Google seller ratings: what they are and how to qualify

What are Google seller ratings?

Google seller ratings are the gold stars that can sit under a Google ad. Google has renamed them store ratings, and its Ads help page now uses that name. Our glossary entry notes the old name, because many people still use it.

Google says store ratings help people find businesses that give shoppers a good experience. The rating shows out of 5 stars, with the number of ratings beside it. It can also carry notes such as delivery time and a link to the reviews.

Google lists where they can appear. That is text ads, rich results and free product listings, across the Search Network and YouTube.

In Google Ads, the stars are an automated asset. Google's page on account level automated assets says they show a mix of information and reviews next to your ads. It also says clicks on the seller ratings are free. Clicks on the ad itself are charged as usual.

How does a store qualify for seller ratings?

Google publishes four conditions. Each one comes from its own help pages.

The first three rows are on the Ads help page. The country rule is spelled out in the Merchant Center overview, which calls the ratings geo-segmented.

The 3.5 floor is for paid text ads. Google says unpaid listings can still show a rating below 3.5. So a weak score can still appear on a free product listing, even after it drops off your ads.

The country rule matters for a brand that sells in two markets. Reviews from the UK do not count toward a US rating. Each country has to reach the bar on its own.

Google also has a separate number for its own badge. Its Merchant Center page on store ratings says a store usually needs at least 150 reviews in the past year. That is for a rating on the Google Customer Reviews badge. That badge is a different display from the stars on your ads.

Where do the reviews come from?

Google names three sources in its Merchant Center overview.

1. Google Customer Reviews. A free Google program that asks buyers for a review after the order arrives. You run it through Merchant Center.
2. Review partners. Outside review sites that send Google their shopping reviews for your domain. Google lists more than 30, including Trustpilot, Yotpo, Feefo and Bazaarvoice.
3. Google-led research. Ratings that Google gathers through its own research.

Google says it adds only one or two new partners a year worldwide. A review site that is not on the list does not feed your rating.

One detail is easy to miss. Google says your store name and domain in the reviews must match the name and domain in your Merchant Center account. If they do not match, the rating may not show.

To see your current rating, Google gives a URL pattern on the same page. Put your domain after google.com/storepages?q=. You can add &c= and a country code to see one country.

Can Trustpilot reviews feed Google seller ratings?

Yes, both sides say so. Trustpilot is on Google's list of review partners.

Trustpilot's own business blog post says reviews collected through its automated invitations can count toward your store rating. It says reviews are not added in real time, so there is a delay. It also says Google may limit the rating to one country and may filter out reviews.

That last point is the one to hold on to. Google sets the rules and makes the call. Your store rating is not a copy of your TrustScore, and it will not move in step with it.

For a health brand, this is often the main route from reviews to Google. Many telehealth, GLP-1 and supplement brands sell only online. Google's eligibility policy does not allow a Business Profile for an online-only business. So the stars on their ads come from partner sites, not from Google reviews.

How are seller ratings different from Google Business Profile reviews?

They are two separate systems that share a star icon.

Business Profile reviews follow the Google review guidelines. Google can take one down if it breaks a policy. Our guide to why Google keeps most one-star reviews explains where that line sits.

Store ratings work another way. Google's Merchant Center overview says that if you think a rating is wrong, you must contact the site that hosts the review. It also says replies you post to reviews do not show in the rating. You reply on the partner's own site.

What can a business do about a bad seller rating?

Less than most people hope, and more than nothing. Here is what Google's pages allow.

• Turn the stars off. Google Ads lets you switch off seller ratings as an automated asset. The steps are on the automated assets page. This hides the stars from your ads. It does not change the rating itself.
• Fix the source. A review that breaks the partner's rules can be flagged on that partner's site. If it is a Trustpilot review, Trustpilot's rules apply, not Google's. That is the work of our Trustpilot review removal service, and Trustpilot decides each case.
• Collect more real reviews. The rating uses a 24-month window, so older reviews age out. Fresh, fair reviews from real buyers change the average over time.
• Check the match. If the rating is missing, check that your store name and domain match across Merchant Center and the review site.

Here is what you cannot do. Google publishes no route to ask it to remove a partner review or change a store rating. You cannot pick which partner sites count. And you should not ask only happy buyers for reviews. Our guide on filtering review requests by mood explains why that practice is risky.

Google does not publish how it weights each source, so we do not guess at it here.

If you are not sure which of your reviews break a platform's rules, start with our free Google review audit. It sorts reviews into those worth reporting and those that are not. For the wider picture of Google reviews, see our Google reviews hub.

For the review problems that come up most in your category, see our pages for telehealth, GLP-1 weight loss and supplement brands.

If you would rather hand the work over, see our Google review removal service and what each removal costs.