Views vs. Values: Why the "10-View Photo" Matters Most

Google Maps tips & tricks
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Caption: A photo of Tienda Las Tablitas, a convenience store in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia uploaded onto Maps by @AdamGT
Caption: A photo of Tienda Las Tablitas, a convenience store in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia uploaded onto Maps by @AdamGT1543×867 300 KB

Caption: A photo of Tienda Las Tablitas, a convenience store in Cartagena de Indias, Colombia uploaded onto Maps by @AdamGT

As most here will know, I spend a lot of time looking at numbers. As the creator of the Leaderboards, I track the millions of views we collectively achieve and the metrics that define “top” performance. But today, after reading this comment by @StevenBerlin, I want to talk about the views that don’t make the Leaderboards—and why they might be the most important ones of all.

The Geographic Equity Gap

We don’t all live in London, Paris, or New York. We aren’t all snapping photos of places like the Taj Mahal or the Statue of Liberty every weekend. If we judge our success solely by view counts, the small-town contributor might feel their work is “lesser than” that of a big-city traveller.

But here is the truth: A historic corner shop like Tienda Las Tablitas in Cartagena deserves a presence on Google Maps just as much as a Michelin-starred restaurant in Manhattan. Your photo of a local village bakery might only get 10 views this year, but for those 10 people, that photo was essential for finding what they needed.

Metrics as a Teacher, Not a Judge

Metrics like “average views per photo” are fantastic tools for self-improvement. They help us learn which angles work best and what information users are looking for. However, I don’t believe they should ever be used as a “death warrant” for a contribution.

Periodically deleting low-view photos just to “inflate” your averages ignores our core Local Guide mission: sharing experiences and helping people discover places, no matter how big or small.

The Golden Rule of Map Hygiene

This isn’t to say we should never delete photos. We have a responsibility to keep the Map clean and policy-compliant. There is a vital distinction between a low-view photo and a low-quality photo:

  • The Keep List: That solitary, clear photo of a rural post office or a 100-year-old convenience store with only a handful of views. It provides unique value.

  • The Delete List: Inadvertent duplicates, blurry shots, or policy-infringing “near-twins”.

Cleaning up accidental duplicates is good hygiene; deleting unique photos because they aren’t “popular” enough is a disservice to the community.

What's your philosophy?

I’d love to hear your philosophy on this. When you look at your contribution tab, what guides your hand? Feel free to mix and match! For example, are you an ‘A’ with a bit of ‘C’? Or perhaps a ‘D’ who occasionally acts like a ‘B’?

What Kind of Local Guide Are You?
  • (A) The Global Missionary: Every place I visit deserves a photo, regardless of the view count.
  • (B) The Numbers Man: I use metrics to prune my gallery and keep my averages as high as possible.
  • (C) The Essentialist: I only delete if I’ve made a mistake (like a duplicate) or if I’ve uploaded a much better version later.
  • (D) The Local Champion: I focus on the “unseen” small businesses and ignore the metrics entirely.
  • Other: I’ll explain in the comments
0 voters
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We all fall into one or more category… .

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That really resonates. @AdamGT
My personal approach is:

  1. I always try to upload pictures to just about every location I go to. For me, ensuring a location has a visual presence on the map is more important than chasing numbers. Just as much as a landmark, a small store, a neighborhood service, or a peaceful corner deserves that.
  2. However, I’m very picky about quality. (I learned it during my initial phase with your leaderboard, and I thank you for that.) I also review my contributions from time to time and take out anything that is not necessary, whether it is duplicates, weak shots, or just anything that doesn’t add value. I don’t delete photos because they have low views, but I do clean up anything that’s unclear or not useful.
  3. I’m passionate about small business. “Many of them don’t have a great digital footprint, and even a couple of good photos can make a real difference for someone deciding to go there.”

So I fully agree with your points; metrics are useful, but they shouldn’t define purpose. Whether that number is small or not, what matters is if a photo helps someone.

Cheers!

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Informative post @AdamGT . Really, your detailed information provided in this post of yours is really very helpful in a very big way. Thanks for sharing this in order to make Good Maps more better and reliable for other people :+1:

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Thanks for this thoughtful post @AdamGT. I voted for all options except B. I agree with you, sometimes even a low-view photo can still help someone.

