Google added a new section to the Google Store ratings: An overview for Merchants within Google Merchant Center detailing the requirements for Google Store ratings. This was added a week or so ago, and it says you need at least 100 reviews, an average star rating of 3.5 to 5, a 24-hour timeframe and the ratings are geo-segmented.
Here is the section that was added:
- Minimum number of reviews: A merchant generally needs to collect at least 100 eligible, unique reviews to enable Google to calculate a reliable store rating. While the exact volume can occasionally vary depending on Google's confidence algorithms, hitting 100 verified post-purchase reviews serves as the standard qualifying benchmark.
- Star rating threshold: For paid text and Shopping ads, your store must maintain an average composite score of at least 3.5 out of 5 stars. If your average score dips below this threshold, the star rating assets will automatically cease displaying alongside your ads until performance improves.
- Timeframe: Google evaluates reviews gathered within a rolling 24-month window to ensure the displayed rating reflects your current service quality. Feedback older than 24 months naturally ages out of the calculation, requiring consistent, ongoing review collection to maintain eligibility.
- Country-specific nature: Store ratings are geo-segmented and calculated separately for each country rather than aggregated globally. Customer reviews originating from a specific region only contribute toward your rating badge and ad visibility in that specific country.
Here is a screenshot:
There are more changes made to the page but most of the other changes are rearranging things (old version here):
Hana Kobzová posted about this on PPC News Feed but I didn't cover this until a bit later.
Forum discussion at X.
