Curious about how to achieve star ratings in Google Organic and Google Shopping? Wondering if star rating extensions really matter? This guide provides the answers you need. Star ratings that appear in Google Organic results are typically from product reviews.
Here, you’ll learn how to secure those valuable product reviews for both Google Organic and Google Shopping. If you run an eCommerce business, this information is crucial. Even service-based companies can benefit from the insights shared.
Top Third-Party Review Aggregators
The table below highlights some of the best companies that can help you secure star ratings in both Google Organic and Google Shopping:
| Company | Price | Store RatingsCPC Text Ads | Product Ratings Google Shopping (PLAs) | For Ecommerce | For Service-Based Companies | Target Business Size |
| Shopper Approved | Get a Discount! Sign up using our link! Plus 30 Days Free! | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | Small to Medium |
| Verified Reviews | $99/mo | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | Small to Medium |
| Reseller Ratings | $199/mo | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | Small to Medium | |
| eKomi | $299/mo | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | Enterprise | |
| TrustPilot | $349/mo – Seller Reviews$599/mo for Product Reviews | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | Enterprise | |
| Yotpo | $499/mo | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | Enterprise | |
| Feefo | £99/month | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | Small to Medium |
What Are Star Ratings and Why Are They Important?
Star ratings are visual indicators of customer satisfaction that appear alongside your products and services in Google search results, including Google Shopping. These ratings are usually derived from customer reviews and provide a quick, at-a-glance measure of how others have experienced your offerings.
Star ratings play a crucial role in building trust and credibility with potential customers. High ratings can significantly influence purchasing decisions, drive more traffic to your site, and ultimately increase sales. They also help your listings stand out in crowded search results, making it easier for potential customers to choose your product over competitors.
If you’re ready to dive into Google Shopping reviews for your products and services, refer to the table above for a selection of top Product Review Aggregators. These companies have been carefully chosen based on performance and reliability, ensuring you receive accurate information and effective results.
Currently, At the moment, there are 26 ‘Google approved’ third-party reviews aggregators that can fetch product reviews and syndicate them into Google Shopping. It’s essential to select from this approved list; otherwise, your star ratings won’t appear in Google Shopping (Product Listing Ads or PLAs).
What Are Star Ratings?
We have previously written an article in which we define Google Star Ratings and explain how you can get them. Star ratings are a review system that assigns between one and five stars to a product or service based on customer feedback. These golden stars appear in Google Search results and play a significant role in building consumer confidence. When potential customers see positive star ratings, they are more likely to trust and choose a product or service, knowing that others have had a good experience with it.
In today’s consumer-driven world, reviews are an essential part of the purchasing process. People often rely on the experiences of others to guide their buying decisions. Positive reviews and high star ratings can boost your business, while negative reviews, if handled properly, can offer opportunities for improvement and demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction.
How to Get Star Ratings for eCommerce Sites
If you run an eCommerce site, securing star ratings on both an organic level and in Google Shopping Product Listing Ads (PLAs) is crucial for building credibility and driving sales. Here’s how you can achieve those all-important stars:
CMS-Based Reviewing Isn’t Enough
Many content management systems (CMS) like Shopify or WordPress (WooCommerce) offer built-in review systems where customers can leave product reviews directly on your website. However, relying solely on these CMS options often falls short. Most customers aren’t motivated to leave reviews, and these systems aren’t fully automated like Amazon and eBay’s. While CMS-generated reviews can enhance organic search visibility, they won’t appear in Google Shopping PLAs.
Third-Party Review Aggregators
To get your product reviews into Google Shopping, you’ll need to work with licensed third-party review aggregators. As of October 3, 2016, Google has licensed 13 third-party companies that can push your product reviews into Google Shopping. We’ve provided a table above with some of the top aggregators we recommend, based on our experience.
Using these third-party services allows your product stars to appear not only in Google Shopping but also across Google Organic search results, as well as Bing and Yahoo!. For an example of how product reviews can enhance your listings, visit Briefcase.com, scroll down, and click on the “Reviews” tab. You’ll see that only verified buyers are allowed to leave reviews, ensuring credibility and trust.
Availability
Product ratings will only display in the following countries:
In order to display product ratings on Google.com, your product (one product) must have at least 3 reviews. Your store must have 50 reviews combined spanning all products in order to get your stars to show.
Best Third-Party Review Syndication Networks Reviewed
Below are reviews of some of the top review syndication networks available today. These companies can help you showcase your product and store ratings across various platforms. We’ve already listed some of them in the table above, and each one comes highly recommended for their ability to handle both Store Ratings and Product Reviews.
