At long last Google has added a Google My Business ratings widget in AdWords. The new widget works automatically as part of location extensions. It displays the average rating of your Google My Business reviews, “stars” graphic and a link to your reviews. A solid rating like 4.5 /5 can really get people clicking. AdWords claims CTR (click-through rate) increases of 10% which would certainly lower CPC (cost per clicks) numbers.
Last year we made it easier to manage location extensions by automatically linking your Google My Business location information to your AdWords accounts. Starting today, ratings from your Google My Business listings are eligible to appear in ads with location extensions enabled on desktop and tablet. People increasingly rely on the opinions and experiences of others to help make decisions like which pizza parlor to visit, where to get your tires rotated or which dentist to make an appointment with. Local ratings make your ads more useful to consumers searching for local information, and can improve your ad performance. — Google
This widget shouldn’t be confused with consumer ratings extension which displays ratings from 3rd party review sites and/or Google surveys.
To qualify for the new ratings widget you need to have the following:
1. a verified address in your Google My Business account
2. an active location extension in AdWords
3. some recent reviews (Google doesn’t say how many or how recent but the more the better)
If you need more reviews consider asking your clients to write some. Remember, each review must be unique – don’t copy existing reviews or testimonials that already appear on your website. Also, don’t copy reviews from 3rd party sites such as HomeStars, FourSquare, Yelp, or others.
Like all extensions, your location extension with My Business ratings widget will only be displayed when your ad appears among the top few ad positions.
Need help with implementing this, check out our Search Engine Marketing services
