Introduction
With the Review article type, you can publish reviews of films, series, books, games and more with your own star rating. Newsifier shows the rating at the top of the article and automatically adds Review structured data to the page, so Google understands that your article is a review and can show star ratings in search results.
This guide explains how the Review type works, how to set it up, what your readers will see, and how to check your structured data.
What is the Review Article Type
When you set an article to type Review:
A Review details section appears in the article settings in the admin panel, where you enter what you reviewed and your rating.
Your rating is shown as stars at the top of the article, above the article text.
Newsifier automatically adds Review structured data to the page, using your review details together with the article's existing information (author, publisher, publication date and URL).
You only enter the rating once. The same rating is used for the stars on the page and for the structured data, so the two always match.
Regular articles are not affected. Nothing changes unless you choose the Review type.
How to Create a Review Article
Open the Article page in the admin panel.
Write your review as you would any other article.
On the right-hand side, locate the Type setting and select Review.
The Review details section appears below it. Fill in all three fields (see below).
Save or publish the article.
Filling in the Review Details
Name of the reviewed work: the title of what you reviewed, for example Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Use the name of the film, book or game itself, not the headline of your article.
Rating (1 to 5): your score, with up to one decimal, for example 4, 3.5 or 4.7.
Type of the reviewed work: what kind of work you reviewed, for example Movie for a film, TVSeries for a series, Book for a book or VideoGame for a game.
All three fields are required. The article cannot be saved as a Review until they are filled in.
Why are there no business types in the list? The list only includes the types Google supports for review stars. Business and organization types are left out on purpose, because Google restricts review stars for them and the structured data would likely be ignored.
What Readers Will See
At the top of the article: a rating box above the article text shows Our rating with stars and the score, for example ★★★½ 3.6/5.
This is your editorial rating, not a rating from readers. Readers cannot vote or change the score.
If the article type is not set to Review, no rating box is shown.
What Google Will See
Newsifier adds the Review structured data automatically. You don't need to add any code. It includes:
The reviewed work: the name and type you entered in Review details.
The rating: your score on a scale of 1 to 5.
The author, publisher, publication date and URL: taken from the article.
Your regular NewsArticle structured data stays in place. The Review data is added next to it, so your article keeps all its news signals as well.
How to Check Your Review Structured Data
Publish your review article.
Open Google's Rich Results Test.
Paste the article URL and run the test.
You should see Review snippets detected, with no errors.
Google decides whether star ratings appear in search results. Correct structured data makes your article eligible, but it is not a guarantee, and it can take some time after Google crawls the page.
Review Article or Product Review Block?
Use the Review article type for editorial reviews where the whole article is about one work, such as a film, series, book or game.
Use the Product Review block for product reviews with a price, pros and cons, and sub-ratings, for example affiliate content.
If you add a Product Review block inside a Review article, only the rating from Review details is sent to Google. This makes sure Google never sees two different reviews on the same page.
Updating Older Review Articles
Tags and categories, such as a "review" tag, do not turn an article into a Review. To add a star rating and structured data to reviews you published earlier:
Open the article on the Article page.
Change the Type to Review.
Fill in the Review details.
Save the article.
Tip: start with your most-read reviews, as these benefit most from star ratings in search results.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change the rating after publishing?
Yes. Edit the Rating field and save. The stars on the page and the structured data update together.
Is the rating given by my readers?
No. The rating is the score your editorial team gives the work you reviewed.
Does this change anything for my regular articles?
No. The Review details, rating box and Review structured data only apply to articles with the type set to Review.
Do I need to add any code?
No. Newsifier generates the structured data automatically from the article and your review details.