On a recent google search console review I find that it is throwing up two separate errors as follows:
1 - Review snippets - Invalid integer in property ‘ratingCount’ ( for just 8 products)
2 - Review snippets - Missing field ‘ratingValue’ (for just 3 products)
All kind of odd, as this result also shows that the remaining 50 plus products all have acceptable/clean review snippets yet all have been created using the same product template.
Whatever - my question is where/how do I address/fix this? ( As usual, unhelpfully, Google is keen to point out such errors but fails to walk us amateur-users step-by-step through a fix procedure.)
ps. - I’m not using a Shopify app to generate and manage my JSON-LD data, so I just need pointing in the right direction to locate the code for the JSON-LD data somewhere in my Shopify store’s theme files, I hope?
Hey @Nicholas_Benne1
Can you share the URL for each of those errors? Depending on the theme you use, I may be able to tell you where to find the offending code. If nothing else, you can use this article to guide you in searching through your theme files to find the ld+json or microdata, depending on how old your theme is.
Hey @Nicholas_Benne1
Every one of those URLs redirects to the homepage for me, and it looks like you are blocking US-based users from visiting those pages. Google will only ever visit from a US-based IP address, so I highly recommend not doing this.
I was able to run them through the Rich Results Testing Tool (here’s the first URL test as an example), but only by copying and pasting that first product’s source code, perhaps because you’re blocking US IPs.
It looks like someone added structured data to your product content where you add the description. Before the code, I see description and rte, which are usually the beginning of the product description. After the code, I see the Tab Labels, which is where you have product description, ingredients, and FAQs. Check the product description in the HTML of Shopify’s admin (not the theme code) first. If you don’t see it there, look in your theme files for the product description or tab content.
Since this is custom code, I can’t tell you exactly where in your theme it is because someone added it; this isn’t from the original theme code. This also explains why it’s not on every product.
Hi Ilana, thanks for that review and feedback - from your response I guess that you are based in California.
With North American visitors, primarily because shipping is pretty much prohibitive cost-wise for the small cost items we sell from our UK website (https://thesolidbarcompany.com/) to US, we have established a US website in North Carolina where we have a US partner who ships our products from there for us (we send out bulk inventory as required). So we have a redirect in place to divert North American visitors to that website (https://thesolidbarcompanyusa.com/); far from an ideal solution, but at least it keeps our customer-base happy and returning. If you have a better alternative solution for this I’m all ears!!!
Whilst I understand that Google will visit from US-based IP addresses, does that really have any impact on our UK site’s search engine presence?
I will look into the code aspects you have kindly highlighted later this week, when other business demands allow, and get back to you.
Once again, thanks for your responses!
NB
from your response I guess that you are based in California.
No, Oregon but states don’t matter in this case because Google cares about countries, not states.
Google doesn’t want you to use IP location to automatically adapt your content.
“Do not use IP analysis to adapt your content. IP location analysis is difficult and generally not reliable. Furthermore, Google may not be able to crawl variations of your site properly. Most, but not all, Google crawls originate from the US, and we do not attempt to vary the location to detect site variations.
Use one of the explicit methods shown here (hreflang, alternate URLs, and explicit links).”
This article explains the issue of automatically adapting content based on IP and its negative impact on multi-currency stores.
To solve the issue, do this:
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Turn off automatic IP detection. Allow users to select the currency that they wish to use with a drop-down or link, and
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Use unique URLs (e.g. au.example.com or example.com/au or example.com/en-au, which you have for your US-based site) that Google can access for each currency you support. Look at Shopify Markets International Domains.
Whilst I understand that Google will visit from US-based IP addresses, does that really have any impact on our UK site’s search engine presence?
It absolutely can because Google will only ever see your US-based pricing. If you advertise for your UK site only but Google visits from the US, they will see a price mismatch and think you are trying to trick your customers.
OK - I get some of that, but not all. As mentioned in my original query (above) I’m a professional shop owner, but not a technical wizard, seeking step-by-step guidance. I’m working my way through the search con sole errors one by one and slowly eliminating them - so thanks for pointing me in the right direction with that.
But, that still leaves the other aspect that you mentioned. I’m not using IP location to " automatically adapt my user content" - what I am doing is a completely different thing, diverting North American traffic from my UK-based site to my North American-based site not to any facility within my UK site.
The article you referred to here, from your own website, asks three questions up front:
- Is your store non-US based?
- Do you sell to US based customers?
- Do you change currency displayed on the page based on the customers IP address automatically?
To which my answers are:
1, Yes
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No
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No. As you will be aware, the Shopify platform I use has inbuilt a feature that leverages geolocation detection, using the customer’s IP address to determine their geographic location and then displaying prices in the appropriate local currency. Which, as you also quite rightly point out, is a Shopify failing that they need to address. In the meantime I have the country/region/language redirection capability switched off.
So, that begs the question, how exactly does Google “think I am trying to trick my customers”?
I, a person using a US-based IP address, when visiting your site, am getting JavaScript content that forcibly redirects me to your US domain. The only way to know I am in the US is by detecting my IP address. That is EXACTLY what IP-based geolocation does. You can disagree, but you are arguing against Google, not me.
Not arguing that point at all and not arguing against Google.
What I am simply trying to understand is your statement: "If you advertise for your UK site only but Google visits from the US, they will see a price mismatch and think you are trying to trick your customers".
What is that based on? Where is this “trick” that you refer to?
I meant to say, “may see a price mismatch”. I apologize for the typo.
The “trick” is that one may see a product for which you advertise one price, say 45 (EUR), but when a customer visits the site in the US, they see 50 (USD).
When it comes to currency conversions, we think it’s obvious. But the average customer isn’t thinking about currency conversions. They see a price that usually doesn’t show the currency, go to the page, and see a different price.
If you’re not seeing this issue in Merchant Center, then maybe Google understands your content well enough. Their algorithm changes multiple times a day, so what may work now may not work in the future. I’ve seen Merchant Center flag issues like this time and time again without any changes made to the site, so it’s something you should be aware of. That’s why I recommend following Google’s guidelines so you don’t get a price mismatch.
No need to apologise, but accepted anyway. Moving on, you refer to “Merchant Center” - I do not use Google Marchant Center account at all, so that should not come into the equation.
More to the point, I have two unconnected, completely separate websites on their own URLs with their own name variations - one in the UK (for UK and EU customers in GBP/EUR) and another in the USA (for USA customers in USD.)
The pre-site redirect is only on the UK site to divert North American traffic away from the UK-based site to the completely separate North American-based site, not to any facility within my UK site - so there is no “content adaption”. Neither store is multi-currency, they are both single currency. So why should this be an issue for Google?
