Available on the Awesome plan
Want star ratings on Google Shopping listings? Try the Awesome plan free for 15 days to generate your Product Ratings feed and start the setup — so your reviews can show on Google Shopping once Google approves the feed.
Judge.me is now an approved Google review partner, which means your product reviews can sync to Google Shopping automatically — no manual steps required.
Previously, Judge.me generated an XML feed that you had to submit to Google Merchant Center yourself. Now, Judge.me uses Google's API to push your reviews directly, keeping them up to date automatically.
How it works
If you have submitted the Products feed to Google Shopping and have at least 50 eligible product reviews to be included in the Product Ratings feed, you can submit a Product Ratings feed to Google Merchant Center.
Once you've submitted the API Product Ratings feed:
Google will process your feed, which should take around 10 days.
We will push your eligible product reviews to a centralized Google Merchant Center account for all Judge.me users. You won't see these reviews inside your own Google Merchant Center. New reviews are automatically submitted to Google as they are collected. We also run periodic syncs to keep your reviews up to date.
You don't need to create or manage a separate review feed.
You don't need to connect your own API credentials.
You don't need to provide your Merchant Center ID or account number.
When a review is sent to Google, it includes key product information such as: Product identifiers (e.g. SKU, GTIN, MPN), Product URLs, Brand information, Your store's domain. Google uses this data to match each review in the Product Ratings feed to the correct product in your Products feed.
If a review can be matched with a product and meets Google's eligibility and content requirements (see Product Ratings policies), it will start showing on Google Shopping, in both paid ads and free listings.
Product Ratings feed
API feed vs XML feed
We provide 3 versions of the Product Ratings feed for Google Shopping. Each version differs in how reviews are sent to Google and how much setup is required.
API Product Ratings feed (recommended)
This is the latest and most automated option. Instead of generating a file, Judge.me sends reviews directly to Google Merchant Center via Google's API. Reviews are uploaded automatically as they are collected, with regular background syncs.
New XML Product Ratings feed (legacy)
This version generates an XML file containing your reviews, which you submit to Google Merchant Center. It was introduced to meet Google Shopping requirements when Judge.me became a pre-approved Google partner.Old XML Product Ratings feed (deprecated)
This is the original version and is no longer recommended. Like the new XML Product Ratings feed, it generates an XML file that you submit to Google. However, it uses minimal filtering and may not meet current Google requirements. It is kept for backward compatibility but may be phased out in the future.
Your feed version
If you installed Judge.me on or after April 7, 2025, you're on the API Product Ratings feed.
If you installed Judge.me before April 7, 2025 but didn't have the XML feed enabled at that time:
We automatically update you to the API Product Ratings feed.
You'll see a blue We have noticed you may already have a product review source connected banner in app, which you can safely ignore.
Otherwise, you're on the XML Product Ratings feed.
Included reviews
The following product reviews, if they have written content, are included in the API Product Ratings feed, regardless of their status (published, hidden, or archived) and whether they are verified:
Reviews collected via:
Reviews synced from:
To see the reviews that are included in the API Product Ratings feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Reviews.
Click the Search and filter icon (🔍︎ᯤ) on the right.
Click Add filter + on the left and select Source.
Click the checkbox next to Google Shopping.
Excluded reviews
To ensure compliance for the Google Product Ratings program requirements, the following product reviews are not included in the API Product Ratings feed, even if they are verified:
Reviews collected via:
Reviews synced from:
API-submitted reviews via webhook
Reviews imported from any other sources, including but not limited to:
Reviews without written content (rating-only reviews)
Considerations
1. Product reviews in Google Shopping
Even if reviews are correctly matched to products, Google will only display star ratings when it determines that the information is accurate and relevant to customers.
2. Update from XML feed to API feed
Updating your Product Ratings feed from the XML feed to the API version is not mandatory at this time, but will be required in the future — we recommend updating as soon as possible.
If you choose not to update yet, your existing XML feed will continue to work for now. However, the XML feed is no longer maintained and will not be supported once the update becomes required.
After updating to the API feed, your reviews will sync to Google Shopping automatically. However, the number of reviews shown in Google Shopping may increase or decrease, as only reviews that meet Google's requirements will be included.
If you are updating to the API feed from the old XML Product Ratings feed (as opposed to the new XML feed), please that imported reviews are not included in the API feed. If your old XML feed contained imported reviews, you may see a drop in the number of reviews shown in Google Shopping.
3. Google Store Ratings (or Seller Ratings)
According to Google's policies, store ratings can be collected from:
Google Customer Reviews
Supported review partners
Evaluation by Google and/or other evaluation partners
Although we are now an authorized Google review partner, we do not support adding Store Ratings (also known as Seller Ratings or Business Reviews) to Google Shopping at this time. We will keep you informed of any developments.
