A thoughtful customer comment can help someone understand a business. That does not mean the business’s own testimonial page is entitled to star ratings in Google results. On 16 September, Google announced changes to review rich results, including restrictions on self-serving reviews for LocalBusiness and Organization types. For owners whose stars disappear, the right response is to review the implementation rather than manufacture another route to the same badge.
The entity being reviewed matters
Google describes self-serving reviews as reviews about an entity placed on that entity’s own site, including through a third-party widget it has chosen to embed. The update means those LocalBusiness and Organization review rich results are not displayed where the reviewed entity controls the reviews. Moving the same content into a widget does not change that relationship.
Product reviews and company testimonials are different subjects. Do not relabel a business as a product merely to seek a search treatment intended for another type. Structured data should describe what the page actually contains. A technically valid shape is not a licence to change the meaning of the information.
Make the testimonial earn its place on the page
Imagine a service business displaying a comment that says the team was excellent. A visitor may reasonably want to know what work was involved. With the customer’s permission, relevant context can make the comment more informative: the service, the problem discussed or the part of the process they valued. Preserve the person’s meaning and do not add outcomes they did not claim.
Avoid anonymous numerical claims without a clear basis. If a rating is displayed, explain what it represents and where it comes from. Keep any editing or selection process honest. A small collection of specific, authorised comments can be more helpful than a large decorative counter whose calculation nobody can explain.
Review the plugin output, not only the page design
Some themes and SEO or review plugins add markup automatically. Inspect the actual output and identify which component owns it. Removing a visible star graphic may leave the same structured data in the page, while removing a plugin without review may affect unrelated metadata. Make a targeted change based on the entity and content being described.
Keep a before-and-after record for representative pages. Check that product markup, where genuinely appropriate, has not been accidentally changed as part of fixing company review output. The goal is accurate page meaning, not the wholesale removal of useful structured information.
Trust needs more than a search decoration
A potential customer can also assess clear service descriptions, named contact routes, relevant examples and straightforward terms. Put that information within reach. If testimonials are part of the decision, let people read them where they relate to the service rather than hiding them behind a carousel that moves too quickly.
The September update changes the treatment of certain review markup in search; it does not make legitimate customer feedback worthless. Keep feedback that helps a visitor judge the offer. Let the search appearance follow the supported rules instead of allowing a lost visual badge to dictate the website’s whole account of its credibility.
