
HOW TO GET STARS IN GOOGLE ADS: SEARCH TEXT ADS, DISPLAY ADS, GOOGLE SHOPPING, PERFORMANCE MAX, GOOGLE MAPS
Having stars in Google Ads helps our customers to make decision to click for ads, it improves CTR and makes more trust to advertiser.
At this moment, in Google Ads, there are three different types of adding stars:
- stars in search ads, GD with seller ratings as extension;
- stars shows with location extension;
- stars shows with e-commerce product feed with product ratings in catalog sales view (Google Standard Shopping, Performance Max).

Stars in search ads with seller ratings as extension

Google allows you to connect Google Customer Reviews, Google asks to opt in and in Google Merchant Center — you would be able to see code what should be implemented for a website for start showing Google Customer Reviews. Notice, in some Google Merchant Accounts Google allows to view just once code that Developer have to implement.

No, worry, we have this code:
<script src=”https://apis.google.com/js/platform.js?onload=renderOptIn” async defer></script>
<script>
window.renderOptIn = function() {
window.gapi.load(‘surveyoptin’, function() {
window.gapi.surveyoptin.render(
{
// REQUIRED FIELDS
“merchant_id”: MERCANT_ID,
“order_id”: “ORDER_ID“,
“email”: “CUSTOMER_EMAIL“,
“delivery_country”: “COUNTRY_CODE“,
“estimated_delivery_date”: “YYYY-MM-DD“,
// OPTIONAL FIELDS
“products”: [{“gtin”:”GTIN1“}, {“gtin”:”GTIN2“}]
});
});
}
</script>
And here is code for integrations to Google Review pictogram on the website:
<script src=”https://apis.google.com/js/platform.js?onload=renderBadge” async defer></script>
<script>
window.renderBadge = function() {
var ratingBadgeContainer = document.createElement(“div”);
document.body.appendChild(ratingBadgeContainer);
window.gapi.load(‘ratingbadge’, function() {
window.gapi.ratingbadge.render(ratingBadgeContainer, {“merchant_id”: MERCANT_ID});
});
}
</script>
Additionally, Google has partnerships with TrustPilot and couple more dozens independent review websites, full list here:
Google rarely shows in Search Ads, more often in Display Ads (GDN — Global Delivery Network). For showing there you have to have more than 100 reviews with higher than 3.5 avg. rating.
Minus, that it is an auto extension, and Google could choose how often to show this extension as Google wishes.
- We can check here:
- https://www.google.com/shopping/ratings/account/lookup?q={yourwebsite} is it work or not.
- Change {yourwebsite} to your domain, for example for BestBuy is
- Page opens all BestBuy reviews which means — they successfully work with reviews.
Google ignores spam reviews, also even real ones, if they are too standard (“cool”, “great product”, etc).
Also, could be different stars view for different countries. Ideally, to every country where what to see you have to have showing products in multiple target countries.
Stars shows with location extension
The other star’s extension is stars in location.
When you have Google My Business profile, and customers use this thing found on Google Maps to leave reviews.
These reviews are different from Google Customer Reviews, because you can have for example 5 different office locations with 5 different lists of reviews, and one Google Customer Review per domain, which usually works with e-commerce.
Location stars could show:
- in extension to search ads, not every time;
- as extension in Display Ads (GDN — Global Delivery Network);
- in Google Maps search view;
- in search ads in location wrap.
Minus, it usually shows if the location is close to the customer and just in the country where your offices are.
Stars shows with e-commerce product feed product ratings
The same integration, that in the first one, but here Google more shows just precut ratings, not your all as seller.
Google allows 3 different ways to submit:
- Merchant Center feed
- Google Customer Reviews
- The same Third-party reviews aggregators.
Except is there are some other partners, for example Shopify cooperates with judge.me, and has special integration that allows to use it in Merchant.
If you want to implement via first way, Sample Feed File and can validate and check here: google.com/product-review-feeds.
And, there is important thing — like Google verification ?
Here is an example where is still waiting verification.
Conclusions
Good Rating helps customers make a decision.
- If you work in a local services business — very important to have an active profile, do great services, and answer for all reviews.
- For ecommerce is a little harder, because there are additional places of reviews: not even you as a seller, but also average total reviews and Google could choose itself what to show.
- Reasonable to have all possible integration, because it +1 row in search ad results, which helps better CTR, which is better customer behavior, which improves page quality, which decreases CPC, which improves your CPL and ROAS.
Do your best, and word of mouth will help you too ?