How to get Edits and New Places Approved

Google Maps tips & tricks
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This post aims to ease Local Guides’ frustrations related to not getting their edits and new places on Google Maps approved. Countless posts on Connect are related to this problem. So I decided to share some of the best tips and tricks I learned from making more than 50.000 successful edits on Google Map.

While this post is related to increasing the approval rate of Suggest an edit and Adding a missing places I also hope to share Easing frustrations-posts related to Maps elements and Regional editing restrictions. Stay tuned.

These are my 4 best tips related to getting your Suggested Edits approved:

  1. Make only single-edits. This will make it possible to learn from all the feedback you get. Over time you will be able to predict what edits the AI spam filter will approve and reject. This will build your trust score resulting in more editing power over time. If you make multiple edits before you hit Submit you will not know which specific edit caused it to go pending or not verified.

  2. Know the Guidelines so you don’t suggest edits that are against the guidelines. Guidelines for Google My Business should also be studied.

  3. Check if the “Claim this business” link is present or not. Places without the link are already claimed. This makes them a lot harder (but not impossible) to edit.

  4. Don’t get obsessed trying to get one specific edit approved. Repeating the same edit over and over is likely to cause the AI spam filter to consider you a spammer. This will make your trust score go down. So learn to let go and leave the difficult edits to other Local Guides. Letting go is probably my best tip. Stay happy, there is no need to get upset. Thousands of easy edits are waiting for us.

Further reading:

Please read Why is my edit status “Pending” or “Not Applied”? if you haven’t already done so.

You may also find How to make sense of Google’s responses to your edits interesting since Approved, Not applied, and Pending are explained in more detail.

These are my 5 best tips on how to get new places approved:

  1. Do a manual pre-verification of the phone number. Look up the number in reverse in an online phone directory. If the phone number is not registered or if the returned name and address are different from what you are trying to add to Google Maps, then your addition is not likely to get approved.

  2. Do a manual online pre-verification of the name and website. Simply do a Google search of the name and look up the website you will be adding. If they mention the same address your new place is likely to get approved.

  3. Places with no phone number and no website are generally hard to add. I suggest you build trust by only adding places with a publicly registered phone number and a website mentioning the same name and address. Then later you are more likely to be able to add more challenging places.

  4. Know the rules of what places can be added to Google Maps. Please study Places you can’t add to the map.

  5. Respect the list of categories. When you can not find the precise category for a new place, then this is Google’s subtle way of telling you not to add this place! Don’t even try with a sub-optimal/creative category. Though you can use a more general category should it be available.

Try always to add all the information you have and avoid typos while creating a new place because you are only allowed one subsequent edit before the spam filter kicks in. Else you need to wait for a week or so.

Further reading:

On this page, you should click on the headings Eligible businesses and Ineligible businesses. Also, the texts under Name and Category are worth a read.

If you follow all the tips mentioned above I’m sure your approval rates will go up.

Finally, don’t take it personally when your edits and additions are not approved. It is just a computer and not a human you are dealing with. Always try to learn from the feedback you get (approved, pending, or not verified). And do more of the kinds of edits you can get approved. Over time this will make you a more successful and trusted Google Maps Editor.

Feel free to share your questions and comments below.

Cheers

Morten

PS: Credits to everyone who shared their tips and tricks with me.

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Excellent post @MortenCopenhagen !

I can add that if you make the adding or edition while you are in the place and if you add a good photo where the name of the place can br seen clearly, your editions are normally approved faster.

Thanks for sharing all this useful info with us!

Ceci

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Hi @Cecilita

Thanks for your kind words.

Regarding adding a photo I agree very much. But it is worth noting that adding more than one good photo can be counterproductive, and photos showing the name and/or entrance should be preferred. In fact, I always add a good photo.

Regarding editing and adding places while being on-site, I’m pretty sure this is not correct. I can not cite Google documents, but here is my experience. I have added 702 new places only one of them was added while on site. And the first attempt to add it was declined. So in my experience, it is very unlikely that being at the place increases your approval rate of new places. But I also don’t try to add places where I haven’t been at the place prior to adding it.

And I estimate that less than 1% of my 50.000 successful edits were made on-site.

