Google is home to the world’s largest community of volunteer contributors – over 500 million Local Guides! They help your business stand out by sharing authentic reviews, photos, and videos that build customer confidence and highlight your unique offerings.
*" because I immediately noticed the note that Google Maps has surpassed 500 million Local Guides ! It took me a while to first grasp the number , and then to imagine it and think that the world is getting smaller and closer! There are so many of us, and I’ve been fortunate enough to meet many Local Guides over these 10 years, and with all of them, a wonderful friendship has developed. The warm hugs we shared during official and unofficial Meet Up will forever remain in my memory ! I hope to meet even more Local Guides in the coming years, to celebrate all our milestones together !
Happy to share more fantastic future milestones with you!
This is truly amazing news! @davidhyno
It’s a little sad, though, that with over 500 million Local Guides, many are not even aware that this platform, Local Guides Connect, exists. Imagine what we could achieve if even more people joined the conversations here!
Hi @TusharSuradkar! As far as I can remember, up until about 4 years ago, there were about 1.3 million Local Guides registered on Connect. There must be many more now…
Another thing is the number of actually active members, but there is no information on this either.
Hi @MortenCopenhagen ! The huge leap from 150 million in 2023 to 500 million in 2025 seemed strange to me too! You did well to ask, we await a clarifying answer!
If your excellent news i thrue I wonder how many are actually active. Intetesting if you post a mail here you only get 10, 20 or even 50 replies. Have anyone actually ever got more than 50.000 thumbs up for one mail? Anyway keep up the good work!
Hi @TusharSuradkar ,
Connect has redesigned its homepage I think three times since it launched, always adapting to the changing ways people use forums or digital devices. What I really miss from previous versions was the “Idea” section where you could provide feedback on improvements to Maps or Connect. Given the increasingly large size of devices and desktop monitors, I’d also redesign the homepage layout.
Here are some of my suggestions (more space-saving). There would also be a place to include an always-visible and interactive calendar that lets you click on a date to see if there’s a meetup or important date to remember about Maps.
I would then include a “Photographic” section with only photos, like creating a photo album to browse through with photos searchable by author, subject, location, etc. etc.
These are some of my notes that mostly concern the visual aspect, I have some graphic dysfunction that always tries to optimize everything, as they say here in Italy “Even the eye wants its part!”
@davidhyno This brings me back to a question I once asked - “What is a Local Guide?”. Is Google counting everyone who interacts with Maps, or is there a requirement to fill out a form and get accepted as a LocalGuide?
I don’t remember how I became one, but Google would’ve started sending me emails commenting on my reviews or photos. In those early days, I didn’t consider myself to be anything special or different to the average person who occasionally went to Maps for any reason. Then, eventually there were the emails about moving up different levels. Is that just an automated process applicable to all Maps users, or was it because I perhaps accepted an invitation to become a Local Guide?
Answers to these questions would certainly give us a better idea of what this 500 million really means.
@davidhyno تحياتي الجميله لك اخي ديفد.ارجو لك النجاح والصحه والهدوء.الحقيقه منشورك جميل وعاطفي ومحفز لنا.المهم لنا جميع ان نعمل ولا ننظر للكم بل للكيف.المهم لنا التفاعل والعمل والمثابره وتأييد ودعم الاخرين.كثير من مقالاتنا كانت سبب في شهرة اصحاب الاعمال الصغيره.لاننا سلطنا الضوء عليها ولانها فعلا تقدم الجميل والصحي والمفيد للمجتمع.اشكر الاخوه جميع على تعليقاتهم الجميله نحو بعض.الكلمه اجمل واغلى من المال اذا كانت جميله ويستفيد منها البشر.كلنا اخوه وعملنا تطوعي.وباب كسب المال ايضا مفتوح لمن اراده.ولكن لست هنا مع الادلاء.نحن نخدم الناس للوصول للافضل.وبدون مقابل فقط لله وحده سبحانه.خدمة الناس عمل عظيم ومقدس.للجميع للجميع.سلام لاخوتي في كل مكان من الاردن بلد الديانات.نعم سلام كبير وعظيم
Hi @tony_b !
To become a Local Guide now, all you need is an email and to sign up from this page: https://maps.google.com/localguides/
And there are no other requirements; you’re accepted immediately.
I also think that by becoming a new Local Guide, your profile will be monitored more closely to avoid potentially fake accounts.
Returning to your question: “What is a Local Guide?”, in my opinion, Local Guides must be aware that their contributions are actually improving the Google Maps experience for all other users. Therefore, you must understand that your contribution must be as truthful and honest as possible; the quality of your contribution must prevail over quantity. And above all, don’t treat Google Maps like any other social media platform where you can post dozens of identical photos, selfies, and the same review for different businesses. These are a few simple rules to follow for your contributions in Maps. Then there’s the whole real world where, thanks to Meet-ups or Connect, you can truly interact and meet other people with the same passions as you. Here, friendships go from virtual to truly real, and you can’t wait for the next opportunity to see your friends again. If I had to sum it all up, I’d use these few words: awareness, honesty, friendship, and fun.
! It took me a while to first grasp the number 
, and then to imagine it and think that the world is getting smaller and closer! There are so many of us, and I’ve been fortunate 
enough to meet many Local Guides over these 10 years, and with all of them, a wonderful friendship has developed. The warm hugs we shared during official and unofficial Meet Up will forever remain in my memory 
! I hope to meet even more Local Guides in the coming years, to celebrate all our milestones together 
!