Submit your Product Ratings feed (for users with no XML feed)
Step 1: Confirm that the Products feed is submitted
Available on the Awesome plan for stores with at least 50 eligible reviews
To display your Judge.me product reviews on Google Shopping, you'll first need to complete your Google Merchant Center setup. This is not handled by Judge.me and must be done separately.
To get started with Merchant Center:
Upload a product feed to your Merchant Center:
This feed contains all your store's product data and is required for Google to associate your reviews with the correct products.
You can upload your product feed following Google's instructions using:
Third-party apps such as Easy Google Shopping Feed by AdNabu, Feed for Google Shopping, and ShoppingFeeder
It takes around 10 business days for Google to approve your products.
Once your product feed is approved in Google Merchant Center, to confirm that in Judge.me:
From Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
In Step 1: Submit your product feed section, click the checkbox next to I confirm I've submitted my product feed.
Click Confirm.
Step 2: Submit the Product Ratings feed
Available on the Awesome plan for stores with at least 50 eligible reviews
Before submitting the Product Ratings feed, check the Add unique product identifiers and Configure your Product Ratings feed sections below — there are a number of settings you can adjust, including store link format, product identifiers, reviewer name format, and which reviews can be excluded. You can also come back and change these after submitting.
To submit the API Product Ratings feed to Google Shopping:
From Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page.
Click Submit feed.
A confirmation pop-up will appear, click Submit feed to confirm.
Submit your Product Ratings feed (for users with an existing XML feed)
Step 1: Update your feed to the API version
Available on the Awesome plan
If you installed Judge.me before April 7, 2025 and currently have the XML feed enabled, to update your Product Ratings feed to the API version:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Click the check box next to "I understand that I must delete my previous Google Shopping review after 10 days to avoid duplicate reviews and potential blocking of your feed".
Click Upgrade.
You'll see a confirmation model. Click Upgrade there to confirm.
Once you've updated your Product Ratings feed to the API version, we will submit it to Google Shopping automatically for you.
Step 2: Delete the XML Product Ratings feed
After you've updated to the API Product Ratings feed:
Wait up to 10 days for Google to process your new API Product Ratings feed.
Once you start seeing new reviews showing in your Google Shopping ads or free listings (you might also see duplicated reviews as both the API and XML feeds are active), to delete the XML feed from your Google Shopping:
From your Google Merchant Center Next admin, on the left panel, go to Settings > Data sources.
Go to the Product review sources tab.
Find the XML feed from Judge.me that you submitted. It might be named "Product Reviews".
Click the 3-dot icon on the right of that feed.
Click Delete source.
Add unique product identifiers
Available on the Awesome plan for stores with at least 50 eligible reviews
Google states that ratings and reviews are matched to products based on a number of factors, the most important being globally unique product identifiers that appear in both:
the Products feed, and
the Product Ratings feed
If the unique product identifiers are missing in either your Products feed or Product Ratings feed, the review might not be matched to the correct product, resulting it being marked as Missing or invalid product_id in Google Merchant Center.
We automatically include the following product identifiers for each product in the API Product Ratings feed to support this matching process:
Product URL (
<product_url>)Product name (
<product_name>)Shopify product ID (
<skus>) — this is Shopify's numeric product ID, not the SKU you define on your products. It's included in a fixed format:shopify_{country}_{shopify_product_id}
You can enhance the matching by also adding the following product identifiers in the Product Ratings feed:
Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs) (
<gtins>)Manufacturer Part Numbers (MPNs) (
<mpns>) and Brand name (<brands>)
1. GTIN
The <gtins> attribute in the Product Ratings feed includes a list of Global Trade Item Numbers (GTINs), such as UPC or EAN codes. GTINs help Google match the reviews in your Product Ratings feed with the correct products in your Products feed.
To use GTIN, you'll first need to register your GTINs with GS1.
Once registered, to ensure proper product matching, the same GTIN values must exist in both feeds.
To add GTINs to the Products feed, you can add a barcode value to your products in Shopify:
From your Shopify admin, go to Products.
Open the product you want.
Scroll down to the Inventory section.
In the Barcode (ISBN, UPC, GTIN, etc.) field, enter the registered GTIN for your product.
Click Save.
Then, you can include them in the Product Ratings feed, using the GTIN values already saved on your products:
If you're using the API feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the Step 2: Setup reviews feed > Store settings section.
Click the checkbox next to Add GTIN in the feed.
Click Save.
If you're using the XML feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the Advanced settings section at the bottom.
Click the checkbox next to Add GTIN in the feed (Default).
Click Save.
