What it means to be a Local Guide
Local Guides help bring Google Maps to life. By writing reviews, posting photos, and suggesting up-to-date information about places, Local Guides help make it easier to navigate the world. From photographing a must-order dish to adding a new small business, Local Guides capture stories that lead neighbors, travelers, and everyone in between toward a better understanding of the places around them.
The Local Guides community aims to be the most authentic and helpful group, and Local Guides take that mission seriously. If you find the Local Guide badge on someone’s profile image, you know they’re a Local Guide.
To avoid having your post taken down or being removed from the Local Guides program, review the below guidelines and our user-generated content policy.
Share thoughtful reviews & tips
Always include notable information about a place and elaborate on your authentic experience. Avoid vague, generic, and repetitive comments or reviews that just say “ok,” “good,” or “yum.”
Helpful reviews describe:
- Setting
- Design
- Vibe
- “Highs and lows” of your experience
- Any other relevant details
For example:
- Restaurants, cafes, and bars: Say what you ordered and would recommend or avoid.
- Shops: Describe the selection, price range, service, and the type of clientele who might like it.
Local Guides who duplicate reviews across locations will be removed from the program. Learn more about our policy on fake engagement.
Take clear & accurate photos & videos
Photos and videos help tell the story of a place. As a Local Guide, your images must be relevant and in focus.
To take high-quality photos, follow these best practices:
- Take advantage of natural light.
- Try shots from different angles before uploading the best options.
- Zoom out enough to capture the entirety of a subject. For example, take a horizontal photo to show the full exterior of a building, or shoot a restaurant dish from above.
When you take photos and videos, respect the privacy of others. Ask for permission or avoid taking identifiable images of people at places like schools and hospitals. Learn more about our policy on Privacy.
Dark, blurry, and redundant photos will be removed. Learn more about our policy on stylistic adjustments.
Users who duplicate photos across locations or post images that infringe on copyrights will be removed from the program. Learn more about our policies on repetitive and illegal content.
Be trustworthy
Contributions must be based on real experiences and information. Our policy prohibits inappropriate content, including:
- Deliberately fake edits
- Copied or stolen photos
- Off-topic answers
- Defamatory language
- Personal attacks
- Unnecessary or incorrect edits
If you come across this behavior, please report it:
Users who abuse this trust will be removed from the Local Guides program.
The Local Guides brand
To help protect the brand and allow our users to recognize and identify official communications, refer to these guidelines:
- Do not use the Local Guides logo or any other Google logo unless you have:
- An existing partnership
- Formal approval from the Google brand team
- Do not name your product(s), domain name(s), website(s), company, or other assets “Local Guides,” “Google,” or anything similar that may make your product appear to be an official Google product. This includes imagery shared by Local Guides or Google Maps.
- Do not use “GOOGLE” in your social media account name or handle. If you use “LOCAL GUIDES” in your social media account name or handle, clearly state in your bio/description that you are not an official channel or affiliated with Google. Do not use the Local Guides logo or other Google logos as your profile image.