The online business world is run by reviews, ratings, and comments. People are more attracted to brands that are trusted by other people rather than an advertisement placed strategically at a well-visited virtual square. Google is spearheading the movement with its intuitive and ingenuous methods to reward trustworthy businesses and punish the sketchy ones. Google […]
The online business world is run by reviews, ratings, and comments. People are more attracted to brands that are trusted by other people rather than an advertisement placed strategically at a well-visited virtual square. Google is spearheading the movement with its intuitive and ingenuous methods to reward trustworthy businesses and punish the sketchy ones.
Google aggregate ratings in the search results are part of the process. This allows both customers and prospects to see what others think about the brand in the form of ratings out of 5.
As a digital marketing practitioner, if you have already seen them and understood their value, let us go through the process of getting these for your clients’ sites.
Google star ratings are the aggregate score based on customer reviews and ratings. This is something that is done backstage but reflects the will of the people. It starts with Google My Business (GMB) where brands create and optimize profiles to get better rankings. When a brand receives a Google review, it is reflected in the overall aggregate that users will see in the search results.
This is a very important development in the virtual world as it will save time and effort for first-time users still on the fence about whether to go with a brand or not. Keep in mind that this is something that is not active by default. It takes some tweaking and tuning to get it right along with improved search results.
There is no denying that businesses struggle and scramble to get exposure and traction in the virtual world. The competition is mounting and businesses are rumbling over the same or even shrinking pieces of the market pie. In this scenario, having glittering stars right next to your brand’s website in the search results is a great push.
That’s why brands are always in a state of competition to ensure that they get all the credit and trust of the users. When a business has better star ratings glistening across the name, it will show the user that the brand is indeed worthy of business.
Now that we have gone through the importance of having star ratings with the brand’s name in the search result, it is time to cover some of the leading benefits of Google 5-star ratings in the SERPs.
Boost In Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Click-through rate or CTR is the measure through which users move from one page to another. In terms of search engine results, this means that users will be tempted to check more about a brand that has better star ratings. This is all a brand can do to get new people excited about it.
Improved Local Search Rankings
Google search rankings are considered the absolute goldmine for brands and users. Both employ it to get to the other. When a brand integrates the star ratings system in the search results, it will indirectly improve the overall rankings of the brand against relevant keywords.
Enhanced Google Maps Profile
Google Maps is another portal that is used by both locals and tourists alike to find locations for cuisine, clothing, and beyond. By incorporating Google star ratings in the Google Maps results, brands can cast a wider net and ensure that every visitor is having a taste.
Encourage More Positive Reviews & Ratings
The bandwagon effect is more real than ever in the virtual world. When people see glowing stars and ratings against a brand, they will not only be tempted to check it out but also leave positive reviews and ratings after a transaction. This is a win-win for the brand.
As mentioned in the earlier sections, Google employs multiple vertical and horizontal measures to ensure that only real and trustworthy brands get across the search barrier to the users with the intent to buy. The company’s star ratings structure in search results is an example of that commitment.
Professionals consider it as social proof as it is merely an aggregate of the stars and ratings that were conferred upon a brand by users. Social proof is one of the most revered measures in both local and large businesses. It is also called a star snippet as it is always preceded by the brand’s name and other information in the search results.
The process of getting Google star ratings in search results comprises four distinct stages. In this section, we will go through each one of them and help you understand what they entail in the major scheme of things.
Collecting Reviews On Business Websites
This is one of the prerequisites that cannot be skipped in the process. Unless a brand has not collected a considerable number of reviews, the aggregate of those cannot be established. The first and foremost rule from Google is that the reviews should be collected on the business website. Profiles on platforms like Trustpilot, and so on cannot be considered.
Displaying Reviews On Business Website
Merely collecting customer reviews is not enough, it is necessary to display the reviews on your business website. This can be done by three different sources. You can manually code the review setup or you can use a plug-in to cover all the issues. The third option is to use dedicated software to do all the wonders.
Adding Aggregate Rating Schema Mark Up
This is the step where you allow Google’s bots and crawlers to find the reviews on the site. Again, you can do it manually or get an application that can do it all for you. Also, it is necessary to understand what kind of “Aggregate Rating” schema code you need for your brand’s website.
Displaying NAP On Website For Google
In the end, make sure that there is a markup on the business website that tells Google about your brand. In most cases, this is already displayed in the site structure. But if that is not the case, you can do it now. The best place for that information is the footer which can be added to all the pages.
Google is at the forefront to provide all the tools to digital marketers for making their brands stand apart. One of the ways of doing that is by showing the star ratings in the search results. This allows users to see the social proof that a certain business is indeed reliable and trustworthy. This translates directly into better sales and traction across the internet. Whether you are a business owner or a digital marketer, this blog will have helped you in understanding the phenomenon and how to apply it to your business website.
If you are using WordPress to build and run your website, you can use one of the many plug-ins that WP offers for showing aggregate Google ratings. In addition to this, you can use dedicated software to do the same task.
Based on the individual reviews and ratings posted by users, it calculates a simple aggregate in the form of a number with a maximum of five, and the same for the stars.
Business owners do not have to manually calculate the aggregate of all the reviews. This is done behind the scenes by the Google algorithm. However, site owners need to enable the aggregation process by covering the certain ground.
Aggregate rating may sound something fancy but in reality, it is not. It is an aggregate of individual customer reviews and ratings that are received by a business on its official website. Anything that is received on other platforms, such as Trustpilot and so on will not be considered for this.
Following are some of the ways that can help you improve Google star ratings:
How to improve online reputation for Accountants: Guide 
Why Online Customer Reviews Are the Ultimate Salesperson for eCommerce 
