packaging and parked vehicles are not creeping into customer-facing photography
And if your Street View image is outdated or particularly unfortunate, did you know you can also ask Google to review it?
Here’s how:
Open Google Maps and search for your business
Open Street View for your location
Click ‘Report a Problem’ in the very bottom right-hand corner of the image
Complete the form explaining that the Street View imagery is outdated
Submit the request to Google for review
Google does not guarantee an immediate retake.
However, they do use this feedback to help prioritise future Street View updates. (It’s something we’ve often had success doing.)
And this feels particularly relevant right now because Google’s published Street View schedules show imagery collection continuing across many parts of the UK up until October this year.
In other words, there may be more opportunity than usual over the coming months for your showroom frontage to be refreshed.
So now may be a very good time to take a fresh look at both your physical and digital kerb appeal.
Because your first impression usually starts long before somebody walks through the showroom door.