I am hoping to use some of our google reviews for an account we own. Do we own these reviews or does google? We would like to use them on our website and landing pages. Are we able to copy and paste these or is there a process we need to follow?
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Thanks for asking. This forum is for the volunteer local guides while business owners have their own help pages and forum.
Here are the GMB help pages and you find the GMB forum here.
The interests as a business owner and a local guide should not be mixed since there can be conflicts of interest. So please delete your account here on Connect should your primary interests be your business.
Cheers
Morten
PS I have often seen reviews used in advertising, but that does not answer your good and relevant question. And as a local guide I also would like to know the answer to your question. From my perspective I own my reviews. And I guess Google agree to this since I can any time edit and delete my reviews.
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Hello @jessicasayersPH
Here is an answer to your query at the link
https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7412443?hl=en&ref_topic=7422769
which says
"Published content, along with your profile name and photo, may also appear within third–party sites that use Google embeddable widgets or the Google Maps Platform API."
Thus, you need using a specified technique to embed reviews on your website. However, copy pasting of reviews would be objectionable.
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Thanks for you fine answer, @C_T .
Morten
Thanks @MortenCopenhagen
Yes, I am aware, the query would be pertinent in GMB forum.
Still, I answered that with one intention. Let our LG community know our reviews may get replicated on third party websites also. That makes sharing a genuine experience more relevant!
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Hi, @jessicasayersPH
Connect is a place to get to know other Local Guides, plan activities, share your stories, give feedback and more.
Local Guides is a program for individuals, not for businesses, as explained by @MortenCopenhagen
Regarding your question, I think @C_T gave a clear indication about the steps to follow, as a Local Guide, by joining the program, give the consent for his contents to be publicly visible, through the use of APIs, on other websites.
We had other conversation in the past, @C_T , about that, because some Local Guides reported that his/her reviews was visible on some website about restaurants.
@C_T gave you an important indication, @jessicasayersPH , because a review can be embedded, using an API, but it is strongly recommended not to just copy/paste the reviews nor the username, for several reasons:
- A review can be modified, or deleted.
- A user can decide to remove it, for his own privacy
The use of the API will always reflect the actual representation of the data in Maps, while a Copy/Paste can in the future be an issue for the publisher, because may not reflect the actual contents.
I am sure that every web developer know where to find the APIs and how to use them.
In any case, the right place to search about APIs is Developers . For more information: https://developers.google.com/
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Hi @ErmesT
Thanks for your reply.
One question: Will using the API allow cherry-picking reviews like copy-paste would?
I would expect the API to show the latest 3 (or so) reviews, right?
Cheers
Morten
I am not a website developer, @MortenCopenhagen , nor a user of advanced web functions, so I can’t give you other than a feeling. BTW, you are using some advanced function on your signature. The function you are using is pointing some specific data on your profile, so I am expecting that, with an appropriate setting, you can define how an API have to work
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Very much fair enough, @ErmesT
I looked into it. Google does not seem to make it very easy to use their API on Google Maps Reviews. But I found a thirdparty plug-in for use on Wordpress sites. Watching their demo video indicates that this often used plug-in will show a list of the most recent reviews. Hence I don’t think this partivular plug-in makes it easy to go cherry-picking for only very favorable reviews.
Cheers
Morten
1 Like
I am reading again your post, as I was missing an important data. Please confirm:
You want to use the reviews from an account (another one, not this one) you own. Is this last one a Local Guide account?
I can find a lot of issues on your request, somme already explained and some other new:
According to the Local Guides Program Terms and Conditions “Organizations, brands, and businesses are not eligible for the Program”. As you are here representing a business, you should close your Local Guide account NOW, from here: https://maps.google.com/localguides/home/settings
You want to use the reviews written by you (or one of your business, as you use the pronoun “We”) on your website or landing pages.
This sounds to me like a deep violation of the program.
- From Write reviews and add ratings of places :“These reviews and opinions are voluntary”
Writing reviews for your customers, to use them on the landing pages (related to the business) is another violation of the policies, and will put at risk also the Listing of your customer (paid reviews) because the main characteristics of spontaneity is missing