2. MPN
The <mpn> attribute includes a list of Manufacturer Part Numbers (MPNs) associated with the product. MPNs help Google match reviews in the Product Ratings feed with the correct products in your Products feed.
To ensure proper product matching, the same MPN values must exist in both feeds.
To add MPNs to the Products feed, you can add SKUs to your products in Shopify:
From your Shopify admin, go to Products.
Open the product you want.
Scroll down to the Inventory section.
In the SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) field, enter your MPN for the product.
Click Save.
Then, you can include them in the Product Ratings feed, using the SKUs values already saved on your products:
If you're using the API feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the Step 2: Setup reviews feed > Store settings section.
Click the checkbox next to Add MPN in the feed.
Click Save.
If you're using the XML feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the Advanced settings section at the bottom.
Click the checkbox next to Add MPN in the feed.
Click Save.
3. Brand name
The <brands> attribute contains the product's brand name. Brand information helps Google match reviews in the Product Ratings feed with the correct products in your Products feed.
To ensure proper product matching, the same brand values should exist in both feeds.
You can add brand names to your Products feed by adding Vendor to your products in Shopify:
From your Shopify admin, go to Products.
Open the product you want.
On the right menu, scroll down to the Product organization section.
In the Vendor field, enter the brand name for the product.
Click Save.
When brand values are available on your products, we automatically include them in the Product Ratings feed. No additional setup is required.
Configure your Product Ratings feed
Available on the Awesome plan for stores with at least 50 eligible reviews
You can configure these settings before or after submitting your feed — any changes will apply to the next sync.
1. Link format
To control whether the product and review URLs in the feed use HTTP or HTTPS:
If you're using the API feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the Step 2: Setup reviews feed > Store settings section.
For Choose your store link format, select one of the following options:
Click Save.
If you're using the XML feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the Advanced settings section at the bottom.
Select one of the following options:
Click Save.
2. Name format
The <reviewer> / <name> attribute provides the reviewer's name in the Product Ratings feed.
To change how the name appears in the feed:
If you're using the API feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the Step 2: Setup reviews feed > Review settings section.
Open the Reviewer name format dropdown.
Select one of the following options:
Shorten last name (John S.) – displays the reviewer's first name followed by the initial of their last name
<reviewer>
<name>John S.</name>
</reviewer>First name only (John) – displays only the reviewer's first name
<reviewer>
<name>John</name>
</reviewer>Initials (J.S.) – displays only the initials of the reviewer's first and last name
<reviewer>
<name>J. S.</name>
</reviewer>Anonymous – displays the reviewer name as "Anonymous".
<reviewer>
<name>Anonymous</name>
</reviewer>
Click Save.
If you're using the XML feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the Review content section.
Open the Reviewer name format dropdown.
Select one of the following options:
using initials after the first name, e.g. – displays the reviewer's first name followed by the initial of their last name (for example, "John D.").
<reviewer>
<name>John D.</name>
</reviewer>using initials for the entire reviewer name, e.g. – displays only the initials of the reviewer's first and last name (for example, "J.D.").
<reviewer>
<name>J. D.</name>
</reviewer>as Anonymous – displays the reviewer name as "Anonymous".
<reviewer>
<name>Anonymous</name>
</reviewer>
Click Save.
3. Review images
The <reviewer_images> attribute contains the URLs of the images attached to the review.
To control whether to include this attribute in your Product Ratings feed:
If you're using the API feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the Step 2: Setup reviews feed > Review settings section.
Click the checkbox next to Include review photos.
Click Save.
If you're using the XML feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the Review content section.
Click the checkbox next to Include review photos.
Click Save.
4. Product groups
The <products> attribute contains all products associated with a review.
When a review applies to a single product, the
<products>attribute includes one<product>node.Reviews are associated at the product level, not the variant level. If a product has multiple variants, all variant reviews are grouped under the same
<product>node, rather than being split by variant.When a review applies to multiple products (for example, through product groups), the
<products>container can include multiple<product>nodes—one for each product.
To control whether reviews from product groups are associated with only the original product or all products in the group within the Product Ratings feed:
If you're using the API feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the Step 2: Setup reviews feed > Review settings section.
Click the checkbox next to Include product groups reviews.
Click Save.
If you're using the XML feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the Review content section.
Select one of the following options:
Include reviews part of product groups – The feed may contain multiple
<product>nodes for a single review.Don't include product groups reviews – The feed only contains one
<product>node for each review.
Click Save.
Including reviews from product groups can significantly increase the size of your Product Ratings feed, especially if your product groups contain many products.
5. Reviews from out-of-store products
When Google reviews your Product Ratings feed, they may check the review URLs and product URLs included in the feed.
