Earlier this month, Google announced its plans to include ratings, reviews and social endorsements on search ads. These ratings are designed to provide more detailed information to consumers as they search for items online.
As more consumers turn to online research and shopping, consumer reviews have increased in importance. Brand reputation has never mattered more than it does today. According to recent studies, 79% of people research online before visiting a store. Seventy-three percent of shoppers say positive reviews have increased their trust in a business.
How Google Consumer Ratings Work
The consumer ratings annotations will be shown in a new format for search ads. With detailed consumer opinion data, consumer ratings annotations can bring attention to one or more strongly rated aspect of your business. Below is an example of ratings for an online insurance company. Ratings are shown for Price (9.5/10) and Ease of Purchase (9.5/10). Ratings will be industry specific. For example, airline ratings may include on time performance and rewards program reviews.
How Ratings are Gathered
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.”
Can You Expect Results
Beta testing of the consumer ratings annotations appears to show positive results for advertisers. Google reports that beta advertisers using the new program have seen an average 10% increase in click-through rates (CTR).
Who can Use Consumer Ratings Annotations
Consumer ratings annotations are starting to appear now on some Google searches. Google hopes “to expand availability to more advertisers in the future…”
For assistance with online advertising and for help navigating this new search advertising development, call Qiigo today at (404) 496-6841.
