Hi Google Maps Team,
I’m a Local Guide from Çorlu, Turkey. I regularly visit and review local cafés and restaurants to help small businesses grow. I think it’s time for Local Guides to have a micro-reward system that motivates high-quality contributions.
1-Verified Business Partnerships
Local businesses could voluntarily sponsor their pages by offering a small contribution (e.g., 1–5 USD per month). These funds could partially go to Google, and partially reward Local Guides who post verified, high-quality reviews, photos, or videos.
2-Content-Based Rewards
Guides who upload short, high-engagement videos (for example, 15–30 second food or café clips) could earn micro-rewards, similar to YouTube Shorts monetization — calculated by views, relevance, and user engagement.
3-Local Promotion Campaigns
Businesses could request Local Guides to visit and review them authentically (not paid ads, but transparent “sponsored discovery” tags).
Google could mediate this safely — businesses pay via Google, and Guides receive verified compensation.
4-Guide Subscription / Perk Program
Top-rated Local Guides could access extra benefits — like Google One storage, Maps Pro features, or travel discounts — in exchange for continuous verified activity.
5-Trust-Based Ranking System
Guides with high “trust scores” (no fake reviews, consistent uploads) could join a new category: “Google Verified Local Expert.”
These experts could be eligible for collaboration programs or direct business partnerships.
This would not only motivate Local Guides to create more authentic, high-quality content but also help small businesses reach visibility more efficiently — all within Google’s ecosystem and under fair transparency rules.
Thank you for considering this idea.
Best regards,
Burhan Hayretci
Local Guide – Çorlu, Turkey