// SEO
How to Get Google Star Ratings in Search Results Using Review Schema
Star ratings in Google search results boost click-through rates by up to 35%. Learn how to implement review schema markup correctly to earn rich snippets.
What Are Review Rich Snippets?
Review rich snippets are the star ratings and review counts that appear in Google search results — '[★★★★½ 4.8 (312 reviews)]'. Studies show these increase click-through rate by 15–35% for the same ranking position.
They're powered by structured data (schema markup) on your page that tells Google about your ratings. Google decides whether to show them — correct implementation gives you the best chance.
Schema Types That Support Star Ratings
- Product schema: For individual products in e-commerce
- LocalBusiness schema: For businesses with Google Business Profile
- Recipe schema: For food and cooking content
- Course schema: For educational content
- Book schema: For books and publications
- SoftwareApplication: For apps and software
Implementing Review Schema Correctly
Add AggregateRating to your primary entity schema. Include ratingValue (1–5), reviewCount (total number), and bestRating (usually 5). Optionally include individual Review objects with author, datePublished, and reviewBody.
Critical: Only mark up reviews that are actually displayed on the page. Google penalizes pages that have schema without corresponding visible reviews. The markup must match what users can read.
What Google Won't Show Stars For
Google restricts star ratings for: self-written reviews about yourself, reviews solicited in exchange for payment, aggregated scores from third-party platforms not shown on-page, and certain categories like government, healthcare, and gambling.
If you implement correct schema and still don't see stars, check for spammy practices or policy violations in Google Search Console's Rich Results report.