Google is giving away another important freebie. But, it’s not available in Canada – yet.

Google is inviting local businesses in a select few cities in the United States, Australia, and Japan to apply to have a Google sponsored photographer come and take interior shots of the business, restaurant or store. In the US the areas are Orange County, SF Bay Area, St. Petersburg, FL, San Antonio, TX, and Phoenix, AZ.

You can see an example of what it looks like here (under Photos & Videos). Here is how Google is pitching local businesses and the categories they’ll be pursuing initially:

What are the benefits of requesting a photo shoot of my business?Just as you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can’t always judge a business by its exterior. Interior photographs are a great way to show potential customers what your business is really like. By enhancing your Place Page, business photos will help your business stand out above the competition and get discovered on Google. Millions of users will be able to visit your establishment from the comfort of their own homes, or preview it to help them decide on a visit. Best of all, it’s free!

What type of business is Google currently interested in photographing?

We’re kicking off by photographing interiors of the types of businesses that we know are searched for most regularly. The types of businesses we’re currently interested in are restaurants, hotels, retail shops, and other storefront businesses. We’re always open to new ideas, so please let us know if you have a great idea for a kind of business that our users would love to see. We’re currently not photographing legal, medical, or chain establishments.

Hold on-a-sec!

You know you can still take your own pictures and submit them into your Google Places account including video. Personally I believe you can brand your business and show more of it in a 30-60 video – in fact make several and upload them into your Google Places account. Don’t forget to end your video with your businesses address and phone number as a mini-call to action to find you.

So I recommend that at least until they (Google) plans on sending a Google Sponsored Photographer to Canadian cities. My bet is they start in Vancouver and Toronto and possibly Montreal, mainly due to the fact that these cities have a large number of restaurants and would make for a good Photo Op.

So upload and have a 100% profile on Google Places while it is still free. When Google comes to your town it’ll just be bonus photos that theyprobably will tag quite well bringing in additonal SEO opportunities for people to find your business locally.

After all, that’s what it’s all about – Being Found!