Google Local Guide Program and Perks of Contributing to Google Maps

If you travel a lot for leisure or are a pro-traveler and have immense knowledge about your local city or state or country? Well, then you must surely be a part of Google Local Guides community.

What is Google's Local Guides?

If you use Google Maps (duh!, everyone does!) you must have surely tried to locate some of the below things on the map,

• ATM's near me
• Coffee shop near me
• Washroom/Restoom near me
• Best Restaurants in Chicago
• Gas Station/Petrol Pump near me
• Best Hotels in Paris
• Museums in Paris
• Transit bus/taxi/train/metro stations

When you do so, you must have surely seen the Google Local Guide reviews added by many people from around the world who have visited a hotel, restaurant, or Museum, reading the reviews help you take a decision such as is the place good for you or not, what time of the year is the best to visit the place, what is good about the place and what is not!, either visit the place or to avoid going with kids, family or friends.

Such details are added by people who are part of a global community called Local Guides, who share reviews, photos, and detailed knowledge about their experiences with the place. Just like Youtube/Instagram influences these people to provide positive and negative feedback that influences millions of people around the world.

What do Google's Local Guides do?

• Add reviews about the local places they have visited and provide detailed feedback about their experience.
• Help refine, fact check and edit details about a place on Google Map
• Share Photos related to the property, services, and amenities of a place they visited.
• Ask questions if they have any to get more information available for the place.
• Answer questions to the questions asked by people who want to visit the place.
• Add details about a place that is missing on the Google Map

What are the Perks/Benefits of being a Google Local Guide?

Though you do not get a salary or get paid money for this, your contribution can help people and small businesses grow! That's one of the key takeaways from being a part of the community, but here is more!

• You earn points as you do your contributions to the local guide program.
• By earning and collecting points you can reach to new levels.
• Earn new local guide badges as you reach new levels.
• The higher levels you reach you can unlock special rewards.
• You also get early access to new Google features as you reach higher levels.
• You may also get invited to the Annual Google Local Guides Submit

What is the Eligibility for becoming a Local Guide?

In order to be a Local Guide, you must,

• Have a Google (Gmail) Account,
• Must meet the age requirements of the country you belong: check list,

How to become a Local Guide on Google?

• Make sure you have a Google Account - If not create one - Create Google Account
• Sign Up to Local Guides - Local Guides Sign-up Page
• Add your City name in "My City" so you can receive ;ocally relevant emails and rewards.
• Agree to the program rules.
• Click on "Become a Local Guide"

That's it! You should see the message "You're officially a member of the Local Guides community on Google Maps" and you can start contributing.

How to check your Local Guide Contributions and Points

Below your profile picture, you can see your points as well as contribution details such as count of the total: Reviews, Ratings, Photos, Places Added, Answers, Edits, Videos, Roads Added, and much more.

List of Points earned based on Map Contribution:

Review: 10 points per review
Review with more than 200 characters: 10 bonus points per review
Rating: 1 point per rating
Photo:	5 points per photo
Photo tags: 3 points per tag
Video:	7 points per video
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 fact-checked
Eligible list published: 10 points per published list
Description (in list): 5 points per description added

Reference: https://support.google.com/local-guides/answer/6225851?hl=en&ref_topic=6225845CBE|

Now that the Covid domestic and international travel restrictions are lifted in most countries, it's the best time to travel around the world and add reviews and ratings to the Google Local Guide!