Local Guides is a free service from Google Maps that lets anyone contribute photos, reviews, and more. The idea is for Local Guides users to help ameliorate Google Maps by informing users about businesses via real feedback based on their personal experiences.

The more active of a guide you are, the more points you lot're given. Points allow you level upward from level ane up through level x. Anyone who encounter your reviews, photos, answers, etc., on Google Maps tin can run across your current level, which can help your contributions deport trust and authenticity.

What You Tin can Provide

The Local Guides program lets you provide ix kinds of data, each of which carries a specific reward:

  • Reviews: x points; ten more for reviews over 200 words
  • Photos: 5 points
  • Answers: 1 point
  • Videos: 7 points
  • Ratings: i indicate
  • Edits: five points
  • Places: 15 points (for places and roads)
  • Fact checks: 1 point
  • Q&A answers: iii points

What You lot Get Being a Local Guide

Beingness a Local Guide doesn't merely provide your customs with valuable information. Y'all besides go early access to Google features and special perks from Google'south partners.

Beyond those Local Guide benefits are badges and recognition by other users. The more you contribute, the more points you earn, which other users tin can run into when they run beyond your contour on Google Maps.

For example, if someone sees your review or views photos you've uploaded, they tin can see your level adjacent to your name. You lot can call back of information technology like a boasting plaque.

The bluecoat assigned to your profile, and the level you can reach, depends on the number of points you lot have:

  • Level 1: 0 points
  • Level ii: xv points
  • Level 3: 75 points
  • Level 4: 250 points with a badge
  • Level 5: 500 points with a new badge
  • Level 6: 1,500 points with a new badge
  • Level 7: five,00 points with a new badge
  • Level 8: 15,000 points with a new badge
  • Level 9: 50,000 points with a new badge
  • Level ten: 100,000 points with the highest bluecoat

How to Contribute to Google Maps

All yous demand to get a guide and add information to Google Maps is a Google account. Visit the Local Guides page and select Join LOCAL GUIDES to get started. Enter your home city and confirm the details you see there, and then cull SIGN UP.

Once you've made your account, head over to the Google Maps website or open the mobile app.

At this betoken, there are a couple ways to use Local Guides. Y'all can manually find places yous've been to and and so continue to answer questions people might have, post photos, review facts, add places, etc. And/or you lot can enable location services on your phone then that when yous leave a location, Google Maps can prompt you lot to update it with photos, reviews, etc.

To contribute to Google Maps anytime you want, find a place yous're familiar with or that you take data on that would be useful to Google Maps users. You can type an address into the text box at the top of Google Maps to find the business.

Tip: The location services option requires you to make some changes. Visit the Local Guides folio of your account and select ENABLE LOCATION HISTORY for more information.

To rate a place or write a review on Google Maps, scroll downwards to the Review summary section and select Write a review. Remember that any review over 200 words grants you lot double the points.

Choosing a commencement rating is every bit easy as selecting one of the stars on the review folio — anything from one star to v. You can even rate a business without leaving a review.

Photos are just as easy to add together to Google Maps. Detect that section near the reviews and select Add together a photograph. Images can exist added from your estimator or device as well as from Google Photos.

Fact checking through your Local Guides account is done through the Google Maps Contribute page. Select Check the facts to start verifying data other people take provided. You'll be shown details about the area you're viewing on Google Maps; relocate the map centre point to find other locations to fact cheque.

When you're viewing a identify on Google Maps, you can select Propose an edit to request that something be changed. You can edit a business organization' proper noun, hours, location, or other basic detail, and fifty-fifty remove the place entirely if it'south closed downward or is a duplicate.

Answer questions about places on Google Maps to arrive easier for people browsing for information technology to know what you can and can't look to get from that location. You lot might be asked about what types of foods a grocery store offers, whether there's a wheelchair ramp entrance, if parking is gratis, whether the bathrooms are bachelor to the public, if it'southward a good place to bring kids, etc.

To answer questions similar these, observe the CONTRIBUTE expanse, such every bit through the Google Maps app on your mobile device, and then tap Answer questions about a place.

Q&As are questions Google Maps visitors ask about a place. Someone might ask if there's a bar in the eating house yous visited, or if the parking lot supports trucks, what pricing is for tickets, etc. These questions typically go far on the mobile app, so that'south likely the just place you'll see them.

Add a missing identify to Google Maps from a computer by right-clicking the area on the map and choosing Add a missing place. Y'all'll be given a new place course to fill out that's very like to the class used for editing a location, but this time you're calculation all new data.

Check Progress & Change Settings

At whatever time, you can view your progress on the points ladder from the Local Guides dwelling house page.

Another style to bank check up on your contributions is from the Your contributions folio of the Google Maps menu on your phone or computer. At that place is where y'all'll find the actual reviews, photos, edits, and other items you've added to Google Maps.

To make changes to your Local Guides account, like to disable information on perks, finish getting contribution alerts, etc., visit your Local Guides Settings page. This is also how you can leave the Local Guides program.