It has been quiet for a while regarding the automatic updates of your Local Guides statistics. As many of you read in my last blog post, we were facing a major technical hurdle. Today, I can finally say: We have found a solution.
Effective immediately, your profile data will be updated automatically and regularly again.
Why things came to a halt
To understand why we had to take a break, here is a brief review:
Google Maps implemented technical changes in the background. These changes caused the detailed statistics (such as exact view counts, photo breakdowns, etc.) that you see in your browser to become "invisible" to our server. When our system tried to retrieve the data, it received only incomplete or empty responses.
Since there is no official interface (API) for this data, it simply could not be read anymore.
The Solution: A New Era for LocalGuides-Ranking
I have spent the last few months intensively developing a completely new method for data retrieval. It was a long development phase with a lot of trial and error, but the result is a system that can now capture data stably and reliably again (as long as Google does not make major changes to the structure again).
The new engine is more robust against changes to the source structure and ensures that your rankings come back to life.
As I’m testing the new system in the live environment for the first time, please look out for any irregularities and let me know immediately!
What does the "Data Gap" mean?
When you look at your history charts, you will see a period where the line runs straight because data points are missing.
- The Reason: During the time the old system was blocked and the new one was being developed, we could not take snapshots of your statistics.
- The Consequence: Unfortunately, this data cannot be recovered retroactively. The gap in the charts marks exactly the period of this technical transition.
Outlook
I am very happy that we are back online. The system is now running in regular operation again. Many thanks to everyone who remained loyal in the meantime and waited patiently for this update. Of course, work is now resuming on new features and improvements.
Have fun analyzing your statistics!