You have surely seen them multiple times in Google search results and advertisements: the orange review stars with an average rating.
But how do you ensure you get them for your own links, and what are the exact requirements? I will explain it to you!
Update 11/26/2019: With the new Google update from September 2019, stars will disappear from your Google links if they were collected via 3rd-party tools such as Kiyoh, Webwinkelkeur, Trustpilot, etc. Google no longer allows 'self-serving reviews', meaning reviews over which you can exert influence yourself.
From now on, it is important that you collect your own reviews at the product level, preferably via a native review plugin built into your product page where people can leave a review for a specific product either via invitation or manually. Think of how bol.com collects reviews, for example.
To achieve this, you may need your developer to ensure that the structure of this data also complies with Google guidelines. Also, make sure you automatically collect product reviews from your customers so that you have enough of them.
You can check this structured data on your product page for errors and warnings using this tool: https://search.google.com/structured-data/testing-tool/u/0/
Why include stars in search results?
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You stand out immediately from your competitors
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If you have a better score, you will get more clicks more quickly than a competitor who has no stars or a lower score
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Reviews = social proof = a reliable website because others have shared their experience with your webshop and products
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All of the above leads to a significant increase in your webshop traffic = more customers and a higher SEO ranking because Google sees your links as even more valuable than those of a webshop without reviews
What do you need to collect reviews for your webshop?
- The rich snippet data must be well-structured in your webshop. Check it with the tool mentioned earlier.
- The review must be about a specific product.
- The review must not be collected via a 3rd party, but through your own webshop.
What does it look like?
Stars with your links ensure that you get many more clicks than a link without them. This means a significant increase in organic traffic and thus customers! It is therefore definitely worth the effort and investment to build into your shop.
In addition, customer reviews naturally provide more trust.
Do you need help or have questions about how you can get stars in Google for your webshop? Book a 30-min call with me here.