Review Snippets

Review snippets are star ratings and review details that Google can show in search results, based on structured data on the page. They appear as stars, an average score and sometimes a review count beneath a listing. They can make results stand out, but Google has strict rules on which pages qualify.

Written by Paul Hoda, SEO consultant since 2005. Last updated 8 November 2026.

How review snippets work

A review snippet is a type of rich result, an enhanced search listing built from structured data.

To be eligible, a page needs schema markup describing either a single review or an aggregate rating, using the Review or AggregateRating types.

Google recommends adding this markup as JSON-LD, a block of code in the page that search engines read but visitors do not see.

There are two kinds:

  • Critic review: a single review written by one author or publication, such as a film or product review.
  • Aggregate rating: the average score from many user reviews, such as 4.6 stars from 312 reviews on a product page.

Which content can show them

Google supports review snippets only for specific types, including products, recipes, books, courses, events, films, software apps and local businesses, among others. Marking up a general article, service page or homepage with ratings will not normally produce stars.

The self-serving review rule

In 2019, Google stopped showing review stars for reviews that a business publishes about itself, known as self-serving reviews. If a local business or organisation adds review markup to its own site about its own services, Google will not display the stars, even if the reviews are genuine. Reviews from your customers belong on third-party platforms and your Google Business Profile, covered in online reviews.

Product pages are different: a shop can show aggregate ratings for the products it sells, collected from its customers.

Why they matter

  • Stars draw the eye on a busy results page and can help click-through rate.
  • Ratings give searchers social proof before they click.
  • They are not a ranking factor: markup makes a page eligible for a richer display, not a higher position.

How to add review snippets

  1. Check that your content type is supported in Google’s review snippet documentation.
  2. Make sure the reviews and rating are visible on the page itself.
  3. Add the Review or AggregateRating markup, nested in the relevant item, such as product schema.
  4. Include required fields such as the item name, rating value and author or review count.
  5. Test with the Rich Results Test and fix any errors.
  6. Monitor the Review snippets report in Search Console.

Even valid markup does not guarantee stars. Google decides whether to show them.

Common mistakes

  • Marking up ratings that do not appear on the page.
  • Inventing, buying or filtering reviews to inflate scores, which breaches Google’s policies and consumer law in the UK.
  • Applying one sitewide rating to every page.
  • Adding self-serving review markup to a business homepage.
  • Letting ratings in markup fall out of date with the visible reviews.

Google can issue manual actions for misleading structured data, which removes rich results across the site.

Further reading: Google’s review snippet documentation.

Key Takeaways

  • Review snippets show star ratings in search results.
  • They need valid Review or AggregateRating markup on supported content types.
  • Self-serving reviews about your own business do not show stars.
  • Ratings in markup must be visible on the page and genuine.
  • Stars can lift clicks but do not improve rankings.

Related Terms

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