User-generated content and reviews now serve as essential references for people looking for details about nearby businesses, dining establishments, and tourist destinations. Google has acknowledged the importance of these contributions and introduced the Local Guides Program, which is a worldwide community of volunteers who willingly offer their insights and experiences through composing reviews, posting pictures, and updating details about locations on Google Maps. This initiative not only aids fellow users but also grants participants points and badges, promoting a sense of community and motivating ongoing engagement.
In this blog post, we will delve into the intricacies of the Google Local Guides Program, exploring how to earn points and badges while simultaneously benefiting from the program’s perks.
The Google Local Guides Program is a platform that empowers individuals to contribute and enhance the accuracy of Google Maps by sharing their insights, reviews, photos, and additional information about local places and businesses. Launched in 2015, this program has since grown into a thriving global community comprising millions of members. Its primary aim is to provide users with reliable and up-to-date information about various locations, allowing them to make informed decisions and discover hidden gems in their localities or travel destinations.
Local Guides engage in a wide range of activities, including reviewing businesses, uploading photos, suggesting edits to place information, answering questions, and adding new places to Google Maps. Their collective efforts result in a more comprehensive and trustworthy database of location-based information, enriching the experience for all Google Maps users.
Participating in the Local Guides Program offers numerous advantages, making it an attractive proposition for those who enjoy exploring and sharing their experiences. Some of the benefits include:
Badges: Local Guides can earn badges for their contributions, showcasing their expertise in specific areas or types of places.
Profile Recognition: Your profile becomes a digital portfolio of your contributions, visible to other users who view your reviews, photos, and other content.
Exclusive Invitations: Google occasionally invites active Local Guides to exclusive events and programs.
Early Access: Some Local Guides receive early access to new
Google Maps
features, allowing them to test and provide feedback on upcoming changes.
Google Drive Storage: Depending on your level, you can receive additional Google Drive storage space.
Local Perks: In some regions, active Local Guides may receive discounts or special offers from local businesses.
Connect with Like-minded People: Joining the Local Guides community enables you to connect with others who share your passion for exploring and contributing to local knowledge.
Support and Recognition: The community often recognizes and celebrates the accomplishments of its members.
Helping Others: Your contributions directly benefit other Google Maps users by providing accurate information and valuable insights.
Contributing to Local Businesses: By reviewing and promoting local businesses, you can have a positive impact on their online visibility and success.
Earning points in the Google Local Guides Program is at the core of the experience. Points are a measure of your contributions, and as you accumulate them, you progress through different levels within the program. The higher your level, the more recognition and perks you receive. Here’s how you can earn points:
Write Informative Reviews: Craft detailed, honest, and helpful reviews of places you’ve visited. Each review can earn you between 1 to 10 points, depending on its quality and length.
Include Photos: Attach relevant photos to your reviews to provide visual context and enhance their appeal.
Share Visuals: Upload high-quality photos of places, businesses, or attractions. Each photo can earn you between 1 to 7 points.
Add Captions: Write captions for your photos to provide additional information or context.
Be Helpful: Answer questions from other Google Maps users about places you’re knowledgeable about. Each answer you provide earns you 1 point.
Map the Uncharted: If you discover a place not yet listed on Google Maps, you can add it. Once your addition is verified, you’ll earn 15 points.
Keep Information Accurate: Suggest edits to place information, such as addresses, phone numbers, and hours of operation. Each approved edit earns you 1 point.
Lend a Hand: Contribute to the map in various ways, including verifying information or confirming the details of a place. Each contribution is worth 5 points.
Get Started: If you’ve never written a review before, publishing your first review will earn you an additional 5 points.
Local Guides progress through various levels as they earn points. Each level offers increased recognition and benefits. Here’s an overview of the levels and their requirements:
Recognition: The “Newbie” badge.
Perks: Access to Local Guides community and Google-hosted events.
Recognition: The “Rookie” badge.
Perks: Early access to Google products, in some cases.
Recognition: The “Pro” badge.
