As online shopping becomes more competitive, building trust and credibility with customers is no longer optional—it’s essential. Google’s “Top Quality Store” badge and accompanying store widget are powerful tools designed to spotlight high-performing e-commerce merchants and help shoppers make more confident purchase decisions.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to unlock, implement, and benefit from the store widget—whether you’re running a custom-coded website or an e-commerce platform like Shopify.
The Google Top Quality Store badge helps merchants showcase trust, ratings, and customer experience right on their website through a sleek widget.
What is the Google Store Widget (Google Top Quality Store Badge) ?
The Google store widget is a dynamic, customizable snippet of code that displays a quality badge and performance information about your store. It’s designed to visually affirm your commitment to exceptional customer service, fast delivery, smooth returns, and seamless online shopping.
Currently in Beta, this widget helps shoppers identify trusted sellers and enhances transparency around shipping, return policies, and store reviews.
Benefits of Adding the Top Quality Store badge by Google to Your Website
- Boosts Credibility: Displays your store’s Google rating, policies, and quality score.
- Improves Conversions: Increases trust, leading to higher checkout rates.
- Modern Design: Seamlessly blends into most website layouts (desktop and mobile).
- Continuously Updated: Google is actively developing and improving the widget.
Who Is Eligible for the Google Top Quality Store Badge?
Google determines which of the three widget versions your store qualifies for:
| Widget Type | Eligibility |
| Top Quality Store | For merchants with an “Exceptional” overall quality score. |
| Google Store Rating Widget | Merchants with a good rating but not “Top Quality” badge holders. |
| Generic Store Widget | For stores without significant ratings or badge eligibility. |
To even qualify, your shipping and return experience must be rated above “Good”.
To be eligible for the Google Top Quality Store badge, your online store must meet Google’s performance benchmarks, which include metrics like:
- High-quality customer service
- Fast shipping times
- Low return rates
- Accurate product data
- Positive customer feedback
Online merchants can check the ‘Store quality’ section in their Google Merchant Center account to see whether they qualify for the badge or not. If eligible, the badge will be available under the ‘Your business’ > ‘Store quality’ tab, along with integration instructions.
Merchants who meet all criteria will automatically be considered for the badge by Google — no separate application is required.
Types of Store Widgets
1. Top Quality Store on Google
Displays your exceptional rating and reviews, showcasing your stellar performance in:
- Shipping & Returns
- Purchase Experience
- Browsing Speed
- Customer Satisfaction
2. Store Rating Widget
Shows your store reviews and performance, but without the badge if you haven’t reached “Top Quality” status.
3. Store Quality by Google
Displays key service and policy info when you lack store ratings or badge eligibility.
🔄 The widget auto-updates to reflect your latest store quality score.
How to Add the Store Widget to Your Website
Adding the widget takes just 5–10 minutes and requires inserting JavaScript into your website’s HTML.
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Open the source HTML of your website (either global or page-specific).
- Ensure your file starts with <!DOCTYPE html>.
- Insert the following code within the <head> section of your HTML:
<!-- BEGIN MerchantWidget Code -->
<script id='merchantWidgetScript' src="https://www.gstatic.com/shopping/merchant/merchantwidget.js" defer></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
merchantWidgetScript.addEventListener('load', function () {
merchantwidget.start({
position: 'RIGHT_BOTTOM'
});
});
</script>
<!-- END MerchantWidget Code -->🔄 Want to place it at the bottom-left? Change ‘RIGHT_BOTTOM’ to ‘LEFT_BOTTOM’.
