How to add aggregateRating honestly (and why “only if real” matters)

AI Search Score checks that, if you show an aggregateRating, it appears once and on your canonical business entity — and only if you have genuine reviews.

Why this matters

A rating is a powerful trust signal that can show up in results. But it must be real. Search engines actively penalise fabricated or self-serving ratings, and beyond the penalty, fake ratings erode the trust your business depends on. So this check is deliberately conditional: add it when you have authentic reviews, and not before.

How to fix it

Once you have genuine reviews, add aggregateRating to your canonical business entity (the same @id from your Organization/LocalBusiness):

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "@id": "https://example.com/#organization",
  "name": "Your Business",
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "4.9",
    "reviewCount": "37"
  }
}
</script>

Use your real numbers. Don’t place aggregateRating on a Product unless that specific product is genuinely rated (see the “misplaced rating on Product” fix). Keep it on the one business entity.

How to check it worked

Re-scan. “Exactly one business aggregateRating” should turn green. If you don’t have reviews yet, it’s correct to leave this one failing — gather real reviews first, then add it. A red check here is more honest than a fake rating.

Prefer help gathering and structuring reviews? See our services.