Startups and long-standing businesses alike can leverage the power of online reviews to grow. The first step is learning how to get star ratings in Google search results, to begin with.
In an ever-changing digital landscape, Google star ratings remain relatively constant. While they’re only one component of a quality review, star ratings (like the Google rich snippets star rating) give consumers an at-a-glance view of your brand.
So, let’s break down the star rating in more detail, explain how customers can leave star reviews and explore a few reasons why they’re such powerful growth tools for businesses.
Table of Contents
A typical Google review has three main components:
Star ratings from individual users are averaged to create an overall rating out of five stars. This is called the Google rich snippets star rating. You can see it in the “snippet” that appears under a business’s name in their Google business page listing in search results.
The rich snippet is important. It contains critical information that users evaluate when choosing a brand. And, they look a little different for every brand. To see some examples, search “tacos near me.”
The rich snippets you see might include:
The fact is, most customers trust star ratings highly. Searchers commonly filter businesses with a rich snippet star rating under four stars.
Leaving a star review for a business is simple. In fact, you can share these easy instructions with your customers when you request their feedback:
While customers don’t have to have a Google account to leave a Google review, they will have to provide an email address (which won’t be posted publicly).
Your Google rich snippet star rating is critical. To get more reviews that appear in Google search results, all you have to do is ask your existing customers for feedback. Why not send them a message asking them to do just that?
You can do so by reaching out with a message of gratitude (and an invitation to rate your services) through channels such as:
Or, try using signage with a QR code in your business’ lobby or waiting room.
So, why is your star rating so important? Why should you learn how to get star ratings in Google search results in the first place? Let’s break down how star ratings can help your brand grow.
We already mentioned that, according to ReviewTrackers, users frequently filter out brands with less than four stars. Why do star ratings and reviews carry so much weight?
Building a review base can help you gain authority and transparency—attributes that consumers consider highly before making a purchase.
A critical component of digital marketing is search engine optimization, or SEO (the process of making your business more organically visible in search engine results). One indicator of SEO success is a position in the “Map Pack,” or the three to four business pages that appear at the top of search results.
Google reviews are a critical component of SEO. Additionally, businesses that make the Google Map Pack have (in order of importance):
If you’re ready to rank, it’s time to start gathering those star ratings.
By assessing your star rating (and the qualitative data provided in the review text), you can make improvements to your business to increase your rating:
Once you start racking up reviews and establishing a star rating, you can use that metric in other marketing materials:
You can also reward customers who leave feedback or ratings on Google. Sending a thank-you card or some free merch to clients who write reviews can make them feel like their voices matter.
Simply put, collecting more star ratings in Google can help your brand become more visible in the search results as you gain more stars and credibility. Not only will you increase your chances of entering a rich snippet, but you’ll also give customers more reasons to choose you.
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Sources:
Google Search Central. Introducing Rich Snippets. https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2009/05/introducing-rich-snippets
Review Trackers. Online Reviews Statistics and Trends: A 2022 Report by ReviewTrackers. https://www.reviewtrackers.com/reports/online-reviews-survey/
Google Maps Help. Add, Edit, or Delete Google Maps Reviews & Ratings. https://support.google.com/maps/answer/6230175?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid
Qualtrics. Online Reviews Statistics to Know in 2022. https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/online-review-stats/
Google Business Profile Help. How to Remove Reviews from Your Business Profile on Google. https://support.google.com/business/answer/4596773?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop
Search Engine Journal. How Google Reviews Impact Map Pack & Organic Search Rankings. https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-reviews-impact-rankings/429783/