The answer is definitely YES if you run an e-commerce website and are you’re interested in showing your customers that you provide the highest level of service on the web. Receiving the Google Trusted Store seal of approval means that Google recognizes your business for offering a great customer experience that is reliable.
My team recently helped guide one of our client’s, Foryourparty.com, through the process of receiving this distinguished designation, and let me tell you it takes time and effort. Becoming a Google Trusted Store isn’t accomplished by simply filling out a form and paying a monthly fee. You actually have to prove to Google that you deserve to be a Google Trusted Store. They make you work to earn it and maintain it.
But what exactly is a Google Trusted Store? Why should your business become a Google Trusted Store and how do you go about becoming one? These questions and more are answered in a recent white paper we published called The Practical Guide to Google Trusted Stores. This paper is a great overview for businesses wanting to learn more about what a Google Trusted Store is, what to expect during the application and review process and what type of benefits you can expect from becoming one.
Some of my favorite sections of the white paper you should check out include:
- Why You Should Do It
- Some Common Holdups
- And a hypothetical business case for the improved performance you’ll see
Here are a couple of the lessons we learned during ForYourParty’s application and review process:
Shipping and Cancellation Feed:
This can be a little tricky if you don’t follow their guidelines carefully. Both feeds need to be automated so they’re sent to Google on a daily basis and formatted to Google’s exact specifications. One item we were specifically concerned about was the cancellation feed and the reasons for cancelling an order. Google looks closely at why orders are being canceled. Now ForYourParty doesn’t have a lot of orders canceled and most of time orders are canceled because they’re combined with other orders customers place individually to save on shipping. So finding the right canned Google designation for the reason an order is canceled can be tricky.
Review process:
Although Google says the initial review process typically lasts 28 days or 500 shipped orders, it takes longer than that to actually complete the entire process from start to finish. Of course there is the normal completion of the initial forms and setup that’s pretty straightforward. What comes next are a number of questions and requests Google uses to make sure you’re meeting all of their requirements. Most of these requests weren’t too difficult to tackle, they’re just time consuming and require a few rounds of back and forth correspondence with Google’s Trusted Store Team. In ForYourParty’s case Google’s requests focused mainly around modifying its return policy, adjusting refund windows to match industry standards and helping Google get a better understanding of how ForYourParty addresses different customer issues.
ForYourParty has only been a Google Trusted Store since September so we don’t have a ton of performance metrics to show yet. I can tell you we’re already starting to see a positive impact. Of course having the Google Trusted Store seal on your Website and Google Shopping product listing ads are a bonus, but you also get the added perk of customer reviews in the form of star ratings added to your paid search and Google Shopping ads. Customer reviews are becoming an increasingly important factor in online purchasing behavior and the integration of star reviews without having to use or pay for a third party review site is an added bonus.
Bottom line: Although it’s a tedious process, the benefits garnered from becoming a Google Trusted Store far outweigh the time investment. In the long run you’ll see:
- Higher conversion rates
- Larger orders
- More traffic
- Better click through rates
I’m interested in learning what other people experienced while becoming a Google Trusted Store or any other challenges or opportunities they’ve had since becoming one. And don’t forget to check out The Practical Guide to Google Trusted Stores. It’s a quick read and definitely worth your time.
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