Google has expanded its Store ratings feature on Google Search to include the UK, Canada, Australia, and India.
Google Store rating update
Google announced the expansion of its store ratings feature to include India, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom on October 9, and although India isn’t an English-speaking country, the rollout is aimed at the English-speaking market.
Store ratings have been available to US merchants for years. Now, sellers in the newly added countries can use the feature to promote their businesses by showing customer reviews.
Google announced the expansion on Search Central:
What are Google Store ratings?
Google Store ratings are like Amazon seller ratings (Google used to call Store ratings seller ratings), which allow prospective buyers to view a wide range of information, including the seller’s rating, product descriptions, shipping and return policies, and customer feedback.
While Google Store ratings don’t display the same level of information as Amazon, Store ratings can be crucial for establishing your business’s online presence by creating trust with your target audience and helping them make informed purchasing decisions.
Google’s definition of store ratings:
- “Store ratings help people find businesses that offer high-quality customer experiences, helping to build trust and enabling more informed purchasing decisions. As a result, store ratings can help merchants improve the performance of ads and free listings and drive more qualified customers to their landing pages.”
Here’s a screenshot of what store ratings look like taken from Google Search Central:
How to get Store Ratings
Merchants in the US, India, Australia, Canada, and the UK have two methods for using Google’s Store Ratings:
- Merchants not already using Store Ratings can use Google’s free Customer Review program.
- Merchants can gain independent reviews from consumers or review websites.
US sellers already participating in either method are automatically eligible to appear in Search with their store rating.
What it means
As a previous Amazon seller and Google Business profile owner, I can’t emphasize the importance of store/product ratings for building consumer trust and promoting your brand; they can make or break your business.
Google Store Ratings are equally crucial for merchants’ product promotion on Google Search, as they can increase visibility and drive more traffic to their websites.
Google’s latest market expansion proves that store ratings work and that Google is committed to improving and promoting online shopping.
Merchants in the added countries can now take advantage of this and hopefully increase their income, and consumers can make better-informed decisions based on honest reviews.