Perks: Increased storage space in Google Drive and the ability to attend exclusive Google events (if available in your area).
Recognition: The “Expert” badge.
Perks: Even more Google Drive storage space.
Recognition: The “Master” badge.
Perks: The opportunity to be featured on the Google Maps app, in addition to all previous benefits.
To become a highly regarded Local Guide and reap the associated rewards, consider these tips:
Prioritize detailed,
well-written reviews
and high-quality photos over merely trying to accumulate points quickly.
Write honest and helpful reviews. Authenticity resonates with readers and fellow Local Guides.
Regularly contribute to maintaining your point total and progress through the levels.
Venture beyond your comfort zone and explore new locales to diversify your contributions.
Participate in discussions, attend meetups (if available), and support fellow Local Guides.
Continuously verify and update place information to ensure accuracy.
Familiarize yourself with Google’s content and conduct guidelines to avoid any violations.
Badges are not only symbols of achievement but also indicators of your expertise in various areas. Here are some common badge types and what they signify:
Explorer Badge: Awarded for adding your first place on Google Maps.
Photographer Badge: Earned by uploading a certain number of photos to Google Maps.
Reviewer Badge: Given for writing a certain number of reviews.
Fact Finder Badge: Awarded for providing information about a place, such as opening hours or addresses.
Rising Star Badge: Recognizes consistent activity and engagement within the Local Guides community.
Expert Badge: Earned by demonstrating expertise in a specific category or location.
Trailblazer Badge: Recognizes those who have made substantial contributions to places that have never been reviewed before.
The Google Local Guides Program has evolved into a vibrant community of individuals passionate about sharing their knowledge and experiences to improve the accuracy and richness of Google Maps. By earning points and badges through contributions, Local Guides not only receive recognition and perks but also make a significant impact on the experiences of millions of Google Maps users worldwide.
Whether you’re an avid traveler, a foodie, or simply someone who loves exploring your local area, becoming a Local Guide can be a rewarding endeavor. Your efforts not only enhance your digital reputation but also contribute to the collective knowledge of your community and the world at large. So, embark on this journey, share your insights, and let your contributions guide others to discover the hidden treasures of their surroundings. Happy guiding!
The Google Local Guide program features a global community of users that companies can engage with to support their marketing activities, build brand reputation, manage online reviews and ratings, and improve online search visibility and exposure.
While the impact of Local Guides on brand reputation management strategy is largely dependent on the quality and quantity of the contributions from the Guides, businesses can respond to these contributions and leverage the program to enhance their online presence and manage their reputation.
The Google Local Guides program is a community-driven initiative by Google that encourages users to contribute information about local businesses, places, and attractions. Participating users are called Local Guides, and they share their knowledge and customer experiences by writing reviews, adding pictures and videos, updating information found on business listings, and answering questions about various locations on Google Maps.
Local Guides earn points for their contributions, which they can accumulate and use to unlock different levels within the program. Each level comes with various Local Guide benefits and perks, such as early access to new Google features, exclusive events, and special promotions or discounts.
The Google Local Guide program is designed to improve the accuracy and completeness of local business information on Google Maps, all while fostering a sense of community among users who are passionate about sharing their insights about and experiences of the places they visit.
By participating in the Local Guides program, users help enhance the overall quality of information available on Google Maps, making it more useful and reliable for people seeking details about businesses, landmarks, and other points of interest in different locations around the world.
Anyone with a Google account can become a Local Guide. To start making contributions, users simply have to download the Google Maps app on a mobile device or access it through a Web browser. To join the program, users can follow these steps:
To earn points and enjoy Google Local Guide benefits, users can score a place with ratings, describe their experience with reviews, share photos and videos, respond to questions about certain places, submit edits to help update business information, add missing places, or verify information by checking facts.
The Local Guides program is for individuals, not businesses. Contributions from businesses or business pages will not count towards Local Guides levels or benefits.