But I will admit that the be-on-site-myth is often being mentioned.

All the best

Morten

PS: When adding new places I almost always need to do some research to find the website, phone number etc. and this is easier to do from home where I also have my Desktop available.

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@MortenCopenhagen Very nice and attractive suggestions, thanks Morten

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So, you’ve crossed the 50.000 edits mark? Wow, amazing performance @MortenCopenhagen , congratulations!

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Totally agree with adding one POI photo and one Edit, google likes this and yes a Phone number is super important, Secondly a web address( if you don’t have phone) it allows Google to cross check your edit immediately

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Really very useful and helpful tips. Thank you so much @MortenCopenhagen for sharing.

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@MortenCopenhagen

Useful Information Sir. :ok_hand:

With Regards,

Ramamoorthy123.

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@MortenCopenhagen I have tried to ad a new place ( A medical Supply shop ) a few times with no success. They have an active facebook website and i have uploaded 4 pictures of the store taken today clearly open.

How is that rejected ?

Cheers

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I would like to add that categories are like keys. If a certain category is not available to you, then you don’t hold the key (permission) to edit this type of place/area on Google Maps.

Thanks a million for adding so many valuable, educational posts on Connect @MortenCopenhagen . In my opinion, you are highly underappreciated on this platform. Keep up the good work.

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Hi @Johnsy05

Sorry for replying so late. My mistake.

Pharmacies, hospitals, ATM machines, and banks are very hard to edit and add in most countries. Pretty much impossible as you have experienced it. I believe those categories carry extra protection because of the potential consequences if people find incorrect information on Google Maps. Maybe Medical Supply Shops are privileged to the same protection.

I don’t think there is much you can do except reach out to the shop owners and suggest they create the Maps listing themselves.

I have pretty much given up on those categories to not waste my time.

All the best

Morten

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Thanks, @JeroenM

Maybe we should post an Idea to remove those categories from the list available to Local Guides?

Cheers

Morten

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Thank you for your advice, but I feel like it’s not helping me at all. As I let you know, I have done editions in countries such as Venezuela, the United States, Mexico, Colombia and Panama, and if they have approved it. Why can’t you do it with Chile? In fact, few new locations have been made within that country. My case is not isolated

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@MortenCopenhagen

Thanks for this link. I wish there were stickies like this and easily locatable.

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@MortenCopenhagen you’re one among best teachers. Keep on enlightening fellow local guides.

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Very good post @MortenCopenhagen

I’ve had some bad experiences in the past, and some were very mysterious. I knew from experience that Maps was wrong, and had all the facts about what was right, but the edit continued unapproved. Looking back I see that I tried on Aug 27th, Sep 3rd, and Sep 6th, and every time there was an immediate Not Applied response. The error still persists, but now I know I should let go, and don’t take it personally.

Meanwhile, I’ve gone on to be successful with a few other posts and edits. Perhaps this is due to all the new tips I get from you and @AdamGT

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I do think Google’s AI is flawed when a random noobie can add non existent or not meaningful places and have them approved. One which sticks out is Costco’s smoker pit, lunch table, and more especially if it’s everything is in uppercase which should serve as a red flag.

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@MortenCopenhagen

Very Informative Post.

Thanks!!

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I already added my two cents to include more options for removing a “business” or placemark under the “Other” category.

I seen places like “Joe’s Workshop” that’s in an apartment or a lane/trail or whatever which is not open to the public, it doesn’t have a lobby per se and more or a business such as a roofing contractor/tradesman showing off a client’s residence as their own to be removed because it can’t verify my edit. Rarely, are these points of interests removed. Yet, they’re quickly approved and Google isn’t abiding by its rules.

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@MortenCopenhagen I just wanted to come back here to update on my experience in the past month relative to your post.

“Pharmacies, hospitals, ATM machines, and banks are very hard to edit and add in most countries.”

The above categories all seem to be unrestricted in my country. I’ve actually added two pharmacies recently - one was added almost instantly, while the other needed a very brief interaction with a Google Maps PE to sort out a detail. (It turns out that there was an outdated Google Maps street view photo on record, where the building was a different colour about 4 years ago).

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