Gone are the days when MapQuest was the go-to maps tool online. Now, users predominantly favour options such as Google Maps, which provides precise location information for both mobile and desktop users. Google has now added to their Google Maps tool with their new Local Guides feature. The Google Local Guides feature will allow users to have their reviews placed next to business information within Google Maps. Google is incentivizing users, known as “Local Guides”, to review local area businesses by providing them with invites to local events, special online badges and other gifts based on the number and quality of reviews they provide.
Let’s Look at the Main Features of this New Google Program:
It’s Accessible to All Users
All Google+ users can sign up for the Local Guides program. This means it’s accessible to all online reviewers. It’s an opportunity for local community members to have their say on a favourite local business.
50 Quality Reviews Required for Access to Private Community Access
Users that post 50 quality reviews will be eligible to become part of a private Google + community through which they can then receive invites to special events across their city.
Users Who Post More than 200 Reviews Receive Elevated Online Status
Those users who post more than 200 reviews for businesses within their local area will be featured on the Local Guides profile properties across Facebook, Google+ and Twitter. They will also have the opportunity to host special meet ups, as well as moderate official Local Guide communities within Google.
Designed to Boost the Quality of Local Reviews
A leading advantage of the Local Guides program is that it’s designed to incentivize the creation of higher quality reviews. This will allow businesses to receive more effective recommendations from their leading customers and will present online audiences with a higher quality of information on businesses within their area.
The Google ecosystem continues to grow. And this latest move will see Google Maps being integrated with more user-created content within local marketplace. To learn more on what this new Local Guides feature could mean for your growing business, contact our expert team today.
