How do I add to “Reviews from the web”?
The Knowledge Panel displays a collection information about entities from around the web, from far more than just your GMB listing. Those pieces of information are collected by Google’s systems. These “reviews from the web” are collected algorithmically.Re
You can encourage Google to include reviews from the likes of Facebook, Zillow, House, or other review sites of your choice. Unfortunately Google ultimately decides which review sites will show in your knowledge panel.
Remember though, it will always still be at Google’s discretion whether it displays the 3rd party reviews.
Google displays up to three different sources of reviews.
Tell Google About the Other Reviews
Seems strange to have to be so blatant about it, after all doesn’t Google know everything? It might be the repository of massive amounts of knowledge, but just because it has a record of information, doesn’t mean it always connects the dots between related bits of knowledge.
Here’s where you come in.
There are three ways I go about helping Google connect the dots. You don’t have to do all of them, and you can do more than this.
1 – Structured Data
In essence, structured data is code you can place in your website to help the search engines understand what the page is about. It has a designated structure, hence the name. To learn more about what Google wants for reviews, use these two help articles:
- reviews on your own site: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/data-types/local-business
- sites with customer reviews: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/data-types/social-profile
2 – Links on your website
Any link on your site to other platforms works. This can commonly be seen as links to Facebook pages in footers or on contact pages.
3 – Links on your GMB Website
Google provides a free website with GMB listings. You can enter text of your choice in the Summary Body section, including links with text.
What are the sites Google puts in the Reviews from the web?
Generally speaking, the more credible and widely used review platform for your industry, the more likely it is to be included. As an example, if you’re in the wedding industry you would include platforms such as The Knot, WeddingWire or Hochzeitsplaza in your reviews strategy. Reviews on those platforms have a higher likelihood of being included.
The same applies to platforms which are widely used. It can be widely used around the world (eg Facebook), or your country (eg TrueLocal in Australia).
And never underestimate the power of having reviews on your own website. Provided your reviews system meets Google’s guidelines, Google may include your own website as a source!
If you want to look up a specific site / industry / country, here’s a list of 3rd party sites we have spotted in Reviews from the web around the world. If you have a few to add or want a specific country investigated, let us know!
How do I get a bad review site removed?
If you want the site removed purely because the site displays poor reviews or ratings, this is not for you.
Unfortunately not all review platforms are trustworthy. Many simply either scrape other sites or publish anything without any concern to accuracy.
In this instance, gather whatever evidence you can that the site is not a credible source of reviews for your business. Create a post over in the Google My Business support forum and explain your case.
Sites can be removed from displaying, but once removed they are banned from your listing forever.