Technical SEO3 min

Review Schema: Get Star Ratings in Your Search Results

Those gold stars in search results increase CTR by up to 35%. Here is how to earn them with proper review schema markup.

Stars Sell. It Is That Simple.

Search results with star ratings get clicked more. Studies show up to 35% higher click-through rates.

Five little gold stars. That is the difference.

How Review Schema Works

You add `Review` or `AggregateRating` schema to pages that display reviews or ratings. Google reads the schema and may display stars in the search result. Google's structured data documentation covers the specific rules.

Key word: may. Google does not guarantee rich results.

The Rules (Google Is Strict About This)

Reviews must be about a specific item (product, business, recipe, etc.). Not about a category, brand, or topic.

Self-serving reviews are not allowed. You cannot add review schema to your own product page with your own review saying "we are great." The reviews must be from actual customers.

The reviews must be visible on the page. No hidden schema without corresponding visible content.

What Gets Stars

Products, recipes, local businesses, books, courses, events, movies, software apps. These content types are eligible for review rich results. For products specifically, check our Product schema guide. For local businesses, see our LocalBusiness schema guide.

Blog posts, articles, and category pages? Generally no. Google cracked down on self-serving review schema years ago.

Implementation

Include `reviewCount`, `ratingValue`, and `bestRating` in your `AggregateRating`. Include individual `Review` items with author, date, and rating.

Track it with our 113-task checklist. Free. No credit card. 30 seconds.

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