---
title: "Merchant Center documents Store ratings' review and star bar"
url: https://seomadman.com/news/google-store-ratings-requirements-update
section: news
language: en
published: 2026-09-22T00:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-09-22T00:00:00.000Z
author: Adam Hafez
topics: ["Technical SEO", "Ecommerce SEO"]
---

# Merchant Center documents Store ratings' review and star bar

## The short answer

Google added a new requirements section to its Merchant Center documentation for Store ratings. A merchant generally needs at least 100 eligible, unique reviews, and must hold a composite score of 3.5 out of 5 stars or higher to keep star assets on paid text and Shopping ads. Google evaluates reviews within a rolling 24-month window, calculated separately per country.

## Key takeaways

- Merchant Center now documents that a store generally needs at least 100 eligible, unique reviews before a rating can be calculated.
- A composite score below 3.5 out of 5 stars triggers automatic removal of star rating assets from paid text and Shopping ads.
- Google evaluates Store ratings reviews within a rolling 24-month window, so older feedback ages out of the calculation over time.
- Store ratings are geo-segmented, meaning scores are calculated separately for each country rather than aggregated into one global figure.
- Most of the rest of the support page was reorganized rather than substantively changed, according to a comparison of prior and current versions.

Google has added a new requirements section to its Merchant Center support documentation for
Store ratings, the star rating asset that can appear on paid text and Shopping ads. According to
Search Engine Roundtable, the change went live around a week before its September 22, 2026
report.

## What does the updated documentation require?

The page now states that a merchant "generally needs to collect at least 100 eligible, unique
reviews" before Google can calculate a rating at all. Once a rating exists, the store "must
maintain an average composite score of at least 3.5 out of 5 stars" to keep the star asset on
paid text ads and Shopping ads. Google says a score that drops below that threshold results in
automatic removal of the star rating asset.

## How far back do reviews count?

Google evaluates reviews gathered within a rolling 24-month window, so older feedback ages out
of the calculation over time rather than counting indefinitely. That makes Store ratings a
moving target: a merchant that clears the 100-review minimum and the 3.5-star floor today can
still lose the asset later if the composite score drifts down as older, higher-scoring reviews
roll out of the window.

## Is the score the same in every country?

No. The documentation confirms Store ratings are geo-segmented and calculated separately for
each country a merchant sells into, rather than aggregated into one worldwide score. A merchant
that clears the eligibility bar in one market is not automatically eligible in another.

Search Engine Roundtable notes that most of the rest of the support page appears to have been
reorganized rather than substantively rewritten, based on a comparison against an earlier
version of the page. The 100-review minimum, the 3.5-star floor, the 24-month window and the
per-country segmentation are the parts that read as new or newly explicit documentation of how
eligibility already worked.

## Frequently asked questions

### How many reviews does a store need for Google Store ratings?

Merchant Center's documentation now states that a merchant generally needs to collect at least 100 eligible, unique reviews before Google can calculate a rating.

### What star rating do I need to keep the rating shown on ads?

The store must maintain a composite score of at least 3.5 out of 5 stars. Falling below that threshold triggers automatic removal of the star rating asset from paid text and Shopping ads.

### Does one global score apply everywhere a merchant sells?

No. Store ratings are geo-segmented and calculated separately for each country, rather than rolled up into a single global figure.

## Sources

1. [Google Merchant Center Adds Requirements Around Google Store Ratings](https://www.seroundtable.com/google-merchant-center-google-store-ratings-42125.html) - Search Engine Roundtable (primary)