Google Seller Ratings have been around for several years; they are really not new to Google AdWords. The newer phenomenon is the usage of Google Seller Ratings skyrocketing since their initial availability. Why the surge?
Once upon a time, Google Seller Ratings was an extension typically used only among e-commerce/retail advertisers. Lately, however, advertisers in other industries have been taking advantage of Google Seller Ratings and reaping the benefit of increased click-thru rates.
A Quick Refresher: What Are Google Seller Ratings?
Google Seller Ratings are an “automated extension” in Google AdWords that shows up automatically if you meet the following requirements:
- At least 30 unique reviews — each from the past 12 months.
- A composite rating of at least 3.5 stars.
An advertiser’s 30+ reviews can come from two Google-based sources:
- Google Trusted Stores
- Google Consumer Surveys
Reviews can also come from third-party sites such as:
- Bazaarvoice
- Bizrate
- Feefo
- PriceGrabber
- ResellerRatings
- StellaService
- Trusted Shops
- TrustPilot
Which industries are taking advantage of Google Seller Ratings?
As mentioned above, more and more industries are taking advantage of Google Seller Ratings – mostly all of them!
Retail/E-commerce:
Healthcare:
Education:
Travel:
Financial Services:
What kind of results are advertisers seeing with Google Seller Ratings?
On October 30th, 2014, Google Ads announced an “automated extensions” report which would include Google Seller Ratings data (finally!).
Similar to other ad extensions reports, you are able to see the performance when your Google Seller Ratings show. Then, you can subtract the totals during that same time period to understand the performance without ad extensions. This is how the following data points were reported.
The advertiser above saw a 106% increase in click-thru rate when its seller ratings appeared.
This advertiser saw a 5.9% increase in click-thru rate when its seller ratings appeared, not nearly as big as an improvement as the top advertiser.
This advertiser saw a 105% increase in click- thru rate when its seller ratings appeared.
As you can see, some advertisers are reaping huge increases in click-thru rate when their review extensions are showing. At minimum, it’s worth a test to take your AdWords campaigns to the next level.
How Do I Get Seller Ratings to Show Up on My Ads?
After doing some research and speaking with AdWords support, it appears that most of these non-e-commerce advertisers are leveraging Google Consumer Surveys to get Google Seller Ratings to surface in their ads. More specifically, they are most likely leveraging the most basic (and FREE) type of Google survey, called the Website Satisfaction Survey.
Customizing these questions costs more, but using Google’s standard survey is a quick and easy way to get seller ratings to show up in your ads.
Google Seller Ratings Versus Other Ad Extensions
If you’ve been keeping up with AdWords updates, you are more than aware that there are a plethora of ad extensions to utilize and more are most likely being tested for future roll out. Other ad extensions currently available include sitelink extensions, location extensions, call extensions, app extensions, call out extensions, and review extensions. With so many options, which should you choose? Luckily, you do not have to pick and choose, as multiple ad extensions can show at one time!
Impact and performance of different ad extensions will depend on a lot of factors including: keyword type (head term vs. long-tail, brand vs. non-brand), the industry in which you are advertising (competing in retail/ecommerce might see little impact from ad extensions since so much click share goes to Google shopping for instance), and how relevant your ad extensions are to your target audience.
Final Thoughts on Seller Ratings
Google seller ratings can really help your ads stand out compared to your competitors and can also help click-through rate (more so than other ad extensions) which can lead to a higher quality score and a lower cost per click. I would definitely recommend testing out the impact of seller ratings for your campaigns and to minimize effort, start with the Google Consumer Survey route!
Image Credits
Featured Image: Taken from Shutterstock
Images #1-12: Screenshots taken 3/9/2015 from Google.com search results
Images #13-15: Charts created 3/9/2015
Images #16: Screenshot taken 3/9/2015 from Google Consumer Surveys
