Hello everyone, I have a question for the community, especially those from Tunisia. I’ve noticed that some Google Local Guide profiles feature professional-looking photos. I’m curious if anyone is making money from these photos and if it’s possible to earn money as a Google Local Guide.
Thank you for your help and insights on this topic!"
Hello @slimnamouchi
Hope you are well? I’m fine thank you. Nice to E-meet you. I am not from Tunisia,I am from West Africa same continent as yourself. That doesn’t matter much though.
Regarding your question,the local guide program is a completely voluntary program. As a local guide you shouldn’t be aiming or making any financial profit or otherwise from your activities.
Now if you are talking about photos of local guides getting featured on the maps,that is as a result of a high quality photo that follows the guidelines and has become a cover photo for the POI in question. There are many posts here on connect about good photos on the maps. I could show you some if you are interested.
I have gotten my photo featured on the maps many times and still do. It’s not for any personal profit neither do the local guides involved gets any special preference apart from the fact that the photo is featured.
It’s highly possible to have yours featured as well,if you take good shot,well lit up, in short following the laid down guidelines for photos on the maps. Hope this helps and answers your questions.
Happy guiding.
Cheers
Updated
N. B This local guide lots of post regarding photos on the maps. This one titled Learning-from-your-photo-contribution-list might suit you better but feel free to browse on his profile for more. Thanks
Hello @slimnamouchi
There is no salary i mean there is no money for the local guides from the Google. Also the Google Local Guide Program is for developing the map by contributing adding photos, videos, reviews. Anybody can make it but there is no money.
By reaching the new levels we can get gifts, Google events, redeem codes, if your notification settings is off/on you can check this once Settings you get an mail when you have eligible for that.
Also i am saying one thing local guides are for help the people not for the points, gifts. If we contribute more & more by adding helpful photos, reviews it’s can be nice also the Google will send as gifts, and invite to the events.
Note :- The local guide members are just do help not do for the points or for anything.
I think your post is related to the “How-to” not in “Photography” soo please change it for helpful to the others lg’s (sorry for suggesting this moderators.)
Please forgive me if any mistakes i have posted.
If my message is not helpful please be patience for the response from the Moderators/Seniors
Thank You, Keep Contributing! All the best.
I have not seen your question properly i think you have asking just about the money.
Already @SholaIB has mentioned i think it’s was the helpful message by given by him. For the featured photos are adding any high quality photos reviews there’s no money from the Google.
Also i have mentioned in the previous message we can get gifts, event invitations from the Google Time to Time.
If my message is not helpful please be patience for the response from the Moderators/Senior’s.
Thank You, Keep Contributing! All the best.
I believe that @slimnamouchi raised question in form of curiousity.
Thank you for the responses from the community. I was enlightened too and willing to share more on GM as LG.
If you can find businesses willing to pay you for adding photos to their business on Google Maps you can make some money, but please note: to do so you will need to leave the Local Guides Program. It is possible to add photos on Google Maps without being a member of the Local Guides Program.
The businesses might prefer you leave it to them to upload the photos. This will enable them to remove them when they see fit.
But keep in mind that you can not in any way communicate to the businesses that you represent Google in any way.
Best of luck
Morten
Welcome back in Connect after a long time, @slimnamouchi .
I think you already know the answer, that is obviously no. Local Guides is a volunteer program. But of course some of the 150 millions Local Guide is also a photographer. We can take great photos also with a mobile phone, if we use the appropriate method.
Regarding making money, a few weeks ago I wanted to imagine the implications of a program where the local guides are paid.
G€t Paid for Our Contribution$? What could happen if that were the case?
What is your opinion?
Hello @SholaIB
Thank you for your response and for sharing your personal experience with getting your photo featured on the maps. I appreciate your insight into the Google Local Guide program and the guidelines for photos on the maps.
I definitely understand that being a Google Local Guide is a voluntary program and that there should be no financial gain from participating and also that the featured photos are selected based on their quality and adherence to the guidelines, rather than any personal gain.
