These days if you read any consumer review survey you’ll find that consumers trust online reviews almost as much (and in some cases more) than personal recommendations. So, if you’ve got products you are selling on Google Shopping it is imperative that you start using Product Ratings.
Just to be clear there are two sets of “stars” that Google surfaces on the SERP:
- Stellar Ratings
- Product Ratings
The difference is that seller ratings refer to the merchant advertising the product while product ratings refer to the product being advertised. This is important because you need to be sure you are submitting the appropriate type of reviews via Google’s Product Ratings Interest Form. It is also important that the reviews you are submitting comply with the product ratings program policies. Submitting clear and meaningful reviews for the products you’re advertising is what is most important.
As you can see from our example, if you’re shopping for headphones and don’t want to buy the cheapest, but don’t want the most expensive either – the best option is Beats By Dre at Best Buy, plus it has been reviewed by 9,000+ people and has a 4.5 star rating. The product ratings really help set this product apart and is very influential at this point in the customer journey.
Anyway, product ratings are a must and here is where you need to go to get started.
