Types of Structured Data
These are the 9 types of content where review snippets can be applied.
- Book
- Course
- Event
- How-to
- Local business
- Movie
- Product
- Recipe
- Software App
These are the 8 subtypes of content where review snippets can also be applied.
- CreativeWorkSeason
- CreativeWorkSeries
- Episode
- Game
- MediaObject
- MusicPlaylist
- MusicRecording
- Organization
Structured Data Markup for Reviews
Structured data is coded using in-page markup on the page that the information applies to. The structured data on the page describes the content of that page.
Google
Google Product Review Snippet Example
How to Add Structured Data to Your Website
There are 3 ways to add structured data to your website: 1) Google Approved third-party aggregator; 2) Use a plugin; 3) Hire a programmer. This is specifically for Google reviews snippets for products. It is mainly for ecommerce companies. These are not your typical plugins like the ones we mention below.
Google Approved third-party aggregator
Use a Google approved third party aggregator. The big benefit here is for ecommerce companies that want both structured data for Google review snippets & Google product ratings on their Google Shopping ads. In addition, you can get Google Seller Ratings and several other features perfect for ecommerce websites. Here is a list of the 33 Google third-party review aggregators.
Shopper Approved Features
Learn more about Shopper Approved’s features.
- Google Review Snippets
- Google Seller Ratings
- Google Product Ratings
- Q&A like Amazon
- Social Evidence
- Survey Destinations
- Video Reviews
Yotpo Features
Learn about Yotpo’s features.
- Google Review Snippets
- Google Seller Ratings
- Google Product Ratings
- SMS Marketing
- Loyalty & Referrals
- Visual UGC
Use a Plugin
These are 3 very popular ecommerce providers. The links go to plugins that have rich snippet features. The benefit of this is that you can buy a plugin instead of paying a programmer to do all the work for you. We recommend buying a plugin instead of using a free plugin. Most companies that have free plugins do not update them and may make your website vulnerable.
Hire a programmer
This option is the most expensive. It’s for companies that have a custom website or website software that’s not that popular. You’ll need a programmer to integrate the code into your website.
Review Snippets for Other Content Types
Before trying to build out reviews snippets on your own, look into a plugin that can do the job. If you’re using WordPress, there are many plugins in the WordPress repository. Also, there are paid plugins that will help. Most free plugins have a paid version.
The following are the 9 content type examples. These content types can have reviews attached to them.
Book
Course
Event
How-to
Local Business
Movie
Product Review Snippet
Recipes
Software App
Rich Snippet Testing Tools
As mentioned above, you can work with a Google approved third-party review aggregator, use a plugin. or hire a programmer. Any review aggregator is going to be up to date on the latest structured data changes. If you hire a programmer to implement your structured data, most likely that person isn’t going to be up to date regarding the latest code changes.
If you want to check your website for the rich snippet structured data, use the Google Rich Results Test Tool.
Summary
There are many types of structured data way beyond the ones we mentioned here. Basically, if you’re looking to display reviews via rich snippets directly on Google, you’ll want to get a demo from one of the third-party review aggregators (Shopper Approved or Yotpo), buy a plugin, or hire a programmer.
If you’re paying a programmer, expect to pay $10,000 or more. And that’s not including a retainer to maintain the code.
Supplementary Content
If you want to show ratings not only on Google organic via rich results, we have provided further reading so you can dominate SERPs with your own ratings. In addition to Google review rich snippets, there are 3 other ratings that Google shows on SERPs: 1) Google Seller Ratings 2) Google Product Ratings 3) Google Reviews
Google Seller Ratings
Learn about Google seller ratings. These ratings show on Google Ads and Google Shopping.
Google Product Ratings
Learn about Google Shipping Star Ratings. These show on your Google Shopping product listing ads.
Google Reviews
Get Google reviews. These reviews show on your Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business).