I also review my photos from time to time and remove hidden ones or those linked to unknown places. Behind every photo, there is a purpose, some time and effort invested in making it useful. For me, posting photos is not for views, but to help the person who needs them.

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Für mich ist es wichtig, dass Orte richtig angezeigt werden, um den Ort leichter finden zu können. @AdamGT

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I am clearly a mass uploader.

Stats (yes, love them) are good but as these are at the mercy of the algorithm and it is in many case horrid (sorry but it is), I rather leave a good media available and hope the algorithm pick it at some point.

Knowing how AI works these days.. Google appreciates any extra knowledge they can analyse downstream. Even similar photos of the same store front on different day of the week.

It takes me too long to upload, to worry about cleanup time.

As long as I spend minimal time when uploading (I do) to check quality, reasonable improve (trim/focus etc.)..I have done my bit.

The rest is up to the algorithm and whatever maps decide to do with the media.

I am moving on to the next review and contribution. Maps should be the decider to what they need, what is a duplicate etc.

We are busy people and all do our best to feed the beast… they can surely do their part to make the best of filtering what they need.

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@AdamGT I try to upload many photos of the same place from different angles, with different things or products in the frame, and I never delete them.

I do this because I think more information will help AI give users more relevant information, especially in the very near future. AI will probably process all the information, categorize it, and recommend the best options for people.

It will probably become much easier to find the vibe, services, or even specific products you are looking for if more information is available to AI.

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I always try to focus on unseen and local business, it motivates me a lot doing something Unique.

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Vote done @AdamGT sir

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@AdamGT

I actually have never cared about average views. I post usually two photos of each poi, one angular shot and one straight on shot. After 3 or 4 months, I will go and sort by view count and scroll all the way to the bottom which takes me now almost 15 minutes.

I then looked at every photo that has under 100 views AND is 4 months old. If both conditions are met, I delete.

I figure this photo will never move up or get many more views, and the main reason for deletion is simply to get rid of photos never really being seen.

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I’m unsure
Care little
In my instance
Maps found me
Wholly dependent on what type of character you are
No rules boundaries or limitations
The T100 is a breeding ground
It chose me

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How do you know and what this the benefit of getting rid of photos @StevenBerlin ?

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I don’t know, but to remove these low riders, makes it faster to scroll to the bottom lol.

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@WilfriedB
A true local guide doesn’t know they are one

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Numbers are but only a game

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I completely agree that it’s important to leave up photos for places that may not get a lot of attention, @AdamGT. Rather than Avg views per photo, I like to focus on Avg Photos per POI. I typically start with 2-4 images of a POI, and after a few months, I’ll trim any clear underachievers. But, I’ll at least leave a single photo.

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Hey @AdamGT I loved reading this post as these issues keep cropping up over and over again. I ticked A,C and D. I trust that helps?

I like to compare D. with the rural buses. They may not carry many people but there are a lifeline for those that live and work there thus helping to sustain the rual economy. They help to create a more inclusive world even if providing those rural services may not be economically viable becasue of the low passenger numbers.

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Very well said @AdamGT, and that’s why I was so thankful when you introduced the Country Leaderboards. I love this poll, and I placed my votes, but I’m really not sure what I am. Point to note, my Statue of Liberty photo was among my poor performers.

The mathematician in me, points me in this direction, but I haven’t deleted as often as I originally planned to. Your title speaks of 10-view photos, and I certainly have some of those. But the absolute zeroes definitely get the cut if I notice them.

I don’t often go back through to re-examine the quality of my posted photos. That’s something I’d consider before uploading, and there are many that I’ve taken and then declined to upload later when i reached home.

Option D is definitely not me. I don’t focus on a specific type of place. Most of my shots are just by chance. A quick click of something that I notice, mainly to ensure I have material to continue contributing without too many missing days. And I definitely don’t ignore the metrics, as I’m entirely fascinated with the monthly Leaderboards. :grinning:

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I’m not passionate about anything in this way @AjitThite, but I’ve definitely posted to some places that had none or have very few photos. Even if those photos get very few views, I wouldn’t delete them if mine are the only photos there.