Google allows ratings for products, organizations, local businesses, books, or music. The ability to rate products can be especially useful for administrators of online stores. Stars serve as an additional message to the customer about the product being sold. Positive product ratings along with potential comments reflect a professional approach to the customer and build trust. Are you considering adding star ratings to your site? With us, you’ll find the most important information about Google rating rich snippet – that is, star ratings. Check it out to see if it’s worth it!
Google allows ratings for, among others, products, organizations, local businesses, books, or music. The ability to rate products can be especially useful for administrators of online stores. Stars provide customers with additional information about the product. Positive product ratings along with possible comments reflect a professional approach to the customer and help build trust. Are you considering implementing star ratings on your site? With us, you’ll find the most important information about Google Rating Rich Snippet – that is, star ratings. Check it out to see if it’s worth it!
Star ratings and rich snippets – what are they?
A star rating in WordPress is essentially additional information about the store in the form of ratings displayed in Google search results. Replacing traditional text with colorful symbols is a great way to grab users’ attention.
This solution is most commonly used for WooCommerce stores or blogs, but also for descriptions of dishes or medical facilities. Rich snippets are enhanced descriptions of pages, enriched with various elements such as price information, product availability, average user ratings, or an image.
Another, equally important concept is Google’s structured data, which is used to catalog information. When the data is well implemented, it can determine the type of content on the page. It is crucial that the crawler correctly understands the data on the page, as these factors are among the most important for SEO ranking.
Recent changes in Google’s star ratings
The latest change in the Google search engine meant that many sites abusing star ratings had to do away with them. Therefore, implementing star ratings on a site should comply with Google’s guidelines. Previously, many sites also rated regular articles with stars to make them stand out in search results. Currently, star ratings for articles can still be used, but they no longer appear in the search results. Nevertheless, they remain valuable information for the customer.
Furthermore, Google allows enhanced display in search results for, among others, products, local businesses, books, or culinary recipes. This means that the recent change in star ratings is beneficial for those operating, for example, an online store.
Star ratings in structured data – why is it worth it?
Star ratings in structured data cause reviews and testimonials about an organization or product to be visible in Google search results. This serves as a source of credibility for the site administrator, as customers primarily care about fast shipping, good communication with the seller, and the possibility of returning a product – or, in the case of restaurants, the quality of the food served. This solution enables star ratings not only for products but also for a company’s profile, music, or films. As a result, an item with star ratings has the potential to stand out significantly from its competition.
Rich snippets allow a rating to be submitted only once. This not only offers convenience (whether you are using a phone or a tablet) but also serves as a guarantee of the rating’s credibility by preventing multiple reviews from the same device based on IP recognition. A rating displayed as stars is far more effective than text, as customers first notice symbols and colors. Such a page visually stands out significantly among competitors, as positive reviews in the form of symbols can attract users’ attention much faster than traditional methods.
Appearance of the WP Care plugin on one of our client sites
WordPress plugin with star ratings
Although the recent changes introduced by Google have somewhat complicated the full utilization of star ratings, work on adapting and improving our proprietary plugin is still ongoing. However, our WordPress specialists are already able to offer the possibility of directing reviews directly to the search engine for an online store offering a single product or for websites representing organizations by implementing Google Rating Rich Snippet for WordPress and WooCommerce systems. The solution created by WP Care complies with current requirements and increases the visibility of these sites on the internet.
Our proprietary plugin allows site reviews on a scale from 1 to 5, with the possibility of half-star ratings on both computers and mobile devices, and permits a given person to submit a review only once – with no possibility of submitting another review or comment thanks to IP recognition. Even though IP addresses are recognized, WP Care uses mechanisms that encrypt these addresses, ensuring security for everyone using the star rating option.
WordPress plugin makes site reviews directly visible in Google search, and unlike other plugins, the WP Care plugin is designed so that its functionality remains unchanged even after dynamic reloading of parts of the page.
The Google search results always display the first element – that is, the first review or comment – although it is also possible to designate a specific element to be shown, depending on the site administrator’s preferences. Moreover, editable settings allow you to customize the appearance of the plugin, so that after each change, the review option can look completely different.
Appearance of the WP Care plugin on the store page of one of our clients
Why is it worth implementing star ratings with a WordPress plugin?
The primary advantage of implementing Google Rating Rich Snippet for WooCommerce is the ability to submit a review in just a few seconds, regardless of the device used. Our solution eliminates the common problem of fake reviews – both positive and negative – submitted by the same individuals.
Thanks to the WP Care plugin, the seller gains greater credibility for a WooCommerce-based store (or the organization they represent) and provides users with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the quality of the services offered.
Our developed plugin allows our clients to personalize it to any extent, so that after making a few changes, it can present itself completely differently. The review method included in the plugin enables the rapid and straightforward acquisition of a new audience.
For everyone wondering whether it’s worth it, feel free to get in touch. Our specialists will explain how the plugin works and carry out its implementation seamlessly. The ability to implement a proprietary solution allows for the plugin to be configured according to the client’s requirements, which is not possible with plugins available in commercial repositories.
