While surfing across the internet in South Africa or elsewhere, you may have come across ads featuring a five star rating system. These are what are referred to as Google Seller Ratings. They appear on Google Ads or in Google Shipping. But what do these stars mean? We thought we would help clarify things in this rather short article.
What are Google Seller Ratings?
The stars that you see on Google ads are part of what are referred to as Google Seller Ratings. They are a visualization of the reviews that a seller has received in various places on the internet.
Let’s say you run an online shop selling electronic goods. There are many such shops in South Africa. In that case, people will be buying from you. These same people will be reviewing your business.
These reviews are what form up the rating that you see on Google Ads. But this is a rather simplistic definition. Not all reviews contribute to seller ratings. Reviews on Yelp, as an example, do not form part of Google Seller Ratings. So, how do you get those yellow stars to appear on your Google Ads?
How do I get them?
South African Businesses that advertise on Google should absolutely take the necessary steps to get Seller Ratings. But how do you get them? Well, there are several ways through which you can get Seller Ratings in South Africa.
You can sign up for an online review syndication company. There are about 30 that Google has approved. These companies are approved to push data from online reviews to Google for use in these ratings. The following are a few example’s
- PowerReviews
- ProductReview.com.au
- Reputation.com
- ResellerRatings
- Reviews.io
- Reevoo
- Shopper Approved
- ShopVote.de
- ShopAuskunft
- Sitejabber
- Trusted Shops
- TrustPilot
- Verified Reviews
- Yopi.de
- Yotpo
You can also get online reviews from Google Customer Reviews. Unlike the review syndication companies, Google Customer Reviews is free to some degree.
Please note, however, that you could end up having to pay something here, because getting set up can be a challenge. You will need, therefore, to hire somebody to do the work for you. So, that’s something to keep in mind.
Why are they important?
All South African businesses that advertise on Google need to take steps to get Seller Ratings. It’s important to do so. Google States that companies that have these Ratings see an increase in their CTR by as much as 17%. So, those little stars are worth real money. They are not there just for show.
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