Google Review Schema Markup, Implementation Guide [2026]

Review schema markup can make a page eligible for star ratings in Google Search results. Google's rules are strict, though, and they rule out the setup most local businesses try first: marking up reviews of their own business on their own website. Misleading markup can lead to a structured data manual action. Here is what qualifies and how to implement it correctly, checked against Google Search Central's review snippet documentation.

1. What review schema actually does

Schema.org Review and AggregateRating types tell search engines that your page contains review data. When a page is eligible, Google can display the stars, rating value and review count below your title in search results. Valid markup makes a page eligible; it does not guarantee stars. For a local business, the stars people see in Google Maps and the local pack come from Google reviews on your Business Profile, not from your website's schema, which is why a well-run profile matters more. Our Google Business Profile optimization work focuses there.

2. Eligible page types

Google shows review snippets for a set list of item types: Book, Course, Event, Local business, Movie, Product, Recipe and Software App, plus some media types. Local business and Organization reviews are limited to sites that collect reviews about other businesses, such as a directory or review site. A business's own homepage and service pages do not qualify for stars, and neither do generic blog posts or category pages.

3. AggregateRating implementation

Use AggregateRating when summarizing many reviews. Required: ratingValue and at least one of ratingCount or reviewCount, plus itemReviewed unless the rating is nested inside the item it rates. bestRating and worstRating are recommended; if you leave them out, Google assumes 5 and 1. Nest it inside the Product (or other supported type) the reviews are about, and show the same rating visibly on the page.

4. Individual Review implementation

Use the Review type when displaying actual review text. Required: author (a Person or Organization with a real name) and reviewRating with a ratingValue, plus itemReviewed unless the review is nested. datePublished is recommended. Every marked-up review must be visible on the page and come from a real customer; fake reviews and undisclosed incentivized reviews are against Google's guidelines.

5. Self-serving reviews policy

Since September 2019, Google treats reviews as self-serving when the business being reviewed controls them, for example a LocalBusiness or Organization showing reviews about itself on its own site. Pages that mark up those reviews with LocalBusiness or Organization structured data are not eligible for review stars. Embedding a third-party widget, such as a Google or Facebook reviews widget, does not change this. Google also says not to aggregate reviews or ratings from other websites in your markup.

6. Showing your Google reviews on your website

You can show your Google reviews on your site with a widget, or quote them with the reviewer's name and a link to your profile; they work well as social proof for visitors. Do not add Review or AggregateRating markup to them to try to get stars: for your own business that markup is self-serving and not eligible, whichever widget outputs it. The place where those reviews count is your Google Business Profile itself, and our Google review management service helps you earn and answer them within Google's policies.

7. Testing your implementation

Use Google's Rich Results Test (search.google.com/test/rich-results). Paste your URL, run the test, fix any errors. Successful tests show eligible rich results preview. Validation doesn't guarantee display, Google decides which qualifying pages get stars.

8. Common mistakes that break review schema

Missing required fields, ratingValue outside the bestRating/worstRating range, schema for one product attributed to a different product, an AggregateRating with no visible rating on the page, and marking up your own business's reviews with LocalBusiness or Organization, which can pass validation but is not eligible for stars. Use Google's review snippet documentation and Schema.org as your references, not random Stack Overflow answers.

Related services we offer

• ⭐ Review Management
• 🚫 Remove Fake Reviews
• 📍 GBP Optimization

Updated October 9, 2026: rewrote the eligible types, required fields and self-serving review sections to match Google's review snippet documentation, and removed the advice to mark up imported Google reviews and the star timeline. Sources: Google Search Central: review snippet structured data · Google Search Central: making review rich results more helpful (2019).