How to Create Virtual Tour Websites for Cheap
A virtual tour website is an important part of advertising a place. For those who are planning to visit, it provides a tantalizing idea of what the real experience will be like. For those who don't have the opportunity to visit, the virtual tour website provides the next best thing: a visual (and sometimes auditory) experience. You can make it as complex or as simple as you want. The most important thing is to communicate the desirability of the place to your website visitors.
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Instructions
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Create your landing page. This is the first page that visitors to your website will see. In many ways, it is like the entrance hall of a building. Your landing page should contain at least one picture showcasing one of the attractive aspects of your destination, some text explaining what your website is about and links to essential information such as contact information. The fact that your website is a virtual tour should be prominently displayed.
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Decide on the kind of tour experience you want to provide. Do you want to give the visitor a guided tour where she will follow a series of links and look at pictures and videos in a sequential manner or do you want to provide an index of media and let them choose for themselves? The first method follows the general structure of a slideshow and the latter is more similar to a directory.
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Gather all the media that you have. You should have lots of pictures and some video. You can always upload your video files to video hosting sites such as YouTube or Vimeo and embed them into your website. Panoramic pictures are very popular but may be difficult to take.
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Arrange your media according to your preference. A popular virtual tour format is the straightforward guided tour: each page features one specific destination or aspect of a place and contains pictures, video, and text descriptions. For example, in a museum site, it might be specific exhibitions and rooms. For a country, it might be its beaches or mountains. Each page links to the next until all the attractive features have been shown. An index provides a table of contents for the viewer to choose his favorite parts from.
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Find ways to surprise your viewer. You may do so by having, for example, an introductory video. Or you may link all of the pages with an overarching theme; for example, you may shoot pictures or video of the same person acting as a virtual guide, pointing out places and features of interest.
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Incorporate social media features into your site. Update your site regularly with new happenings at the destination. You may write a blog or maintain a Twitter feed. At the very least, provide a page answering frequently asked questions. Invite audience interaction.
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Tips & Warnings
Always seek to differentiate your website from others. Offer something extra. This doesn't have to be a high-tech three-dimensional panorama. It can be something as simple as charming and witty commentary.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit museum image by Hubert from Fotolia.com
