The Google Local Guides program is a global community where users contribute to Google Maps, offering valuable insights about local businesses. This program allows businesses to engage with customers, improve brand reputation, manage online reviews, and boost online visibility. While the impact depends on the contributions of Local Guides, businesses can leverage this program to enhance their online presence.
Understanding the Google Local Guides Program
The Google Local Guides program is a community-driven initiative by Google. It encourages users to share information about local businesses, places, and attractions. These users, known as Local Guides, contribute by writing reviews, adding photos and videos, updating business information, and answering questions on Google Maps.
Local Guides earn points for their contributions, unlocking different levels within the program. These levels offer benefits like early access to Google features, exclusive events, and special promotions.
The program enhances the accuracy and completeness of local business information on Google Maps, fostering a sense of community among users who share their experiences.
By participating, Local Guides improve the quality of information available, making Google Maps more useful for those seeking details about businesses, landmarks, and other points of interest.
Becoming a Google Local Guide: A Step-by-Step Guide
Anyone with a Google account can become a Local Guide. To contribute, users can download the Google Maps app or access it through a web browser. Here’s how to join:
- Open Google Maps and sign in with your Google account.
- Tap the three horizontal lines in the top-left corner to open the menu.
- Scroll down and select “Your contributions.”
- Tap “Join Local Guides” and follow the instructions.
Alternatively, users can sign up by visiting https://maps.google.com/localguides/.
To earn points, users can rate places, write reviews, share photos and videos, answer questions, submit edits to update business information, add missing places, or verify information.
The Local Guides program is for individuals, not businesses. Contributions from businesses or business pages will not count towards Local Guides levels or benefits.
Google Local Guide Benefits and Perks: Earning Rewards for Contributions
Local Guides earn points for every contribution they make on Google Maps. The more points accumulated, the higher the Local Guides level. Here’s a breakdown of contributions and corresponding points:
-
Review: 10 points per review
-
Review (over 200 characters): 10 bonus points per review
-
Rating: 1 point per rating
-
Photo: 5 points per photo
alt: Example of a user contributing a photo to a Google Maps listing as a Google Local Guide.
- Photo tags: 3 points per tag
- Video: 7 points per video
- Caption (In photo update): 10 points per caption
- Answer: 1 point per answer
- Respond to Q&As: 3 points per response
- Edit: 5 points per edit
- Place added: 15 points per place added
- Road added: 15 points per road added
- Fact checked: 1 point per checked fact
Levels range from 1 to 10. Reaching higher levels unlocks additional benefits. At Level 4, users unlock their first Local Guides badge, which helps their contributions get noticed.
Google Local Guide benefits include early access to Google Maps features, discounts on Google products, invitations to special events, eligibility to test new Google products before public release, and thank-you gifts for high-quality contributions. Some Local Guides even receive additional Google Drive storage.
How Local Guides Enhance Local Business Listings
Google Local Guides improve the accuracy and completeness of local business information on Google Maps. This makes it easier for others to find what they’re looking for and helps support businesses by enhancing their discoverability and search visibility.
Local Guides help make Google Maps, an important business discovery platform, work better by keeping local business listings (officially called Google Business Profiles) comprehensive and helpful. By actively participating, contributors play a vital role in enhancing the quality of information available.
Google Local Guides: Impact on Reputation Management
The quality of contributions from Local Guides can support your online reputation management strategy. Here’s how the Local Guides program impacts businesses:
Detailed Reviews and Ratings: Building a Positive Online Image
Positive reviews from Local Guides can enhance your brand reputation, while negative feedback can deter potential customers. Local Guides’ reviews often appear at the top of listings because the content is longer and includes photos and videos. They also contribute to the overall star rating displayed on Google Business Profiles, influencing potential customers’ decisions.
alt: An example of a brand reputation scorecard, highlighting key metrics related to customer feedback and online presence.
Online Search Visibility and Exposure: Attracting More Customers
Google Business Profiles with positive reviews and substantial information provided by Local Guides may see increased visibility on Google Maps and other Google services. This can attract more potential customers and improve local SEO.
Businesses that attract active participation from Local Guides may experience higher levels of user engagement on Google Maps. Detailed reviews and updated details can encourage users to interact with the Business Profile, ask questions, get directions, and book appointments.
Brand Trust and Credibility: Establishing Authority in Your Industry
Content generated by Local Guides can contribute to your brand credibility and trustworthiness. Users often rely on reviews from real customers to make informed decisions. User-generated content published by Local Guides on your Google Business Profile (instead of promotional brand content) can inspire greater consumer trust and confidence.
Local SEO Impact: Boosting Your Local Search Rankings
Content generated by Local Guides, such as reviews, photos, videos, and answers to Q&As, 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 rank higher in local search results.
Community Building: Fostering a Loyal Customer Base
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.
Customer Experience Management: Improving Your Business Based on Feedback
While positive reviews are beneficial, negative reviews from Local Guides can provide valuable customer feedback for companies as they try to identify areas for improvement. Responding to reviews, especially constructive criticism, shows that a business is proactive in addressing customer concerns. Unsolicited feedback shared by customers can serve as a valuable source of insight into how to deliver better customer experiences.
Engaging Google Local Guides: Tips for Businesses
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:
- Manage your Google Business Profile: Optimize your Business Profile with correct, complete, and up-to-date business information, including the business name, address, operating hours, and phone number.
- Respond to reviews: Local Guides (and all your customers) care about being responded to. According to InMoment research, 53% of customers expect a review response within 7 days. Timely review responses can immediately improve consumer perception of your business.
- Don’t incentivize or buy reviews: Contributions from Local Guides and your customers should happen organically. Don’t buy Google reviews or create incentivized, fake reviews. Both methods violate the Google review policy.
- Publish Google Posts: Incorporating Google Posts into your listing management strategy can attract more customers while signaling to Google that your business is active and engaged. Regular updates ensure your profile remains fresh, complete, and relevant.
- Analyze Local Guides’ feedback for insights: Candid, authentic, detailed feedback from Local Guides can help your company achieve a more complete, accurate, and integrated picture of the customer experience. Focus on how you can gather actionable insights from Local Guides’ reviews and address challenges based on the information available.
Leverage the Power of Google Guides for Your Business
Understanding and leveraging the Google Local Guides program can provide significant benefits for businesses. By optimizing your Google Business Profile, engaging with the Local Guides community, and analyzing their feedback, you can enhance your brand reputation, improve your online visibility, and ultimately drive more customers to your business.