Shopper Approved
Shopper Approved excels in providing both merchant and product reviews, enhancing your visibility on Google Product Listing Ads (PLAs) and Google Ads. As the fastest-growing Google Authorized 3rd Party Product Review Aggregator based in the United States, Shopper Approved offers a unique advantage.
Users can seamlessly syndicate their product reviews to Google, showcasing impressive 5-star ratings in their PLAs. Additionally, the platform allows for the easy import of existing reviews through CSV files, ensuring that all your valuable feedback is effectively utilized.
Pricing
Shopper Approved is a cost-effective choice, similar to Verified Reviews, and we’ve successfully referred over 300 clients over the years.
Enjoy a discount by signing up through our link: https://5stars.shopperapproved.com/planetmarketing/. Plus, get 30 days free when you register using the Planet Marketing link.
What sets Shopper Approved apart is its versatility. It caters to any type of business, whether you offer online products, local services, or both. The platform provides essential tools for review collection, management, and distribution to boost your business’s success—all without requiring any contracts. You also have the option to collect reviews privately before making them public.
Verified Reviews
Update: Before signing up with Verified Reviews, confirm if their plans include Store Ratings for Adwords and Google Shopping (PLAs).
Verified Reviews helps manage your e-reputation, Store Ratings, rich snippets, and product reviews to boost sales. A free trial is available. With Verified Reviews, both e-commerce and service-based companies can:
Verified Reviews offers six plans, starting at $99, making it one of the more affordable options. The only significant limitation is that embedding reviews on your site requires the $259/mo Platinum Plan. Choose from the following plans outlined here:
Yotpo
Yotpo promises a lot of benefits, including top search results with SEO tools that drive quality traffic to your website. Through Inline technology, users can create thousands of new keywords, encourage more qualified traffic, and maximize fresh content—leading to significant growth in organic traffic. Rich Snippets also ensure your store gets high SERP rankings by optimizing reviews and ratings for organic search results, displaying ratings in shopper comparisons to other sellers.
We frequently hear from users via live chat who mention they are paying around $400/month for Yotpo. There are many plans to choose from:
Explore and compare all the Yotpo plans here to find the one that best suits your needs. You can request a free demo for the Pro, Powerhouse, and Visual Marketing plans. For this blog post, you’ll need the Powerhouse Plan to integrate your product reviews with Google Shopping (PLAs).
Yotpo stands out as a comprehensive content marketing solution for businesses that sell products or services online. It leverages real-time data and proprietary algorithms to assess the unique needs of each business. Based on this assessment, Yotpo provides tailored tools designed to encourage customers to generate original content through online product reviews.
Trustpilot
This customer review platform is designed to build and maintain trust with your clients by prioritizing transparency. It provides essential tools to collect reviews, attract new customers, strengthen relationships, and expand your customer base. While it faces strong competition from Shopper Approved and Power Reviews, it performs admirably on its own.
The platform is both user-friendly and visually appealing. It offers standard features such as search engine ratings, review monitoring, integration capabilities, and social sharing. One of its standout features is the TrustBox, which enables you to embed customizable widgets on your website. Reviews from your customers can be showcased in various ways, enhancing your site’s credibility and engagement.
Haggle for a better price
If you’re considering Trust Pilot, be sure to negotiate on price, as they often offer discounts for small businesses. Trustpilot offers three plans tailored for eCommerce and service businesses:
PowerReviews
PowerReviews collaborates with approximately 1,000 global brands and retailers to generate reviews that drive traffic, increase sales, and provide actionable insights to help shoppers discover your products. Companies favor PowerReviews for its ability to convert more prospects and boost online sales. The platform offers customizable designs, category templates, and enhanced support for collecting monthly reviews. The number of reviews you can collect each month will depend on the plan you choose.
Pricing
Plans for PowerReviews start at $399 per month. However, if you want to syndicate your reviews into Google Shopping, you’ll need the $699/month Business Plan.
All the product review platforms mentioned can populate product reviews in both Google Organic and Google Shopping. Your choice will largely depend on your budget, specific needs, and business goals.
However, be aware that if you’re using a CMS like Shopify, a third-party plugin might be used to manage reviews. If you switch companies later, you may lose those reviews. In such cases, it’s advisable to use independent review software rather than relying solely on CMS-integrated solutions. For instance, WooCommerce on WordPress doesn’t include review management by default and may require a programmer to set it up effectively.
For Service-Based Sites