Cheers
Hello @Rakshi2
Thank you for your response and for providing more insight into the Google Local Guide program. I appreciate your clarification that there is no salary or financial compensation for local guides from Google.
I posed this question out of curiosity after noticing that some Local Guide profiles only feature professional-looking photos that appear to be advertisement-like in nature.
It’s good to know that reaching new levels in the program can lead to gifts, Google events, and redeem codes, but the primary focus of being a local guide should be to help others by contributing helpful photos and reviews, rather than seeking rewards or points.
I also agree with your suggestion to change the post category if it is more related to “How-to” than photography. Thank you for your helpful input, and happy guiding to you!
Regards.
Hello @HARVEY_PHILIPPINES
Thank you for your response and for acknowledging that my question was raised out of curiosity. It’s great to see the community coming together to share knowledge and insights about the Google Local Guide program.
Certainly! As you correctly stated, being a Google Local Guide is a voluntary program, meaning that individuals participate out of their own desire to contribute to the community and share their knowledge about local places and attractions. While being a local guide can bring personal satisfaction and recognition, there should be no financial gain or other rewards sought through participation. Instead, the focus should be on providing helpful and accurate information to other users of the platform.
Hello @MortenCopenhagen ,
Thank you for your response and for providing additional insights on the possibility of making money through adding photos to businesses on Google Maps.
For me, participation in the Local Guide program should be motivated by personal fulfillment and acknowledgment rather than any financial or material benefits.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge on this topic and offering your best wishes to me. Happy guiding!
Thank you.
Hello @ErmesT
As a Local Guide on Google Maps, I completely agree that the program is a volunteer-based one and we shouldn’t be aiming for any financial gain or rewards through our participation. However, I do think that it would be interesting to explore the implications of a paid program for local guides. On one hand, it could encourage more people to participate and contribute to the maps, potentially resulting in higher quality content and more accurate information. On the other hand, it could also lead to a shift in priorities where people are solely focused on making money rather than genuinely helping others and improving the maps. Overall, I think it’s important to maintain the volunteer aspect of the program, but it’s also worth considering how a paid program could potentially improve or harm the quality of the maps.
You can provide services that include helping clients with Google Maps. You can help them out their site on the map, help them take ownership of it and how to use it and monitor it. They might hire you to maintain it for them. A woman I know ended with a project in Bozeman, Montana where she provided support to their entire chamber of commerce and it’s members. Besides taking photos for yourself and posting them you can do photography for your clients. This can lead to other marketing revenue and even contracting to set up and maintain websites for businesses. It takes a lot of time and attention but you can earn money by offering several different services to your clients of which Google Maps would play an overall minor part but would make a big difference for your clients. You are not supposed to tell them you work for Google unless you do. Let me know if I can be of further assistance. I am doing similar work here but for free at the moment.
The important thing for this is to build relationships. I often find people frequenting places I went to when I write about them on Twitter or Facebook and include the Google Maps entry along with it. People love to know where they are going and what to expect when they get there!
alfred.brock @@gmail.com
@AlfredBrock and @slimnamouchi
Selling photos will be in competition with 150+ million volunteers who will take and add photos for free 
And most business owners will own a phone perfectly capable of taking brilliant photos.
So you will need to develop extraordinary photography or marketing skills to pull this off.
To perfect specific Google Maps photography skills I will seize this opportunity to promote my series on Storefront Photography. Sorry, I could not help it
Cheers
Morten
Wow @slimnamouchi
I enjoy the different forms and facets of replies and information you have gotten on this post.
I like what @MortenCopenhagen contributed. I feel that I just enjoy contributing voluntarily as a local guide since I have a job on hand. I would not like to get on the money making side of it and miss the interactions on connect etc.
@ErmesT always has something very detailed and good to contribute. I always look forward to his response on issued like this on connect.
Thank you all. Happy guiding and keep active.
Cheers
Sir @SholaIB I have sent you an private message please see that.