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Google ratings

Last updated: December 14, 2023

Google ratings allow your customers to see your Google ratings throughout their booking experience. The ratings option will be shown online, such as on the item description and the book form. Please note that ratings can occasionally change, and we will ensure they are updated on a weekly basis.

In order to use Google ratings, it must be enabled in your Dashboard by FareHarbor. Please contact FareHarbor Support to request assistance, if you have not already done so.

Should I enable Google ratings?

To ensure that the displayed rating does not hurt your online conversions, we adhere to the following criteria for enabling Google ratings:

Please note:

  • If you are currently displaying Tripadvisor ratings, they must be disabled before you can enable Google ratings. It is advised that you enable the highest rating on the online booking experience.
  • If your Business Profile is not associated with a physical location (for example, it is a service area), we cannot enable Google ratings on your online booking experience because Google does not support the connection.

How it works

The ratings and number of reviews shown are based on the locations set up in your Dashboard. It is important to add your Google Place ID in order to associate the correct Google ratings to the online book form.

Default ratings are determined by location order. The first (top) location listed with a Google Place ID added will serve as the default rating shown on all items.

  • You may be required to reorder location with company’s Place ID to be positioned above all others.

Note: If your Business Profile is not associated with a physical location (for example, it is a service area), we cannot enable Google ratings on your online booking experience because Google does not support the connection.

How to enable Google ratings in FareHarbor

  1. Send a request to FareHarbor Support to enable the functionality on your Dashboard (please note that we may not enable the functionality if your rating does not meet the criteria above).
  2. Add the Google Place ID to a location.
    1. Go to Settings > Locations.
    2. Find your Google Place ID with this tool and search by your business name corresponding to your address.
    3. Copy and paste the Place ID into the location’s Google Place ID field.
    4. Save your changes.

The first location in the list of locations with a Place ID will be the default Google ratings and will be shown on the online book form for all items, unless specifically changed for an item.

Change the rating on an item (optional)

Note: Default ratings are determined by location order. The first (top) location listed with a Google Place ID added will serve as the default rating shown on all items. If an item needs to use a different rating from the default (due to being a separate entity or location), be sure to override the default by item following the instructions below:

  1. Go to the item(s) for which you want to change the ratings.
  2. Go to Integrations.
  3. Choose the Google Ratings tab.
  4. Select Enable a custom Google rating for this item.
  5. Select the new location (Note: the drop-down will only show locations that have Google Place IDs).
  6. Click Save.

Once enabled, you can visit your website and confirm that the ratings and their locations are displayed as expected.

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How to enable Google ratings on the Dashboard

  1. Verify the company meets the criteria.
  2. Go to the Advanced company settings > Integrations > Ratings.
  3. Check if Tripadvisor ratings is enabled. If it is enabled, be sure to disable TripAdvisor ratings before enabling Google ratings.
  4. Enable Google.
  5. Save your changes.
  6. Go to Locations in the Dashboard and check to see if they have a Google Place ID added in any of the locations
    1. If there is a Google Place ID: Check that the displayed rating on the client’s Lightframe matches that of their Google Business Profile (you can check this by Googling their business).
    2. If there is no Google Place ID: Send the help page to clients to self service: https://help.fareharbor.com/dashboard/bookings/google-ratings/#enable.

Once completed, online customers should immediately see company’s Google Rating displayed on book form and item listings.

Change the rating on an item (optional)

Note: Default ratings are determined by location order. The first (top) location listed with a Google Place ID added will serve as the default rating shown on all items. If an item needs to use a different rating from the default (due to being a separate entity or location), be sure to override the default by item following the instructions below:

  1. Go to the item(s) for which you want to change the ratings.
  2. Go to Integrations.
  3. Choose the Google Ratings tab.
  4. Select Enable a custom Google rating for this item.
  5. Select the new location (Note: the drop-down will only show locations that have Google Place IDs).
  6. Click Save.

Once enabled, you can visit your website and confirm that the ratings and their locations are displayed as expected.

Troubleshooting

You enabled the feature, there is a Google place ID, but the ratings are not showing.

Search the client’s business name in this Place ID tool and check if it matches the location Place ID in the Dashboard. It’s important to search by the business name rather than the company address when using this tool. If the Place ID tool does not locate a match with the company business page, it is possible the page is using a service area and is not eligible. This can be verified directly on the Google Business Page. If the Place ID tool does locate a match make sure there are no additional or missing characters, address information, or anything other than the complete Place ID added to this field. Check if the location Place ID in the Dashboard is placed above all locations with a Place ID.

If there is a Google Place ID that is not appearing with the Place ID tool but the client is connected to Google Things to Do please do not change the Place ID on the Default Company Location. To determine if a company is live on Google Things to Do check the “Connectivity – Live” field in Close for the “Google” tag.

In this case, create a new location (not shown to customers) with the address and Place ID needed for Google Ratings. Place the new location entry at the top of the location list.

The wrong Google place ID was added initially, you add the right one but it is not showing on the Lightframe.

In the Dashboard, create a new location with the same address and the accurate place ID, then place the new location entry to the top of the location list.

Criteria

To ensure that enabling Google ratings does not hurt our clients’ conversion rates, please adhere to the following criteria for enabling this feature.

Note: For clients that do not fit the criteria but are insistent on having this feature enabled, you can enable for businesses with 4.0 rating OR 100+ reviews, 4.2 rating OR <100 reviews. Do not enable for clients with ratings lower than 4.0 as this may risk hurting their online conversions.

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Which client tiers are eligible for this feature?

All client tiers can have Google ratings enabled as long as they meet the criteria specified above.

If a client is not eligible, politely let them know that their Google ratings do not meet the recommended criteria. We set the criteria to ensure that the displayed ratings do not hurt their online conversions. If the client escalates, please direct the request to their account manager.

Value proposition (why this feature is good for our clients)

Displaying positive Google ratings on the Lightframe helps our clients build trust with new customers, provide transparency, and improve conversion rates.

Selling points

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