How to Add an Interactive 360 ​​Degree View to WordPress

Technology continues to change our daily lives, empowering us to do things that were once possible only in our imagination. We now have tools that allow us to complete many actions extremely quickly, from the comfort of our computers and phones, including going on virtual tours and exploring remote places. This is possible thanks to 360-degree images, which represent a great achievement in technology development.

Interactive 360 ​​photos consist of several images placed side by side, forming a continuous circle around the point where the photos were taken. They’re usually shot with special 360 cameras that come with two ultra-wide lenses (each lens has a minimum 180-degree angle of view) and then joined together using a stitching software. You can also create them with special apps on smartphones. An interactive 360 ​​view puts us in the photographer’s shoes and allows us to observe the surroundings where the photo was taken. We can take control of the view by moving our mouse (or head in VR headsets) in the direction we want.

Incorporating interactive images into a marketing strategy can greatly benefit brands, but 360-degree photos can help them break through online noise more efficiently. We will now discuss the main advantages of this on-demand service and show you how to add an interactive 360 ​​image to a WordPress website using a plugin.

Benefits of 360 Photography

Recognizing the potential of 360-degree images can help your brand in the long run. Here are some of the main reasons why you should consider adding them to your site:

Increase User Interaction

We love and appreciate seeing great visual content and especially interactive 360-degree photos. attracting users’ attention and allowing them to navigate websites longer as opposed to pages with still images. An interactive 360 ​​view is immersive and can evoke good feelings, so people enjoy seeing and exploring them. The more time users spend on your site, the better their chances of converting into paying customers.

Stand Out From The Competitors

Interactive 360-degree photos allow you to differentiate your brand and products from your competitors. For example, if you run an eCommerce store, you can create captivating product presentations, let users zoom in on your products and rotate them any way they want to get a sense of what your products look like. Not many brands use these types of photos to their advantage.however, you should consider adding them to your site as they can help you attract potential customers. After seeing and touching a product in person, viewing it through an interactive 360 ​​view is the next best thing.

Bring your business to life

360-degree views allow people to take virtual tours of your business and get to know your business from the inside. They can explore your resort, restaurant, shop, venue or hotel from the comfort of their home and understand how it is organized and the services it offers. You can inspire and persuade people to visit your institution in person, giving them a completely immersive experience that no 2D painting can provide.

Attract New Customers

attractive 360 ​​view, an outstanding marketing tool that can bring new customers your way. For example, if you’re listed on Google Places, interactive 360-degree photos can help you attract people to your business. When they come to visit your business, you have the chance to show what makes you better than your competitors and let your service quality convince them to come back.

Now that we’ve listed the advantages of using 360-degree photos, let’s show you how to add them to your WordPress website.

Introduction to WP VR Plugin

Best way to add 360 images to WordPress, WP VR – 360 Panorama and Virtual Tour Creator for WordPress Addition. You can also use it to create detailed virtual tours. Even the free version includes countless customization options, more than any other similar plugin on the market. But to get the most out of its powerful options, you should consider purchasing one of the following. three available subscription plans. Compatible with WP VR, WPBakery, Gutenberg and Elementor. In this tutorial, we’ll use the Gutenberg page builder to show you how to upload 360-degree photos to your site.

Before we start creating your first virtual tour, let’s review the plugin’s options so you can understand its potential. To make it suitable for your needs, you must first change the general settings.

To do this, go to: WP VR > Get Started and click on Settings Scroll down (or General Installation Options Episode). You can enable other user roles (Editors and Authors) to create virtual tours on your site, Activate a mobile resizer that will make your 360 view mobile friendlyEnable script control that only loads WP VR assets on selected pages with virtual tours, customize the notification to remind users visiting the tour from mobile devices to flip their phone to landscape mode for a more immersive experience, and more.

Once this is taken care of, navigate to: WP VR > Add New Tour. First, you can enter the name of your tour.

Next, select general tab on the left and replace Basis settings. If you wish, you can upload the preview image that will appear before the tour is loaded. However, if you enable Tour Automatic Loading option, the preview image will not appear.

Also, you can display control buttons in your interactive 360 ​​viewincluding Zoom in, Removeand Fullscreen.

this Stage Breath Time option lets you enable the fade effect as users move from one scene to another. It is also possible to activate. auto rotate and set the rotation speed and direction, as well as specify when the rotation will start again and when it will stop.

At the bottom of the page, Using This Tour The section where you can find the shortcode of the tour that you can add to your pages and posts.

Advanced Controls only available to premium users. You can use them to control what users can do with your 360 view. For example, you can let them zoom in and out of the photo using their keyboard or mouse, enable the gyroscope control, add a compass, and much more. Also a Stage Gallery and let people look at all the scenes included in the virtual tour. The pro version of WP VR allows you to: add background musicto make the user experience more enjoyable. Control Buttons It is another premium option that allows you to add advanced buttons to the image, such as Move Up/Down/Left/Rightand customize the icon for each control button.

If you want to add a few scenes and let users switch between them, you can do this selectively. scenes and change the settings according to your needs. You need to upload at least one 360 ​​image (but you can add more if you want to have more), enter a scene ID and set at least one scene as default. When you’re done, press the button. Preview Press the button to see how everything looks before saving the changes.

Premium users can customize each scene by adding captions, specifying the author’s name, and deciding how far a user can navigate left, right, up and down, and more.

WP VR lets you add hotspots to your interactive 360 ​​degree photo. You have the ability to add textual information, images and videos or add scene points to allow users to move from one scene to another using hotspots.

Another great thing about this plugin is that it lets you. create video virtual tours, more. As a premium user you can also embed Google Street View.

How to Add 360 Images to Your Site Using WP VR Plugin

After you’ve taken care of all the settings and adjusted them according to your needs, navigate to: scenes. Next, upload your interactive 360° photo, enter a scene ID and set that scene as the default. You can go with just one scene.

You can see how the tour looks by pressing the button. Preview button. If you are satisfied with the final result, click Publish.

Now, to display the image on your page, first WPVR block (in Elementor you have to use the WPVR widget, while in WPBakery you have to paste the shortcode into the page or post you want).

Look at the block options on the right side of the screen. Click on the first – ID and select the tour you just created.

Then click on Preview to see how the 360 ​​images appear on your page, and then Publish he is.

Of course, you can upload more scenes if you want and add hotspots to make the image more informative for users.

final thoughts

An interactive 360 ​​view undoubtedly has the power to instantly transform an ordinary website into an eye-catching and commanding website. The WP VR plugin is an outstanding choice, packing impressive options for free alongside more practical settings that come with premium versions. As an alternative to this plugin, you can go with lightweight. Algorithm 360 View but only works in Gutenberg or SR Product 360° View This is a good choice if you run an online store.