Product ratings vs store ratings on Google: what is the difference?
On Google, product ratings are stars for one product, compiled from merchants, review aggregators, review sites and Google users. Store ratings are stars for your whole business, built from Google Customer Reviews, partner review sites and Google’s own shopping research. They are separate programs with separate bars: at least 50 reviews across your products to join Product Ratings, and generally 100 eligible reviews averaging 3.5 stars or more for a store rating.
What this comes down to
- Product ratings describe one product; store ratings describe your business, and Google runs them as two separate programs.
- Joining Product Ratings takes at least 50 reviews across all your products and a review feed uploaded at least once a month.
- A store rating generally needs 100 eligible, unique reviews from a rolling 24 months and an average of at least 3.5 stars.
- Google matches product reviews to products through identifiers, so missing GTINs, MPNs or brands can keep stars from appearing.
Two kinds of stars, side by side
| Aspect | Product ratings | Store ratings |
|---|---|---|
| Rates | One product | Your business as a whole |
| Sources | Merchants, review aggregators, review sites, Google users | Google Customer Reviews, supported review partners, Google-led shopping research |
| Where shown | Ads and free product listings | Text and Shopping ads, free listings, rich results |
| Bar to clear | At least 50 reviews across all your products to enrol | Generally 100 eligible reviews, average 3.5 or higher, last 24 months |
The practical difference: a store rating tells a shopper whether buying from you goes smoothly. A product rating tells them whether this item is any good. A store can earn one without the other.
How product ratings get there
Google describes two ways to send product reviews:
- Upload a product reviews data source (an XML file) directly in Merchant Center.
- Work with an approved third-party reviews aggregator, and Google fetches the reviews from them.
Either way, the eligibility page sets the conditions: a minimum of 50 reviews across all your products, a feed uploaded at least once a month with updated reviews, product URLs on the same domain as your Merchant Center account, and a standalone account or sub-account rather than a multi-client one. Onboarding, which includes a data quality and policy review, typically takes two to four weeks.
The quiet reason product stars never show up
Reviews describe a product; Google has to work out which product. Its basics page says the display of ratings depends on factors including the accuracy and completeness of your product data such as GTINs, MPNs, and brand names
.
So a store can do everything right on the review side and still see no stars, because the product feed has no GTINs, or the review file uses different identifiers from the product feed. Before chasing more reviews, check that both files identify each product the same way. The GTIN, MPN and SKU guide explains which number is which.
How store ratings get there
Store ratings do not come from a file you upload. Google gathers them from Google Customer Reviews, its free post-fulfilment review program; from supported review partners; and from aggregated metrics from its shopping research. The overview page says a merchant generally needs at least 100 eligible, unique reviews gathered in a rolling 24-month window, and an average composite score of at least 3.5 out of 5. It is calculated separately for each country.
The rules on how you collect them
Google’s Product Ratings policies are specific:
- You must
collect and own the reviews you share with Google
, and Google does not accept reviews syndicated from other sources. - Incentives are allowed only if they do not depend on the sentiment of the review, and incentivised reviews have to be marked as such in the data.
- Reviews written by employees or anyone with a vested interest in the product are removed.
In the US, the FTC’s rule on consumer reviews, in effect since 21 October 2024, also bans fake reviews and incentives conditioned on a particular sentiment. The when to ask for a review guide covers asking in a way that stays inside those lines.
What to check this week
- Count your reviews across all products. Under 50, Product Ratings is not yet open to you.
- Check that products in your feed carry GTINs where they exist, plus brand and MPN.
- Read what the reviews you already have are saying. The free Review Analyzer labels up to 30 pasted reviews by topic and severity.
Questions
Are Google product ratings and store ratings the same thing?
No. Product ratings are stars for an individual product. Store ratings are stars for the business as a whole, drawn from different sources and shown under a different program with its own thresholds.
How many reviews do I need for Google product ratings?
Google’s eligibility page says you need a minimum of 50 reviews across all of your products to take part, and the review data source has to be uploaded at least once a month.
Can I send Google the reviews my products have on a marketplace?
Google’s Product Ratings policy says you must collect and own the reviews you share and that it does not accept reviews syndicated from other sources. Reviews collected by someone else’s platform are not yours to submit.
Read next
Whose reviews show on your Google Shopping listing? Not always yours
Google compiles product stars from merchants, aggregators, review sites and users. Why a branded product’s rating is shared, and which stars are yours alone.
When to ask customers for a review, and the rules on how to ask
Ask after the customer has used the product, not at checkout. Timing by product type, why you must ask everyone, and Amazon’s 5 to 30 day window.
GTIN, MPN and SKU: whose number is each, and who may create it
The GTIN and MPN belong to the manufacturer, the SKU belongs to you. Which ones you may create, where each goes in a Google feed, and when to set none.