We all use Google Maps differently—some for discovering food spots, some for navigation, and others for sharing reviews and photos. Over time, I’ve learned a few simple tricks that make Maps even more powerful, and I’d love to hear yours too!
Here are a few of my favorites to get started:
Save Lists: Create custom lists for coffee shops, travel plans, or “must-visit” places.
Check Busy Times: Use the “Popular Times” graph to avoid long waits at restaurants or attractions.
Add Captions: When uploading photos, short captions make them more useful for others.
AR Walking Directions: Try Live View for easier navigation in busy streets.
Keyword Search in Reviews: Looking for “vegan,” “Wi-Fi,” or “pet-friendly”? Search within reviews for quick answers.
Now I’d love to know:
What’s your favorite hidden trick in Google Maps?
Do you have a time-saving hack for contributing as a Local Guide?
How do you make your reviews/photos stand out?
Let’s build a collection of tips that help both new and experienced Local Guides get the most out of Maps!
A great selection of tips & tricks @puneet11!
Please let me clarify and enhance one of your items:
While I fully agree with your statement, there are (at least) three different flavors of captions you can add using the mobile app (not on the desktop):
Add a photo and a caption at the same time under “Update by customers”. This “update” shows up on the info page of the listing and gives us five points.
We can add the name of dishes (only sometimes) under “Add a dish”
For each photo we added in various ways (even when uploaded from a desktop browse), we can add a caption under My profile on the mobile app. I prefer do so, whenever it makes sense, e.g. also to name dishes (in addition or instead of the above bullet) or specifying the contents in more detail (e.g “Entrance from the back side”), although we do not earn points for it, but I feel it is very useful for the readers.
Thanks for pointing that out and breaking it down so clearly! @wilfriedB
Your explanation of the different types of captions is really helpful — especially the distinction between adding captions with “updates,” dish names, and profile-based captions.
I completely agree that even though not all captions earn points, they add a lot of value for readers and make our contributions more useful overall. The example of naming dishes or noting details like “entrance from the back side” is exactly the kind of context that helps people. Great tip!
I have removed the solution from your topic as only topics that have absolute answers should have accepted solutions. Please read this article for more information on the topic: How do I mark replies as solutions?
Thank you for your clarification. I understand the reasoning behind the removal of the solution and will ensure that I follow the community guidelines regarding accepted solutions in the future. I also acknowledge the importance of keeping discussions public so that others may benefit, and will make sure to tag a Google Moderator if urgent assistance is required.
I also removed the solution from my reply for the same reason mentioned in it.
I also edited your topic and changed the tag to “Best practices” since you are giving your advice to other Local Guides. Make sure to add tags that best describe what you are sharing. For more information, please read this topic: What are Connect tags and how to use them?
Save Lists: Create custom lists for coffee shops, travel plans, or “must-visit” places.
Check Busy Times: Use the “Popular Times” graph to avoid long waits at restaurants or attractions.
Add Captions: When uploading photos, short captions make them more useful for others.
AR Walking Directions: Try Live View for easier navigation in busy streets.
Keyword Search in Reviews: Looking for “vegan,” “Wi-Fi,” or “pet-friendly”? Search within reviews for quick answers.
Now I’d love to know:
@wilfriedB