If a review is linked to a product that has been removed from your store, these links may no longer work. Including reviews for out-of-store products can lead to questions or issues during Google's review of your feed.
To avoid this, you can exclude reviews for out-of-store products from the Product Ratings feed:
If you're using the API feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the Step 2: Setup reviews feed > Review settings section.
Unclick the checkbox next to Include reviews for out-of-store products.
Click Save.
If you're using the XML feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the Advanced settings section at the bottom.
Click the checkbox next to Exclude reviews for out-of-store products.
Click Save.
6. Reviews containing personal information
To control whether reviews that contain personal information are included in the Product Ratings feed:
If you're using the API feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the Step 2: Setup reviews feed > Review settings section.
For Include reviews containing personal information. We will replace personal information with asterisks:
Click the checkbox next to it to include reviews containing common types of personally identifiable information (PII)—including email addresses, phone numbers (including US toll-free numbers), credit card numbers, and person names, in the feed. The detected PII will be replaced with
****.Unclick the checkbox to exclude them from the feed.
Click Save.
If you're using the XML feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the Review content section.
For Include reviews containing personal information:
Click the checkbox next to it to include reviews containing common types of personally identifiable information (PII)—including email addresses, phone numbers (including US toll-free numbers), credit card numbers, and person names, in the feed. The detected PII will be replaced with
****.Unclick the checkbox to exclude them from the feed.
Click Save.
7. Spam (marked by the publisher)
The <is_spam> attribute indicates whether a review is considered spam in the Product Ratings feed.
If <is_spam>true</is_spam>, the review will appear in Google Merchant Center as Spam (marked by the publisher) and will not be shown on Google Shopping.
How this value is determined depends on the Product Ratings feed version you're using:
API Product Ratings feed (recommended)
In the API feed, all reviews are automatically checked for profanity before being sent to Google.
If profanity is detected, the review is also marked as
<is_spam>true</is_spam>in the Product Ratings feed, even if it might appear normal in the Judge.me Reviews dashboard.To censor the affected words in the review's title or content with **** in the feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the Step 2: Setup reviews feed > Review settings section.
Click the checkbox next to Apply profanity filter to reviews. We will replace profanity with asterisks.
Click Save.
New XML Product Ratings feed (legacy):
In the new XML feed, all reviews are automatically checked for profanity before being sent to Google.
If profanity is detected, the affected words in the review's title or content are replaced with
****in the feed. When this happens, the review is also marked as<is_spam>true</is_spam>in the Product Ratings feed, even if it might appear normal in the Judge.me Reviews dashboard.At this time, this behavior cannot be changed or edited.
Old XML Product Ratings feed (deprecated):
In the old XML feed, a review is marked as spam if it is not published in Judge.me.
That means, all hidden, archived, and pending reviews are marked as
<is_spam>true</is_spam>.
8. Reviews containing specific keywords
To exclude reviews that contain specific words ("shipped", "arrived", "support", "shipping", "company", "email", "shipment", "store", "package", "service", "business", "deliver", "order" from the Product Ratings feed:
If you're using the API feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the Step 2: Setup reviews feed > Review settings section.
Unclick the checkbox next to Include reviews containing specific keywords regarding store experience.
Click Save.
If you're using the XML feed:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Google and SEO > Google Shopping.
Scroll down to the Review content section.
Click the checkbox next to Exclude store reviews containing specific keywords.
Click Save.
9. Collection method
The <collection_method> attribute indicates how the review was collected. The value is either one of the following:
post_fulfillment – for example, via a review request email
unsolicited – for example, submitted directly on the product page
This attribute cannot be edited or removed, helping ensure transparency and compliance with Google's requirements.
10. Incentivized reviews
The <is_incentivized_review> attribute indicates whether the customer received a reward such as a discount, gift card, points, or any other benefit when submitting their review.
<is_incentivized_review>false</is_incentivized_review>
The reviewer did not receive any incentive for leaving the review.<is_incentivized_review>true</is_incentivized_review>
The reviewer did receive an incentive for submitting the review.
When a review is incentivized, we automatically tag it with the is_incentivized_review attribute in the Product Ratings feed. This is regardless of whether the incentive is disclosed or mentioned beforehand (for example, in the review request).
This attribute cannot be edited or removed, helping ensure transparency and compliance with Google's requirements.
11. Verified reviews
The <is_verified_purchase> attribute indicates whether the review is linked to a verified order from your store.
This attribute cannot be edited or removed, helping ensure transparency and compliance with Google's requirements.
Resources
Get your free trial:
⭐ Unlock Google Shopping sync and more features with a 15-day free trial of the Awesome Plan—start today and sync your Judge.me reviews to Google and display star ratings on Google Shopping to build trust and increase clicks.See our latest updates:
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