Local Guides earn points for every contribution they make on Google Maps. The more points they accumulate, the higher their Local Guides level will be. Here is a list of the types of contributions that Google Local Guides can make, alongside the corresponding number of points per contribution.
Levels range from 1 to 10, and as users reach higher levels, they may unlock additional benefits. At Level 4, users will be able to unlock their first Local Guides badge, which helps their contributions to places get noticed.
Google Local Guide benefits and perks include early access to features and services on Google Maps, discounts on Google products, invitations to special events, parties, and meetups, eligibility to test new Google products and services before public release, and thank-you gifts for high-quality contributions to Google Maps. Some Local Guides even receive additional Google Drive storage as a perk.
Google Local Guides contribute to the accuracy and completeness of local business information on Google Maps, making it easier for others to find what they’re looking for, while also helping support businesses by enhancing their discoverability and search visibility.
In short, Local Guides help make Google Maps, an important business discovery platform, work better.
By actively participating in the Local Guides program, contributors play an important role in enhancing the quality of information available on Google Maps. This, in turn, benefits both businesses and users looking for reliable and accurate details about local establishments. The program relies on the efforts of Local Guides to keep local business listings (officially called Google Business Profiles) comprehensive and helpful.
The type and quality of contributions that Local Guides make can work in your favor and support your online reputation management strategy. Here are some of the ways the Local Guide program impacts the reputation of businesses, no matter the size and category.
Positive reviews written by Local Guides can help enhance your brand reputation, while negative feedback can drive away potential customers.
Interestingly, Local Guides’ reviews and ratings tend to show up at the top of listings because the content is usually longer and includes photos and videos; they also contribute to the overall star rating displayed prominently on Google Business Profiles and Maps listings, which can influence potential customers’ decisions.
Google Business Profiles with a steady stream of positive reviews and a substantial amount of information provided by Local Guides may see an increase in visibility on Google Maps and other Google services. This improved visibility can attract more potential customers.
Moreover, businesses that attract active participation from Local Guides may experience higher levels of user engagement on Google Maps. Detailed reviews, helpful information, and updated details about a business can encourage users to interact more with the Business Profile to ask questions, get directions, book an appointment, and more.
Content generated by Local Guides can also contribute to your brand credibility and trustworthiness. Users often rely on reviews from real customers to make informed decisions about where to go and what services to use. By having user-generated content published by Local Guides on your Google Business Profile (instead of promotional brand content), you can inspire greater consumer trust and confidence.
Whether it’s a review, a set of photos and videos, answers to Q&As, or image captions, content generated by Local Guides can positively impact your business locations’ search engine optimization (SEO) performance. If your Google Business Profile features more detailed and positive content from Local Guides, you may be able to rank higher in local search results.
Brands that actively engage with the Local Guides community may foster a sense of community support. This engagement can lead to more positive interactions with customers and potentially create brand advocates within the Local Guides community.
While positive reviews can be beneficial, negative reviews from Local Guides can also provide valuable customer feedback for companies as they try to identify areas for improvement. Responding to reviews, especially constructive criticism, can show that a business is proactive in addressing customer concerns. More importantly, unsolicited feedback shared by vocal customers can serve as a valuable source of insight into how to deliver better customer experiences.
Spotting a Google Local Guide in person is tricky unless you recognize their face from their profile photo. The key to getting recognition from a Local Guide is to treat all your customers like one, working to exceed their expectations and deliver great experiences.
Here are some keys to successfully engaging with Google Local Guides:
Your company can gain a competitive edge by learning how to capitalize on content generated by the Google Local Guide program. With InMoment’s reputation management software, you can drive higher engagement levels with Local Guides, build a stronger brand reputation, achieve greater search visibility for your business locations, and leverage AI-powered technology to capture powerful customer experience insights — all from one powerful software platform.
Migs Bassig CX Writer
For more than a decade, Migs has dedicated himself to crafting insightful and educational content focused on reputation management and customer experience. Leveraging a wealth of knowledge and collaborations with industry experts, Migs has empowered numerous companies to enhance their brand visibility significantly.