Google Maps It has quietly added a new feature to its map service that is easily overlooked, but has enormous potential for the local positioning for businesses and for any user looking for very specific places. This new option allows us to put labels (or hashtags) in the reviews of the establishments we visit. It's a pretty interesting feature, designed to make searches much more precise, and it's worth understanding thoroughly; we'll explain it in detail below.
Google Maps has already incorporated the option to save establishments
Before the arrival of the hashtags in reviewsGoogle already announced a new feature that consisted of the option to save establishments in Google Maps on our maps. With this great feature, we can mark as favorites those places we like to return to, a desired establishment that we have saved, even if we don't remember its exact name.
Until now, we could only save the location of the establishment. However, with this update we will be able to follow an establishment so that it notifies us when it publishes new events, offers or publications through Google My Business. This transforms Google Maps into a tool that increasingly resembles a local social network, where we not only navigate, but also We discover businesses and experiences customized.
This ability to follow places fits perfectly with the new hashtag feature, as both features point in the same direction: to allow the user to find relevant sites quickly and filtered according to your tastes, needs or restrictions (for example, if you need accessibility or if you are looking for vegetarian food).
Hashtags in Google Maps reviews
Regarding the option mentioned earlier, Google has stated that it will allow the inclusion of hashtags in the reviews of some establishments. Under the official hashtag #letsguide, Google Maps encourages your local guides to use these tags, a new method that will help users find information more easily and above all more segmented.
There's not much mystery to using it: when you write a review of a place, you can add hashtags within the text Just like you would on any social media platform. In the writing box, you'll see the text as usual, without color changes or automatic suggestions, but when the review is published, those hashtags They appear in blue and become clickable.Clicking on one of them opens a specific search for that hashtag, where posts from the businesses themselves (via Google My Business) and reviews from users who have used that same tag are mixed.
In this way, users can find a place ideal for a specific activity. For example, if we're looking for a specific food or a trend like #vegetariansWe would type the hashtag and information would appear about users who have used it and the shops and restaurants where it has been used. This is especially useful if we are traveling and want to find suitable places without knowing the city.
In the restaurant industry, for example, labels such as #croquettes, #gazpacho o #Pizza to highlight specific dishes. In cafes we might find #arabicacoffee o #brunchand in cocktail bars, hashtags like #cocktails o #terraceMany opportunities also open up for specialist shops, such as #comics, #gaming o #secondhandThis allows you to find places that match very specific hobbies.
Google advises us to give an opinion of the establishments through a short contextual text and, at the end of this, we would incorporate four or five relevant hashtags related to your experience. Other specialized media outlets explain that technically more can be added, since there is no rigid limit in the interface, but Google itself insists that the goal is not to fill reviews with tags, but use a few but very useful ones for the community.
Besides helping you discover new sites, hashtags can also become a tool for strategy for local businessesIf a restaurant works particularly well with people with celiac disease, it's in their best interest for their customers to include labels like this. #celiacs o #glutenfreeA law firm could benefit from #familylaw o #laborand a management company, of hashtags like #selfemployed o #taxadviceIn this way, reviews not only evaluate the service, but also They position the business for very specific searches within Google Maps.
How hashtag searches work in practice
When a user opens a review that contains hashtags, they can tap on any of them to launch a filtered searchThis search currently shows a limited number of results, as the feature is still being rolled out and many users are still unaware of it or do not use it extensively.
Although initially some queries return few results or even the message that There are no coincidences.Over time, the database of tagged reviews will grow. The ultimate goal is for Google Maps to be able to suggest... non-specific places with great precision. That is, instead of searching for a specific restaurant, you can search #romantic, #goodforselfies, #sunsetview o #livemusic and quickly find sites that offer exactly that kind of experience.
This filtering method complements the traditional system, where Google already analyzed keywords within reviews. Thanks to tags, the user doesn't rely solely on automatic text interpretation, but has access to a explicit marker which helps to separate relevant information from noise.
At the moment this service is limited
We will see if in the future Google decides to expand the spectrum of this functionality and adds it to all Android and iOS users, but for the moment only available to members of the Google Maps local guide programwhich is a program that rewards people who upload photos, opinions, and reviews of businesses and other places they visit.
The Local Guides They are usually the first to try out new Google Maps features and help to refine details before they are rolled out widely. In fact, the hashtag feature was first detected in the accounts of these advanced users and in the Google Maps app for AndroidFrom there, Google gradually rolls out the feature, slowly expanding the number of users who can use it and verifying that the use of tags is maintained. relevant and quality.
Other specialized media outlets indicate that Google encourages including up to five well-chosen hashtags at the end of each comment, as a quick reference to the review's content. They also indicate that it is possible edit old reviews to add these tags, so businesses with many previous reviews can benefit from this feature even without receiving new reviews immediately.
Best practices: which hashtags to use (and which to avoid)
Google warns that this hashtag should not be used to gain fame Nor should it be about popularity, as happens on Instagram, where users use inaccurate hashtags to gain popularity. This is precisely what shouldn't happen on Google Maps, and Google makes this clear: proper hashtags should be used. hashtags that really help the user and that allow for more precise filtering of searches.
Therefore, the company advises against extremely general terms such as #food o #amorwhich do not provide practical information. Instead, it suggests using concrete concepts such as #Pizza, #cheap, #vegetarian, #accessible, #petfriendly, #goodservice o #homemade dessertsThe idea is that, by clicking on the hashtag, any user can quickly understand what kind of site are you finding.
Moment It is not very widespread and there is no exact date for its full adoption, but some guides are already actively using it. Google has also made it clear that empty or misleading labels could lose visibility over time, as the priority is for the tool to be useful in practice and not just a mere embellishment for reviews.
Although this feature was initially launched focused on the Android app, the natural evolution of Google Maps suggests that hashtag support will eventually expand to other platforms. integrating into more platformsincluding iOS and the web version. In parallel, the strengthening of Google My Business and improvements in listing management (logos, short names, posts, etc.) make these tags even more important within a local SEO strategy.
For now, the feature continues to grow and many results are still scarce, but as more users and businesses understand how to use hashtags responsibly, they will become a key filter To find delicious restaurants, specialty shops, or very specific services without wasting time on generic searches. We'll keep you updated on new improvements and tips as soon as the feature is more widespread and fully adapted to Spanish.