Google Certified Shop – What You Need To Know

*Google Certified Shop now ceases to exist*

The competition online is getting more fierce by the day. New companies are springing up and existing ones are getting more and savvier about how to get seen online. With every search result a customer is subjected to double figure options of companies they can choose from in the SERP’s (Search Engine Results Page). So if a customer has got so many options how do you stand out? Historically it was mainly based around your company’s service/product relevancy, finding the ideal ad position, having engaging creative and then the right landing page experiences. Then Google realised that trust played a major part in a customers buying decisions and the integration of seller ratings into Google’s adwords paid search results were born from this. Seller ratings are collated on third party review sites and are based on customer’s reviews of your company or products. While these are still excellent and recommended, if there are multiple companies with seller ratings how do you then decide who to purchase from if trust is still a deciding factor?

If we look at the image below for a simple UK based ‘diamond rings’ search you will see that there are 19+ different options all above the fold and 7 of the paid search results have seller ratings (the orange stars).

So as an online business how can you differentiate yourself from the crowd? How can you further build trust with a customer even before they’ve purchased? Enter Google Certified Shops scheme. This allows both larger companies and perhaps more importantly smaller or challenger companies to demonstrate reliability and trust by having the approval of none other than the world’s most recognised search engine.

So what exactly is Google Certified Shops?

It is a scheme that allows online merchants who meet certain requirements set by Google to display a badge/certification on your site that demonstrates to the customer trust and reliability.

When a customer hovers their mouse over the badge it will display key statistics on a merchants shipping and customer metrics along with the number of sales/transactions the key statistic data is based on.

Data suggests there is a distinct improvement in conversion performance with a Google Certified Shop badge onsite.

What’s the benefits of Google’s Certified Shops?

On top of the obvious affinity you demonstrate with the western world’s largest and most recognised search engine, there is the trust element you develop with a customer as you have taken steps to demonstrate your reliability and quality by using a recognised third party to evaluate you (see criteria below).

If you operate an adwords account and are certified then you can potentially see an additional field in your adwords ad that says you are a certified shop (see the image below)

Seller ratings (the stars) are collected for free using Google Certified Shops meaning expensive third party options aren’t as necessary. This improves your adwords ads and there potential CTR.

Then there is a direct benefit to the customer, that any purchase made through a Google Certified Shop may be eligible for ‘Purchase Protection’

Purchase protection with Google Certified Shops means that if there’s an issue Google deems ‘eligible’ (click here to see what classes as eligible) with your order, and the customer cannot resolve it with the merchant, then they can request Google’s help. Google will work with the customer and the merchant to resolve the issue.

After completing a purchase with a Google Certified Shop, most users will be offered the chance to opt in to free purchase protection from Google for that order. At this time, purchase protection is offered on a per-order basis, and only at the time of purchase. If a customer is to opt in, then the merchant will share their order information and email address with Google. They’ll send the customer an email with the details of the order, the merchant’s contact details, and a link to contact Google in the event of any issues.

So how much is Google Certified Shops?

The programme itself is free. It is free to apply as the merchant; the only cost might be to a developer to help get your Google Certified Shop certification on your site.

So what are the criteria involved?

You are required to meet certain shipping (delivery) and customer service levels. The criteria for this is somewhat vague on Google’s official site. This is what they have to say:

Merchants are measured on the following shipping and service metrics:

Delivery –

High percentage of orders with on-time shipping.

Participating merchants must ship the order within the time frame that was specified upon purchase.

Low average days for product to ship.

Participating merchants must ship in a timely manner.

Service – 

High percentage of issues resolved quickly.

Participating merchants must resolve any customer issues in a timely manner.

Low number of customers needing assistance with an issue.

Participating merchants must maintain a low number of customers who experience order issues and require Google’s assistance.

What do I need to know before I apply?

Your site must sell to the UK and be in £’s.

The site must be English language and so must the customer support.

You can only register one profile per site.

You must be the merchant and seller of record for at least 80% of the transactions that are initiated from or on Merchant’s site.

Orders sent to PO boxes won’t be eligible as is anything you sell that is bought using virtual currency.

Google will have access to transaction data for your company and reserves the right to use that data for other Google purposes. This should not be a massive concern for you if you are a typical ecommerce site.

Google can change the components of the icons, logos, messaging, data, and other elements of the Program. Merchants do not have editorial control over any tests they do with these.

There are some more basic best practice areas you will need to demonstrate. If you are an open honest site then you should have nothing to worry about; however there is more information here should you want to check first.

Here are the certified shop policies

You ultimately have to meet some of Google’ performance standards to be eligible for the badge and the benefits that come with it

There is slight coding required and not all of you may feel comfortable with Google Certified Shops and Google Cookies – To participate in the Program and display the Google Certified Shops badge, Merchants must include on their website JavaScript code that retrieves content from Google’s servers. This content may also include Google-generated cookies, including the DoubleClick cookie.

What are the performance standards we need to achieve to have a Google Certified Badge?

Transaction Volume – Merchant must process at least 600 orders on a 90-day rolling basis through the order confirmation module code.

On-Time Delivery – At least 90% of all shipments must be shipped by the estimated ship date provided by Merchant at the time of purchase. To account for variability beyond your direct control (e.g. carrier delays), Google requires at least 80% of all shipments to be delivered on-time based on Google Certified Shops customer survey results on a 90-day rolling basis.

Overall Google Certified Shop Rating – Merchant must maintain minimum 4.0 star overall ratings on both Google Certified Shops customer survey results and seller ratings on a 90-day rolling basis.

Escalation Rate – No more than 1 in 300 protected orders shall be escalated to Google on a 90-day rolling basis.

Average Escalation – Average number of days to resolve a customer escalation must not exceed 4 calendar days from the time when the escalation is filed to when the escalation is closed on a 90-day rolling basis.

Annual Payout Limit – If Google’s annual payout for refunds to Merchant’s customers exceeds £3,000 (GBP) in aggregate on a 365-day rolling basis, Merchant’s participation in the Program may be suspended or terminated.

What happens after I apply to Google Certified Shops?

Following your application and copyright (the latter is only if required) form, you will need to incorporate some minor code into your site for the badge to show on every major page and then the Google module for GCS opt-in and  transaction tracking.

Then you will go through a qualification period. While there are no definitive time scales to how long you will be in this qualifying period, this is what Google has to say:

‘If a store’s monthly order volume is at least 1,000 orders, the Qualification Period will generally last around 30 days. If a store’s monthly order volume is closer to 200 orders, the Qualification Period may be closer to 3 months.’

Then provided you meet the criteria then you will start to see your Google Certified Shop badge appear on your site.

For more information please visit this page

So there you have it. A fantastic way to improve your eCommerce performance during 2015 and beyond!