As a Google Advertiser, add seller ratings to your ads and you will stand out.
More people will click, especially if other Google PPC (Pay-per-Click) ads don’t have the stars.
Your ads will stand out.
Seller ratings are a sure-fire way to improve your ad performance.
What are Seller Ratings?
Every so often a Google ad appears with a star rating (aka seller ratings or reviews).
Have you seen the stars in Google adverts? Check it out in the ad below:
For any advertiser, to see stars on their Google Ad is a thing of beauty.
…seller ratings help people searching on Google find businesses that offer quality service.” [Source: Google]
A Google ad with those magic star ratings will jump out and help improve your ad performance.
Shoppers love star ratings, so start adding them to your ads and get up to 10% more clicks.” [Source: Google]
The benefit is even greater when your advert is the only one with a Google Ad seller rating.
See how the top advert stands out below:
Seller Ratings Give You More Qualified Clicks
To get more clicks would be awesome right?
A star seller rating doesn’t only help to increase clicks.
It also helps you earn more qualified clicks.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) estimates that a huge £23bn a year of UK consumer spending is influenced by online customer reviews. It’s not a surprise that seller ratings help.
Imagine someone searches for a product you sell.
- They see your Google Ad with your 5 star seller rating.
- The 5 stars stick in their mind.
- They realise you’re a quality company.
- They click and visit your landing page.
- They now have a way to differentiate you from other companies selling the same products. The star rating will give the buyer a higher level of confidence.
- It’s easier to convert the buyer into a sale.
How Do I Add Seller Ratings To My Ads?
Are you keen to know how to get Google ad ratings?
This is how you get Google Ads to show reviews.
You don’t need to enable your seller ratings in your Google Ads account. Google shows these stars on your ads automatically.
But there are some requirements to get your ads to show seller ratings…
What are Google Ads’ Seller Rating Requirements?
- You need over 150 online reviews over the past 12 months.
If you haven’t got them then get started today. Start collecting reviews. - When Google adds up all your reviews, you need a total average rating of 3.5 stars or more.
- Google will gather your star ratings from sources it believes are reputable. Those reviews must be from specific websites – Google reviews (from your Google My Business listing), Trustpilot, Google Customer Reviews, Feefo, Reviews.co.uk, Reevoo, Trusted Shops – to name a few (unfortunately not Facebook).
Google Ads Tip: You don’t need to be a Shopping advertiser or to have a Google Merchant Centre account for your ads to be eligible for seller ratings extensions on the Google Ads Search Network.
Start Getting More Reviews Today
If you’re not already collecting online reviews then read my favourite Chinese proverb:
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.
In other words. Don’t despair if you haven’t already got lots of reviews.
Simply start getting more online reviews today.
Today is much better than tomorrow. Or never.
Stars Ain’t Guaranteed!
It’s hard to determine exactly how strict Google is when determining which reviews count towards the seller rating.
Google says:
We may not show seller ratings when the underlying feedback is unrelated to what’s being advertised in a specific ad.
Google is vague.
Our advice is once you hit the minimum threshold of 150 reviews – keep going.
Your wait for stars won’t be long if real customers leave real reviews in the right places.
How Do I Check If I Have A Seller Rating?
Want to know what your current seller rating is?
Most advertisers can check by following these steps:
- Go to the following URL: https://www.google.com/shopping/ratings/account/lookup?q=example.co.uk
- Replace “example.co.uk” with your domain (please do not add prefix “www.” to this domain).
If you get an error page saying something like “Rating details are not available for this merchant” – it could mean a number of things. Maybe Google won’t show ratings on your ads as you don’t have enough reviews in the last 12 months? Or could Google have ignored them for a reason?
Google says: “If we don’t have information for your shop or if it doesn’t meet the minimum seller rating thresholds, a seller ratings page may not load for your homepage. Additionally, an invalid URL value or the wrong homepage may prevent a seller ratings page from loading. Having a seller rating associated with your domain doesn’t necessarily mean that your seller rating will show on ads, since seller ratings on ads depend on auction dynamics and other factors.”
If your reviews far exceed the requirements then Google Support might need to give something a kick to get it working.
Our advice is not to get too hung up. Instead take positive action to get even more reviews. In our experience, your URL above will usually sort itself out.
I Forgot To Mention This HUGE benefit
To get your Google Ads star rating, are you collecting reviews via Google My Business?
If so, you get another whopping benefit.
When someone searches for your brand on Google, you will get stars in Google’s organic results too.
For example, when we search for “Serenata Flowers” on a desktop, the star ratings show up under their business name on the right.
Collect reviews in your Google My Business listing and this will also help you stand out in local search results:
The Time For Your 5 Star Reviews Is Now
One Google Advertiser experienced a remarkable 17% increase in clicks with seller ratings.
Google says “increases of up to 10% are within your reach”.
That could mean a permanent rise of £1000s of sales every day/week/month.
What would star ratings mean to you?
- You will gain a serious advantage if your competitors don’t have seller ratings.
- You will miss clicks if your competitors do have seller ratings and you don’t.
Not yet started to collect online reviews? Or is 150 reviews in 12 months a struggle?
The best time to increase your review efforts was years ago.
The second best time is now.
Don’t delay. Start to boost your Google Ad Clicks by up to 10% today.
Need help to get seller ratings on Google Ads? Have some questions about Google PPC Online Advertising? Get in touch – we’d be happy to help.