E-commerce SEO
Review Schema
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What is Review Schema?
Review Schema is structured data markup that communicates customer ratings and review information to search engines using Schema.org vocabulary. It can represent either an aggregate rating (average score and review count) or individual reviews, and is applied to products, services, businesses, and recipes.
When Google validates the markup, it may display star ratings alongside search results as rich snippets. This visual enhancement sets listings apart in a crowded SERP and signals social proof before users click. Review Schema must comply with Google's policies: reviews must be genuine and visible on the page, and since 2019 Google does not show stars for self-serving reviews, meaning reviews a business or organization publishes about itself on its own site.
Why it matters for SEO
Star ratings in search results make a listing stand out visually and show social proof before the click, which can lift click-through rate for products, recipes, software and other eligible types. Because Google restricts which reviews qualify, knowing the rules prevents wasted effort on markup that will never produce stars.
Example
A software comparison site publishes its own editorial review of a project-management app and marks it up as a Review with itemReviewed, author, and a reviewRating of 4 out of 5. What it should not do is add an AggregateRating to its own Organization page summarising testimonials it collected itself: Google treats those as self-serving reviews and does not show stars for them.
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