Rich results and rich snippets
Rich results are search results enhanced with extra detail pulled from structured data on the page — star ratings, prices, images, FAQs, recipe times..
Aggregate rating
An aggregate rating is the average score across all reviews of something, together with how many reviews it came from.
Definition
An aggregate rating is the average score across all reviews of something, together with how many reviews it came from. “4.6 out of 5 from 312 reviews” is an aggregate rating.
In structured data it is a specific schema.org type, AggregateRating, which is how a search engine reads the number rather than guessing at it.
What it looks like in practice
On a product page, ratingValue: 4.6 and reviewCount: 312 nested inside a Product. Displayed, it is the star row and count at the top of a reviews section.
Why it matters
The count matters as much as the score. A 5.0 from three reviews reads as noise; a 4.5 from four hundred reads as a fact. It is also the piece of structured data that makes a star rating possible in search results.
Related terms
Review schema markup · Rich results · How many reviews you need.
The full reviews glossary defines every term used across this site.
Questions
Related terms
Google Place ID
The unique identifier Google assigns to a place. Find yours below.
Social proof
Social proof is the tendency to judge something by how other people have judged it.
User-generated content (UGC)
User-generated content is any content about a brand created by its customers rather than by the brand: reviews, photos, videos, comments, forum posts, social media mentions..