Is anybody using ShopperApproved to gather customer ratings?

Selected answers from the Dumb SEO Questions Facebook & G+ community.

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  Greg Baka: Is anybody using ShopperApproved ; to gather customer ratings?
  We want to add customer ratings information to our ecommerce site and make them visible to Google using schema markup.
  It's a little pricey to subscribe, so I wanted to hear if other ecommerce site owners were happy with the service, and if they were able to add the rating data to their sites in a way the search engines can read?
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  Tim Sweeney: Greg
  
  I have one client that's been using ShopperApproved for about 1 year. The main purpose of enlisting the service was to acquire reviews for use in Adwords, and on the site to provide a  ;"proofing" of customer satisfaction. The site is ecommerce based selling discretionary goods. ;
  
  We haven't gone the route of trying to use semantic markup to get reviews into the search results.  ;The main reason for this is the site is using rather dated markup code.
  
  The way we have Shopper Approved setup is to present the survey when the shopper hits the thank you page. I'd have to look back at the technical documents to see if you can tie the reviews directly to a product rather than to the site in general.
  
  Overall, it's been useful. Parsing the analytic data when we first deployed it, there was an uptick in conversions by showing the icon. Sorry I can't address the schema question in more detail manner, but its an excellent question.
  
  Tim
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  W.E. Jonk: From the expert panel in this weeks SEO Questions hangout on air on 00:04:31 into the YouTube video: https://dumbseoquestions.com/q/is_anybody_using_shopperapproved_to_gather_customer_ratings
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  Greg Baka: Thanks +W.E. Jonk ; I just watched it and learned lots. I did not realize that I would no longer be able to keep my reviews if I unsubscribed. Back to researching... ; (btw, the segment really starts at about 05:45 in)
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  Scott Brandley: Hey Guys, great discussion on the video. As one of the co-founders of Shopper Approved, I thought I might be able to add some clarification on some of the questions brought up in the video. Shopper Approved is a US-based merchant rating and review service. It`s important to note that there are actually 2 different types of reviews online - product reviews and merchant reviews. Google uses them differently and in different locations. For example, product reviews are predominantly used in product specific searches in Google Shopping, whereas merchant reviews are found and displayed in both Google Shopping and Google Adwords. However, only Google Approved 3rd party review companies can syndicate 5-Star ratings and reviews to those locations, so if you want stars to display in Google Shopping and Google Adwords (along with Bing and Yahoo Ad Networks), then you need to go with a Google and Microsoft Approved 3rd party review site like Shopper Approved or Trust Pilot, like you mentioned in the video. The other question brought up was review ownership. While it is true that the 3rd party review site retains ownership of the reviews, it`s not because we`re trying to be controlling or hold reviews hostage. It`s because we have a responsibility to protect the integrity of the reviews. The reality is that reviews have a lot more credibility and value when they are vetted and backed by a trusted 3rd party than if they are collected and posted on a merchant`s site by them directly. If 3rd party review sites were to let their clients post the reviews wherever they wanted, there would duplication issues, trust and credibility issues, and it would be a nightmare. However, we do allow our clients to download the reviews for internal use. And if a customer ever decides to cancel, they can keep the reviews we`ve collected for them, but they are no longer allowed to associate those reviews to us or our brand since we have no control over what happens to them at that point. As far as adding rich text markup to your website, he reality is that rich text as far as ratings and reviews is changing and getting more difficult to show up for. Google is cracking down more and more on this approach because it`s virtually impossible to control or authenticate the data. So, bottom line, if you can afford it, go with a 3rd party and collect merchant reviews as a first priority because they are easier to collect and they show up in a lot more locations in the major search engines than product reviews. And as far as product reviews, look for a shopping cart that has product reviews built-in and that already has some kind of product syndication or an app that you can plug-in with syndication to Google. Hope that helps, Scott Brandley Shopper Approved
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  Brian Wycinowski: Hey Guys, As an Account Executive for Trustpilot, we are a 3rd party Customer Review platform. We are approved by Google for both Product and Merchant Reviews. We are also much different than Shopper Approved because we are an open platform consumer facing site. Which means people can actually go to Trustpilot.com to leave reviews and see other reviews rather than just requesting a quote. Also with Trustpilot.com you own the reviews. So as long as the internet exists you would never lose your reviews if you were to unsubscribe from the service. If there is any other information you would like to hear I can be reached at [email protected] Thanks Brian Wycinowski
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  Remy Bermudez: Do you guys have any thoughts about eKomi, a third party feedback company based in Berlin?
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  Jim Munro: Please ask your question on the SEO Questions community on Google+, Remy. https://goo.gl/nztcm
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  Anna Asis: Garmin Communicator
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  United Salon Supplies: We are using ShopperApproved. https://unitedsalonsupplies.com/reviews/ If you search "bio ionic powerlight" on Google Search (Page 1 or 2), you should see our product link showing the review snippet. Hope that helps you!