Doesn’t it feel great to get a 5-star review? Whether on Tripadvisor or Google, those awesome reviews boost your star rating and prompt potential customers to book with your business. 

You can make your website stand out even more by getting stars to show in search results on the search engine results page (SERP).

Review snippets in search drive conversions and help your website build credibility and social proof. 

Star ratings matter – less than half (48%) of consumers would consider using a business with fewer than 4 stars (BrightLocal).

This guide covers the types of star ratings you’ll see on the SERP and how to use your 5-star reviews to boost conversions.

Star Ratings on the SERP

With so many different places where you can get reviews for your business, it’s easy to feel a bit lost. There are several places you might come across star ratings on Google.

• Standard blue link listings
• Rich results like recipes
• Local pack results
• Ads
• App store results
• Third-party review sites like Tripadvisor

Those bright yellow stars certainly stand out from all the black and blue text on the SERP. There are a few other benefits of getting good reviews:

• Higher click-through rate
• Better SEO performance
• Higher ranking on local search
• Higher credibility and trustworthiness
• Higher chance of people leaving new reviews

It’s important to note that star ratings do not influence web search rankings. However, they do influence local search results and rankings. Consistent reviews and high ratings can improve your company’s local ranking, making it easier for nearby searchers to turn into customers.

Third-Party Review Sites, Local Pack Results, and Ads

When potential customers search for your business online, they’ll likely encounter results from third-party review sites like Tripadvisor and Yelp, which display a star rating based on the reviews from that site.

To take advantage of this rating, be sure to claim your listing on the review site and respond to reviews regularly (even the negative ones!). 

Customers can also leave reviews in Google, which display on your Google My Business (GMB) page and show up in the local pack.

As a business owner, it’s essential to claim your GMB listing so that you can manage your reviews. This will also help you leverage your PPC performance. Having many positive reviews can improve ad conversions and even lower your cost per click. Learn more about star ratings and ads in this PPC guide.

Follow these best practices to encourage guests to leave reviews on third-party sites and Google:

• Ask your customers to leave you a review after the tour or activity.
• Share links to review sites in a thank-you email following the tour or activity.
• Reply to customer reviews regularly. People are more likely to review a business when they see that the business actively responds to reviews.

Stars show potential customers that your business is the best choice! Discover more ways to put good reviews to work for you.