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Imagine your Google ad featuring an extra line with yellow stars and a rating of "4.7/5 based on 230 reviews." It stands out and builds trust. Google says that such a rating raises the click-through rate in text ads by 2% on average (Google Ads help). That's what Google Seller Ratings make possible.
What Are Google Seller Ratings
Google Seller Ratings is an extension that can display a star rating below your text ad on Google Search. It looks like this:
Auto Repair London | Fair prices from £49 www.yourautorepair.co.uk ★★★★★ 4.7/5 (230 ratings) Professional service for all makes. No appointment needed.
If a seller rating is available for your country, it is shown by default and you do not need to set it up in the campaign. It is not guaranteed, though: even when you meet the conditions, Google says the display depends on auction dynamics and other factors.
Requirements for Displaying Stars
Minimum Requirements
According to Google Ads help:
- Most merchants get a rating after collecting 100 or more eligible reviews in the past 24 months
- A rating can appear in text ads only from 3.5 stars upwards
- Reviews come from Google Customer Reviews or from partner review sites
- The rating is calculated for each country separately: reviews from customers in the country count towards that country’s rating
Recognized Review Sources
Google draws on several sources when rating merchants:
- Google Customer Reviews
- Partner review sites, listed by Google in Google Ads help. Before you start collecting reviews on a particular portal (Trustpilot, Heureka and others), check that it is a partner for your country
- Aggregated results of surveys that Google runs among shoppers
Important: A seller rating relates to your domain and the shopping experience, not to your Google Business Profile. Reviews from Maps and the Business Profile are a separate system.
How Reviews Affect Google Ads Performance
Higher CTR
According to Google, a seller rating in text ads raises the click-through rate by 2% on average. A higher CTR means more clicks for the same number of impressions. What effect that has on cost per click, conversions and return, check by measuring in your own account.
Quality Score is only a diagnostic
Expected click-through rate is one of the three components of Quality Score. But Google states explicitly in its help pages that Quality Score is not used in ad auctions. It is for diagnostics only, so do not infer a better position or a lower price from a better score.
More Ad Real Estate
When the rating is shown, it adds an extra line to your ad and the ad takes up a little more space on the page.
Strategies for Businesses
Situation 1: Local Business (restaurant, repair shop, salon)
Google Business reviews help you with local SEO and Google Maps, but not with Seller Ratings for Ads. For ads you need:
- The Google Customer Reviews programme, if you sell online
- A profile on a partner review site that Google supports for your country
- Active review collection on these platforms
Situation 2: E-commerce
The easiest path:
- Google Customer Reviews — integrate into order completion
- A review portal you already use (for example Heureka in the Czech Republic) — check in Google Ads help whether it is a partner for seller ratings
Situation 3: B2B Service
More challenging, but achievable:
- A partner review site (for example Trustpilot), if Google supports it for your country
- Google Customer Reviews, if orders are completed on your website
Google Business Reviews vs. Seller Ratings
| Google Business Reviews | Seller Ratings | |
|---|---|---|
| Where they appear | Google Maps, Local Pack | Google Ads (text ads) |
| Source | Directly Google profile | Partner platforms |
| Minimum count | None (but more is better) | Usually from 100 in 24 months |
| Minimum rating | None | 3.5/5 for text ads |
| Impact on local ranking | Can help (according to Google) | No |
| Impact on Ads CTR | Not counted towards seller ratings | On average +2% (according to Google) |
You need both. Google Business reviews for organic visibility, Seller Ratings for paid campaigns.
The Synergistic Effect of Reviews and Ads
Reviews and Google Ads reinforce each other:
- Reviews can help local ranking → more customers may come without paid ads
- A rating in the ad raises CTR on average → check the effect on campaign return by measuring
- Ads bring in customers → more opportunities to collect reviews
- More reviews from recognized sources → more material for local ranking and for the seller rating
How to Get Started
Step 1: Google Business Reviews (the foundation)
Set up automatic Google review collection with Reputive. According to Google, more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking. It is not guaranteed.
Step 2: Platform Reviews (Seller Ratings)
Join Google Customer Reviews or a partner review site and collect reviews there too. Indicative goal according to Google: 100 or more eligible reviews in 24 months.
Step 3: Measure
Track the CTR of your ads before and after stars appear. Google gives an average increase of 2%; yours may differ.
Start building the foundation — Google reviews. Try Reputive free — 14 days, no commitment, no credit card required.
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