Mar 15, 2014 | 2 minute read Google has announced changes to search ad results in the form of consumer ratings. Google will now include ratings, reviews and social endorsement in search ad results. The goal of including these ratings is to provide consumers with more detailed information when performing online searches.
Online reviews have only grown in importance as more consumers rely on online research when shopping or looking for information about products and services. Along with the increasing importance of online reviews, the importance of brand reputation has increased. With 79% of consumers conducting online research before shopping and 73% of consumers saying that positive reviews increase their trust in a business, it’s essential brands are monitoring their online presence.
What You Need to Know about Google Consumer Ratings
Below is an example of how consumer ratings will be shown in search ads. Ratings will show below the search ad with consumer ratings for strongly rated aspects of the business showing prominently. This search for car insurance shows ratings for Price and Ease of Purchase. Ratings will be industry specific.
How will Google Gather Ratings
According to Google, “Data for this annotation comes from hundreds of thousands of surveys we’ve run using the Google Consumer Surveys platform. Google Consumer Surveys provides a controlled platform for sampling consumer opinion, helping to avoid some of the potential biases and risks with other types of open-to-everyone review platforms. Each rating is based on at least hundreds of completed surveys, with the average above 1000.”
How will Ratings Impact Your Brand
Google reports that beta testing of the new ratings program has shown positive results for advertisers. The program’s beta advertisers have reported average increases in click-through-rates (CTR) of 10%.
Viewing Consumer Ratings Annotations
Google is rolling out Consumer Ratings Annotations across all categories of business. Some Google searches already show Consumer Ratings Annotations with more industries to be added in the future.
