Everyone, in this particular category, is displaying their revered achievements in the Local Guides Program. Be it milestones, rewards, badges, views etc. But for me, the biggest achievement, apart from numbers and points and views are bringing small shops & businesses online on Google Maps (One which only a few have heard of) and probably attracting more customers to their humble offerings.
I used to travel from Kolkata, India (My Home City) to Kharagpur for work, a lot. We used to stop by a small shop (unhygienic, street side) at a place called Debra on NH 6. A small detour once you reach Debra (don’t take the flyover) and you will come across this eatery. 99% people will never notice this place. I thoroughly enjoyed their snacks. In Bengali, the word for delicious is Mukhorochak (মুখরোচক). You will find the BEST snacks Aloo Chop (potato snack), Pyaji (Onion Fritter Snack), Puffed Rice coupled with Ghughni (Dried Yellow Peas), Samosas and a variety of sweets and savouries. It’s very cheap and the quality of the food will force you to come here again and again.
How can people not know about this Hidden Gem? With the friendly owner’s permission, I added the shop on Google Maps (In fact, I named the place ), pinpointed it’s exact location and added some pictures. With the powerful Google’s Algorithm, my edit was approved and successfully added to the Maps. I bid farewell to the guys there and moved on to work.
On my next visit there, after 4-5 days, they lauded me since they were witnessing more footfall. More people driving towards Debra made their way to their little shop. It was such a delight in seeing them smile and enjoying their work. THAT, is an achievement for me. One which only Google Maps can give.
To this day, one picture has garnered around 8.5K views (imagine 1-2% people converted into customers). Sheer Joy! Sheer Achievement!
Share such stories in comments below, that you came across during your journey with Google Maps.