Review Snippet Rules for Structured Data | Semantec SEO
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Governance and validation

Use review markup only for genuine visible reviews of a specific eligible item

Review snippet eligibility depends on genuine visible review content, a specific reviewed item, the correct reviewed type, complete rating data, and compliance with Google review policies.

Follow the implementation model Return to the schema hub
Policy reference 5 decisions 6 checks Reviewed 2026-07-27

Current platform reality

Separate Schema.org meaning from Google feature eligibility.

Reviewed 2026-07-27

Google added a July 2026 guideline against fake and undisclosed incentivized reviews. Self serving reviews about an organization or local business controlled by that same entity are ineligible for the star review feature.

Use and avoid

Apply the type only when the visible role and evidence support it.

Use when
  • A product, software app, recipe, event, or another eligible item has genuine visible reviews.
  • A review page needs a clear itemReviewed.
  • An aggregate rating is calculated from first party review data on the same site.
  • The team needs a policy audit before publishing rating markup.
Avoid
  • Copying ratings from other websites.
  • Marking up reviews that are not visible.
  • Using fake or undisclosed incentivized reviews.
  • Publishing self serving organization or local business ratings for star eligibility.

Implementation model

Make the page role, identity, fields, and validation decisions in order.

01

Confirm the item

The review concerns one specific eligible item rather than a category or list.

02

Confirm genuine experience

The review is based on a real experience and disclosures are visible.

03

Match visible content

Review text, rating, author, and aggregate values appear on the page.

04

Check the reviewed type

The item type is supported for the intended Google feature.

05

Validate and monitor

Use the Rich Results Test and review policy changes before release.

Acceptance checks

Do not approve the markup because the JSON parses.

The content, entity ownership, canonical URLs, policy state, and maintenance source must also pass.

Check

Specific item

The review is not about a broad category.

Check

Visible review

Readers can see the marked review and rating.

Check

No external aggregation

Ratings are not copied from other sites.

Check

Incentive disclosure

Any benefit is clearly and prominently disclosed.

Check

Self serving rule

Organization and local business review eligibility is checked.

Check

Accurate aggregate

Counts and averages match the visible data.

Implementation examples

Use the examples as a starting structure, not production data.

Replace every placeholder with approved visible values. The examples do not create eligibility or guarantee a search appearance.

Visible review nested inside a product

Copy example

Primary sources

Use current Google and Schema.org documentation as the source of truth.

Questions

Review Snippet Rules for Structured Data questions.

Can a business mark up its own Google Business reviews for stars?

Google says pages controlled by the reviewed organization or local business are ineligible for the star review feature when the entity controls the reviews about itself.

Can ratings be copied from another platform?

No. Google says not to aggregate reviews or ratings from other websites.

Must the review be visible?

Yes. Readers should be able to see the review text and associated rating on the marked page.

Are incentivized reviews allowed?

A review given in exchange for a benefit must clearly and prominently disclose the incentive, and fake reviews are not allowed.

Next route

Prepare schema cues after visible copy, entity ownership, and URLs are approved.

MIRENA can audit the page role, identity, fields, current feature support, and validation route. Production markup still needs human review and live testing.

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