The Google Local Guide: What You Need to Know
These Google Local Guides are Google Maps’ most powerful users. The reviews they write, images they share, questions they answer, and numerous entries they correct or edit on Google Maps enhance the local search experience online. Essentially, they can be a huge boon for your local listing management strategy.
Because of its reputation as the world’s leading local search engine, Google also plays a key role in local SEO. It seems that Google holds the majority of online customer reviews, with 57.5%. Businesses participating in the Local Guides program not only help Google maintain its lead in online reviews, but also work to be an authority on Maps, which improves their value to businesses looking to make an impact online. Not only this, but Google local guide reviews can also help you make big in your business! As compared to normal Google reviews, Google local guide reviews help you look like a credible and trustworthy business, thus increasing your chances to get more customers. This is one of the main reasons why local businesses buy Google local guide reviews.
Having said that all, let’s know something more about Google Local guide
What does it take to become a Google Local Guide?
You can become a Google Local Guide by visiting the Local Guides site and clicking the “Get Started” button at the top. As soon as you have signed into your Google account, you’ll need to select your city and confirm three things:
- Your age must be at least 18 years old (or whatever the country’s minimum age is)
- The Local Guides program rules must be read and agreed to
- The program may send you emails, so you’ll have to accept that.
As soon as you have checked the boxes, you need to click on “Sign Up” so that Google can confirm your application.
Aside from the age restriction, there are two other criteria for anyone interested in becoming a Local Guide. Google Maps must be installed on your device. Currently, Google Maps is available in 40 countries and 15 languages. Local Guides are only available for individuals, not businesses. Contributions to Local Guides are therefore true to the experience and prevent brands from potentially manipulating the information.
Contribution of Google Local Guides to Listings
Local Guides receive points when they leave reviews, add missing places, or answer questions on Maps.
Local Guide levels are determined by the amount of points a user accumulates. There are ten levels. On Maps, a Local Guides badge will appear next to the user’s name at level 4 (250 cumulative points). In addition, those who achieve higher levels are rewarded with perks. It is unclear exactly what Google offers partners, but the company says it offers “early access to the company’s features and benefits.”
Also sometimes asked is “do Google Local Guides get paid? ‘ Google Local Guides are only eligible for the rewards listed above and the program is voluntary according to our information.
How to get your business listed in Google Local Guides?
If you don’t recognize their face from the profile image on Google, it’s hard to spot a Local Guide in person. If you want to get eventually recognized by a Local Guide, you have to treat every customer the same way.
A Google My Business listing that is up-to-date and contains accurate information is the first step. Local SEO software can help with this. If you want to improve your online visibility before a Local Guide visits your location, you should be proactive and engage, whether it’s by asking for reviews or learning how to deal with negative reviews.
In addition to boosting customer retention, a review response and generation system can also pave the way for organic customer acquisition. As a result of your satisfied customers’ online reviews, your brand gains even more exposure and eventually Local Guides take notice and want the experience themselves.
In terms of brand recognition, Google Local Guides can be very helpful, especially for local search ranking efforts. The addition of reviews from a Google Local Guide can potentially lend trust to your brand from a consumer perspective. What is the best way to get a Google Local Guide to visit one of your locations?
How to obtain Google local guide reviews and ratings?
As stated in Google’s Maps User Contributed Content Policy, contributions must be based on real experiences and information. This policy seems fair and proper. The real problem here is how to prove or disprove that any said review or rating was based on actual customer interaction. When you are a Local Guide, and you are just trying to move up the guide levels, what stops you from leaving a review or rating with a business you have never interacted with, or that is even near you, to get more points?
Local Guides have rated our business twice. The first session was a 15-minute session, during which 20 businesses were rated 3 stars and left without a rating. The second Local Guide was based in India, and their reviews were still local, but for some unknown reason, for some unknown reason, they suddenly decided to give ratings and not reviews to a bunch of businesses located 6,000 miles away from them. As a business, we know all our clients by name, so we have not done business with either of these reviewers, so they were of interest to us and led us to learn more about Google Local Guides.
Local Guides currently has a two-fold problem with its review system. First of all, there is no way to verify reviews, so the incentive to do so is too strong. Reviews can be positive or negative, true or false, for the purpose of building up the Local Guide’s points. It appears there is no consideration for the related business and there is no oversight from Google, as we have discovered whilst trying to remove these fake reviews.
Two, by gaining these badges, the guides will have an authority look, which carries more weight in their reviews. People who look at a bunch of reviews for a business may give more weight to these reviews than they should. (reason why you should buy Google local guide reviews) Although Amazon does solve this problem by having a ‘verified purchase’ badge on their product reviews, you could say that they have the same problem with their product reviews, which anyone can do without actually buying the product.
Google Local Guides: A Powerful Tool
It can be helpful for your brand if Google Local Guides interact with your listing. Your brand appears in one of Google’s reliable sources, which can enhance your online reputation within your industry.
You must, however, make sure that your brand lives up to the virtual and physical expectations you set. When a Local Guide provides accurate online information and a great customer experience at any location in form, it makes customers happy, which results in more customers and an opportunity to further improve the customer experience.
Just in case you want to leverage the potential of Google Local guide, it is important to get reviews and why worry about that when you can simply buy Google reviews, or even Google local guide reviews, from us!