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Issue #156 · important

Issue 156

What is this issue?

Product or LocalBusiness schema is present, but the nested AggregateRating schema is missing or incomplete. AggregateRating provides summary review information (average rating, review count) that enables star ratings to appear in search results.

Without AggregateRating schema:

  • Star ratings won't appear in search results
  • Users won't see social proof before clicking
  • Rich snippets showing review counts won't display
  • Competitors with ratings may get more clicks

A proper AggregateRating schema should be nested inside Product, LocalBusiness, Recipe, Movie, or other reviewable schemas and include: ratingValue, reviewCount, bestRating (default 5), worstRating (default 1), and optionally ratingExplanation.

Why does it matter?

AggregateRating schema significantly impacts click-through rates and trust:

  • Star ratings in search: Pages with star ratings get 35% more clicks on average
  • Social proof: Users trust businesses and products with visible ratings
  • Rich snippets: Enables review count and rating display in search results
  • Local SEO: LocalBusiness with ratings appear more prominently in maps
  • AI search signals: AI engines use rating data to recommend top-rated options

Resolving this issue improves your SEO health score by adding powerful social proof signals that increase click-through rates and user trust.

How to fix it

  1. Identify reviewable content: Check pages with Product, LocalBusiness, Recipe, Movie, Book, or similar schemas

  2. Add AggregateRating to your schema:

    {
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "Product Name",
  "description": "Product description",
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "4.5",
    "reviewCount": "125",
    "bestRating": "5",
    "worstRating": "1"
  },
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "price": "29.99",
    "priceCurrency": "USD"
  }
}

  3. Use correct values:

    • ratingValue: Numeric value as string (e.g., "4.5")
    • reviewCount: Integer as string (e.g., "125")
    • bestRating: Usually "5" (default if not specified)
    • worstRating: Usually "1" (default if not specified)

  4. Ensure ratings are legitimate:

    • Only use real reviews from actual customers
    • Don't create fake reviews or manipulate ratings
    • Make sure the rating matches what's displayed on the page

  5. Validate with Google's Rich Results Test

Examples

Example 1: Missing AggregateRating in Product Schema

Problematic state (Product without AggregateRating):

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "Wireless Headphones",
  "description": "High-quality wireless headphones"
}

Missing aggregateRating property

Corrected state:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Product",
  "name": "Wireless Headphones",
  "description": "High-quality wireless headphones",
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "4.5",
    "reviewCount": "125",
    "bestRating": "5",
    "worstRating": "1"
  }
}

Example 2: AggregateRating in LocalBusiness Schema

Corrected state (LocalBusiness with ratings):

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "Coffee Shop Downtown",
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "4.8",
    "reviewCount": "342",
    "bestRating": "5",
    "worstRating": "1"
  }
}

Example 3: Incomplete AggregateRating Schema

Problematic state (missing required properties):

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Recipe",
  "name": "Chocolate Chip Cookies",
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "5"
  }
}

Missing reviewCount property

Corrected state:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Recipe",
  "name": "Chocolate Chip Cookies",
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "5",
    "reviewCount": "89",
    "bestRating": "5",
    "worstRating": "1"
  }
}

How PixyScan detects this

PixyScan follows these logical steps to detect missing or incomplete AggregateRating schema:

  1. Find reviewable schemas: The crawler identifies pages with schemas that commonly have ratings:

    • Product
    • LocalBusiness (and subtypes)
    • Recipe
    • Movie, Book, Course
    • Any schema with review or aggregateRating properties

  2. Check for AggregateRating: The crawler examines whether the schema has an aggregateRating property

  3. Validate AggregateRating structure: If present, the crawler checks:

    • Does it have @type set to AggregateRating?
    • Does it have ratingValue?
    • Does it have reviewCount?

  4. Validate rating values: The crawler verifies:

    • ratingValue is a valid number
    • reviewCount is a valid integer
    • ratingValue is between worstRating and bestRating (if specified)

  5. Check page consistency: The crawler compares the schema rating with:

    • Visible ratings displayed on the page
    • Any review properties also present in the schema

  6. Trigger conditions: The issue is flagged when:

    • A reviewable schema exists BUT aggregateRating is missing
    • aggregateRating exists but ratingValue is missing
    • aggregateRating exists but reviewCount is missing
    • ratingValue is outside the valid range

References