Google has officially launched their new Google Customer Reviews service, which is replacing the Google Trusted Stores that they shut down last month after a six year run. The program is set up to solicit reviews from people who have actually purchased different products, and get them to review their experience. Having the verification in place that the customer has actually made the purchase is important since without it, many brands would simply pay to have their products reviewed positively. Or worse, to have their competitors reviews reviewed poorly.
In order to qualify for the program, an online store must receive at least 15 reviews every 12 months. That is a bump up from 30.
Merchants that are interested in joining this new program need to go through the merchant center. From there, simply click on the three dot menu on the top right, and choose the Merchant Center Programs. You’ll then see the option for Google Customer Reviews. Setting it up is a pretty simple process where you agree to the terms and make other adjustments to the settings as needed.
Currently this new program is available for brands in the United States, UK, Germany, Japan, France, and Australia.
You can read the full announcement of the launch of this program by visiting the Google blog post, HERE.
