Introduction
Online shoppers heavily rely on customer reviews when making purchasing decisions. According to a 2021 survey by PowerReviews, 99% of consumers read reviews when shopping online, and 96% find reviews essential for making purchase decisions. Integrating customer reviews into your Shopify store and Google Shopping ads can significantly boost purchasing confidence among potential customers.
This guide will walk you through how to add reviews to your Shopify store and integrate them into Google Shopping ads using Blend AI. We’ll cover:
Enabling reviews on your Shopify store (includes adding reviews and a review form in Online Store 2.0 themes)
Note: Where possible, we recommend adding reviews to GMC using the URL from your reviews platform rather than uploading a file.
Submitting your Reviews feed to Google Merchant Center (GMC)
If you’re already collecting customer reviews on your Shopify store, you can integrate these reviews into your Google Shopping ads. Follow the steps below to export your reviews data and upload it to Google Merchant Center.
Step 1: Access your Google Merchant Center account
1. Log in to your Google Merchant Center (GMC) account.
2. Navigate to the specific account where you want to integrate reviews.
3. Initially, you might see only two options under the Marketing section on the left-hand menu.
Step 2: Activate the product ratings program
1. In the left-hand menu, click on Growth.
2. Select Manage programs.
3. Find the Product Ratings card and click on Get Started.
Step 3: Complete the Product Ratings Interest form
1. Fill out the Product Ratings Interest Form.
For the question “Do you work with an approved third-party reviews aggregator?” select No.
Provide accurate information for the remaining questions.
2. Submit the form.
3. Wait for an email from Google regarding the outcome of your request.
Note: Approval may take a few days. Once approved, the Product Reviews option will appear in your GMC account under the Marketing section.
Step 4: Access the Product Reviews section
1. In GMC, navigate to Marketing > Product Reviews.
2. Click on Product reviews feeds.
Step 5: Create a Product Reviews Feed
1. Click on the Add feed button.
2. Enter a Feed name for your primary feed.
3. When asked how you want to set up your feed, select Upload.
4. Provide a File name for your feed.
Step 6: Upload Your Reviews Data
Option A: Use a Reviews URL (Recommended)
If your review platform provides a public URL to your reviews feed:
1. Select Scheduled fetch instead of Upload.
2. Enter the URL of your reviews feed.
3. Set up the fetch schedule (e.g., daily, weekly).
Option B: Upload a Reviews File
If you prefer to upload a file:
1. Export your reviews data from your Shopify reviews app (e.g., Okendo, Judge.me).
2. Save the file in a supported format (XML, TSV, or CSV).
3. In GMC, click Upload a file.
4. Select the exported reviews data file.
5. Click Upload.
Step 7: Export reviews data from Shopify
To export your reviews data:
1. Log in to your Shopify admin panel.
2. Navigate to Apps.
3. Select your reviews app (e.g., Okendo, Judge.me).
4. Within the app, locate the Export option (usually found under Settings or Import/Export).
5. Request an export of your reviews data.
6. Provide the email address where the export file should be sent.
7. Once you receive the file, proceed to upload it to GMC.
Step 8: Confirm the feed upload
After uploading, GMC will process your reviews feed. A successful upload will display a confirmation message.
Step 9: Monitor your reviews feed status
1. In GMC, navigate to Marketing > Product Reviews > Product reviews feeds.
2. Check the status of your feed to ensure it’s processed without errors.
3. Address any errors or warnings as needed.
Enabling reviews on your Shopify store
If you don’t have reviews enabled on your Shopify store, follow these steps to add a reviews app and integrate it with your theme.
Step 1: Install a Reviews App
1. From your Shopify admin, go to Apps.
2. Click on Customize your store to visit the Shopify App Store.
3. Search for a reviews app (e.g., Product Reviews by Shopify, Judge.me, Okendo).
4. Click Add app and follow the prompts to install it.
Step 2: Add reviews and a review form to your theme
For Online Store 2.0 themes, you can add the review and review form as a section or a block in your product template.
Option A: Add Reviews as a section
1. From your Shopify admin, go to Online Store > Themes.
2. Find your theme and click Customize.
3. In the theme editor, navigate to the Products template where you want to add reviews.
4. Click Add section.
5. Under the Apps section, select the Reviews app block.
6. Drag and drop the section to your desired location on the page.
7. Click Save.
Option B: Add reviews as a block
1. In the theme editor, navigate to the Products template.
2. Within the Product information section, click Add block.
3. Under the Apps section, select the Reviews app block.
4. Position the block where you want it within the section.
5. Click Save.
Publishing unpublished reviews
If you’ve disabled automatic publishing for product reviews, you’ll need to publish them manually before they appear on your store.
Steps:
1. From your Shopify admin, click Settings > Apps and sales channels.
2. Click on Product Reviews or your chosen reviews app.
3. Click Open app.
4. Navigate to the Unpublished reviews section.
5. Click on the review you want to publish.
6. Click Publish.
Conclusion
Integrating customer reviews into your Shopify store and Google Shopping ads can significantly enhance customer trust and increase sales. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can effectively add reviews to your store, enable them in your theme, and submit your reviews feed to Google Merchant Center.
Note: If you encounter any issues during this process, please reach out to us via our Intercom chat for assistance.
Additional Resources