Jul 08
2009

Google Product Search Seller Ratings, Part 3

In previous blog entries we've looked at the importance of Google Product Search "seller ratings" and how to use Google Checkout to obtain these ratings.

This blog entry will focus on an alternative way of obtaining seller ratings utilizing ResellerRatings.com. ResellerRatings was founded in 1996 and allows consumers to review online merchants. They are generally regarded as fair to both merchants and consumers.

We are interested in ResellerRatings because Google periodically extracts merchant reviews from their site and uses them to create seller ratings on Google Product Search. Therefore, our objective is to register your company at ResellerRatings and encourage your customers to review your store.

Signup Process:


1)  Create an account on ResellerRatings.com

2)  You will then receive an email from ResellerRatings and will need to click the activation link within that email.

3)  Click "please login" at the top right of the ResellerRatings.com page and login.

4)  Attempt to add your store to ResellerRatings.

5)  Once you click the "add" button from step (4), you will find one of two things:

  • Your store already exists on ResellerRatings and will see your store name and ratings history.
  • - OR -
  • A page which states "Thank you for submitting a new store." You will now need to wait a few days at which point you will receive an email indicating your store has been accepted.
6)  Now you need to notify ResellerRatings that your account from step (1) is associated with your business from step (5). To do this, click here, fill out the form and click "Any Other Inquiries by Merchants." For the message, state your website URL (e.g., www.mystore.com) and your ResellerRatings username from step (1). Indicate that you are the owner/manager/CEO/etc. for that business and would like to signup for their "Free Starter" package.

7)  Wait for their response which may take a few days.

Obtaining Reviews:


Now you're ready to encourage customers to submit reviews of your site. There are two ways to do this:

1)  For each web order, wait until the consumer has received their products and then email them a request to submit a review for your site. In this email, include the following:

  • Some text indicating that a review would be appreciated
  • A link to your review page on ResellerRatings (e.g., http://www.resellerratings.com/survey.pl?seller_id=12345, but change "12345" to your site ID).
  • The receipt or invoice number of their transaction
  • Date of their purchase
  • Which products they purchased (optional)
- OR -

2)  Add a link to your "thank you for your purchase" checkout page which encourages customers to click to review your website. Upon clicking, customers will be taken to ResellerRatings.com and prompted for their email address. ResellerRatings will then email your customer in about 7 days to query them for a review of your store. More information on this method is available on ResellerRatings once you have created your account (steps 1 through 7 above).

While these steps take time, the payoff for having a solid set of positive reviews can be huge. Google Product Search will showcase your products with a "seller rating" which can boost consumers' confidence tremendously. Even if you can't compete on price, you'll be able to attract customers who are willing to pay more for peace of mind.

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