The goal of this article is to help you decide whether you need Trustpilot or Google Reviews. Most likely you’re a business owner or a marketer who needs to make a choice of where you want to collect business reviews.
Trustpilot Overview
Trustpilot has other features, but we will only address the ones below that are relevant to the process of collecting reviews.
Trustpilot’s Open Directory
These reviews do not show on Google Maps. If you need local reviews, use Google Reviews instead because it’ll give you a big boost in Google Maps rankings.
Here is Trustpilot’s directory for the category ‘Florist’: https://www.trustpilot.com/categories/florist
Trustpilot’s directory gives little to no help in SEO rankings. The only good thing about this directory is that you can use Trustpilot’s Trustbox Widget to show reviews on your site. But then again, if you collect reviews on Google Reviews (Google My Business), you can use software like Taggbox (for free) to show reviews on your site, just like the Trustpilot Trustbox Widget.
Trustpilot Trustbox on your site
Trustpilot’s Trustbox Widget
Google Reviews on your site
If you own an eCommerce company and have no local presence, Trustpilot may be a good option. For everyone else, use Google Reviews because it has more authority and will get you local business via Google Maps.
Other Trustpilot Features to Collect Reviews
Alert
Trustpilot feeds reviews and ratings into the Google Seller Ratings, Google Product Ratings, and Google Organic Product Reviews platforms. These are run by Google, not by Trustpilot.
These features are addons from Trustpilot. You can get these features directly from Google if you have a programmer, or from a Trustpilot competitor (shown below in the comparison table). We only cover these briefly to compare Trustpilot and Google Reviews. All Trustpilot does is feed your ratings & reviews into the 3 Google programs.
Google Seller Ratings
Trustpilot has a feature called Google Seller Ratings. These types of reviews show on Google ads. Basically, reviews are gathered by Trustpilot and syndicated into Google Ads. They show under your search ads and in Google Shopping.
Google Product Ratings
Google Product Ratings are mainly for ecommerce websites that use Google Shopping ads (PLAs). Trustpilot will take the reviews from your ecommerce site and syndicate them into Google Merchants, which will then show on your Google Shopping Ads directly on Google and on Google Shopping.
Google Structured Data Product Reviews
This will get you an indirect organic rankings boost for your products in Google organic search.
Trustpilot integrates with many ecommerce platforms like Shopify, Bigcommerce, and WooCommerce. You can use Trustpilot integration or set this up yourself by reading more about Google review snippets here.
Google Reviews Overview
Google Reviews is specific to collecting reviews via Google My Business. Google My Business is what controls your company’s Google profile. It also controls Google Maps. In other words, Google reviews show on Google Maps and on your Google company profile.
While Trustpilot gives a website little to no SEO help, Google Reviews on the other hand gives a BIG boost to organic rankings. It’s much harder to leave a fake Google review because a phone number needs to be verified in order to be tied to a Google User; while on the Trustpilot directory, anyone can leave a fake review.
Customer reviews can be helpful for assessing the reputation of a store or businesses.
2.6.3 Customer Reviews of Stores/Businesses
Increase Google Rankings
According to Google’s “Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines”, it’s apparent that reviews are something Google uses in its algorithm.
Companies that need Google Reviews
- Local retail-based businesses
- Service-based businesses (local, national, or international)
Side note: If you need to collect Google reviews fast, look at our local SEO software.
Google Reviews often gets mistaken for other types of Google-related review platforms. The following are completely separate programs that sound like Google Reviews, but are in fact very different.
All of Google’s Platforms for Reviews
| Google Reviews | As shown in a couple of images above, these reviews are shown on your Google company profile and Google Maps. |
| Google Seller Ratings | As shown in the image above, Google Seller Ratings show directly under your Google ads, mainly CPC ads. We have written extensively on Google Seller Ratings here. |
| Google Product Ratings | As shown in the image above, Google Product Ratings show directly under your Google Shopping ads. |
| Google Structured Data Product Reviews | As shown above, in an image, this is markup that goes onto your product pages. These reviews will show in Google organic search results. |
| Google Customer Reviews | You’ll NEVER hear Trustpilot mention Google Customer Reviews. This is a free service that enables Google to get reviews from customers who made a purchase on your site. It’s basically for eCommerce websites. Google Customer Reviews will send product reviews data to your Google Merchant Center account and show it directly on your Google Shopping ads. |
Trustpilot Alternatives
Shopper Approved
Shopper Approved does the same thing as Trustpilot, but at a much cheaper cost. Shopper Approved is a Google-approved 3rd party review partner. It is built for small to medium-sized businesses.
Yotpo
Yotpo also does a lot of what Trustpilot does but also has many robust features that are useful for large enterprise-sized businesses.
Trustpilot vs Google Reviews vs Alternatives Comparison
Trustpilot
$599/mo
- Google Seller Ratings
- Product Reviews
- For Enterprise Businesses
- For Service-Based Companies
- For Ecommerce Companies
$599/mo starting for Product Reviews.
The Trustpilot Directory is free.
Subscription must be paid annually.
Pricing is based on “# of Email Invitations” sent, not on actual reviews collected.
Google Reviews
$0/mo*
- Google Seller Ratings
- Product Ratings
- For Enterprise Businesses
- For Ecommerce Companies Only
- Not for Service-Based Companies
Shopper Approved
$199/mo
- Google Seller Ratings
- Product Ratings
- For Small/Medium Businesses
- For Service-Based Companies
- For Ecommerce Companies
- Unlimited Reviews for Locked-In Rate
Yotpo
$799/mo
- Google Seller Ratings
- Product Reviews
- For Enterprise Businesses
- For Ecommerce Companies
- Not for Service-Based Companies
Conclusion
If you own a local-based business and need higher rankings on Google Maps, Google Reviews wins; hands down! Forget about Trustpilot.
If you own an eCommerce website and need seller ratings, product ratings, or Google organic product reviews, look into Trustpilot and into Shopper Approved. Yes, you can use Trustpilot’s free directory, but if you’re a local-based company, you’re not going to get a lift in local Google Maps rankings.