How to Customize Widget Position
You can fine-tune the widget’s placement using optional parameters:
merchantwidget.start({
position: 'LEFT_BOTTOM',
sideMargin: 21,
bottomMargin: 33,
mobileSideMargin: 11,
mobileBottomMargin: 19
});| Parameter | Description | Default |
| sideMargin | Horizontal distance from edge (desktop) | 36px |
| bottomMargin | Vertical distance from bottom (desktop) | 36px |
| mobileSideMargin | Side margin on mobile | 16px |
| mobileBottomMargin | Bottom margin on mobile | 46px |
Customize Region (Optional but Recommended)
Specifying the region helps render the widget accurately for your customers:
merchantwidget.start({
region: 'IN'
});| Country | Region Code |
| US | ‘US’ |
| India | ‘IN’ |
| Canada | ‘CA’ |
| UK | ‘GB’ |
| Japan | ‘JP’ |
| Australia | ‘AU’ |
If region is not set, Google tries to auto-detect. In unavailable regions, the widget may not appear.
Preview the Widget Before Going Live
To test the widget on your site:
- Open Chrome > Right-click > Inspect > Console.
- Paste this:
var script = document.createElement('script');
script.type = 'text/javascript';
script.src = 'https://www.gstatic.com/shopping/merchant/merchantwidget.js';
document.head.appendChild(script);3. Then run:
merchantwidget.start({});Where to Place the Top Quality Store badge by Google Widget
The widget typically appears at the bottom-right or bottom-left of your website.
Best practice: Display on product pages and landing pages to maximize trust-building moments.
It remains discreet—showing a brief tooltip and an icon that customers can tap to expand a full panel with detailed store information.
Top Quality Store badge Integration Tips in Shopify
Shopify Integration Guide: Add the Top Quality Store badge Widget Seamlessly
If your e-commerce store is built on Shopify, integrating the Google Store Widget is easy—but it requires a careful approach to avoid issues with Shopify’s code formatting behavior.
Follow these step-by-step instructions:
Shopify-Specific Integration
Step-by-Step Instructions:
- Log into your Shopify Admin Panel
- Go to Online Store → Themes
- Click Actions > Edit Code
- Under the Layout folder, open
theme.liquid - Paste the widget code snippet just before the closing
</head>tag
<!-- BEGIN MerchantWidget Code -->
<script id='merchantWidgetScript' src="https://www.gstatic.com/shopping/merchant/merchantwidget.js" defer></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
merchantWidgetScript.addEventListener('load', function () {
merchantwidget.start({
position: 'RIGHT_BOTTOM'
});
});
</script>
<!-- END MerchantWidget Code -->Pro Tip: You can customize the region or placement within this script. See the Widget Customization section for more.
Avoid the Shopify Script Truncation Issue
Shopify may automatically minify or truncate whitespace in <script> tags, especially in inline JavaScript. This can break the widget functionality.
To prevent this:
- Do not modify the formatting or spacing of the provided script.
- Ensure proper indentation and line breaks are preserved.
- If issues still occur, consider the following workaround:
Alternative Method (Advanced)
- Create a new custom JavaScript file (e.g., merchant-widget.js) under the Assets folder.
- Place the entire widget script inside this file, for example:
document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", function () {
var script = document.createElement('script');
script.src = 'https://www.gstatic.com/shopping/merchant/merchantwidget.js';
script.defer = true;
script.onload = function () {
merchantwidget.start({
position: 'RIGHT_BOTTOM'
});
};
document.head.appendChild(script);
});3. Then, include this file in your theme.liquid like this:
{{ 'merchant-widget.js' | asset_url | script_tag }}Show the Google Store Badge Widget Only on Product Pages (Optional)
If you want the widget to appear only on product pages, follow this:
- Instead of
theme.liquid, open:product.liquid(older themes), ormain-product.liquidorproduct.jsontemplate (Shopify 2.0 themes)
- Paste the same script just before the closing
</head>or appropriate location in the product template.
This keeps your homepage or collections pages clean while displaying the badge where trust matters most—on product detail pages.
Understanding the Store Quality Score
Your eligibility for the “Top Quality Store” badge is based on your Store Quality Score, calculated across:
| Metric Category | Key Performance Indicators |
| Shipping | Delivery time & cost |
| Returns | Return window & cost |
| Browsing | Site speed, image quality, and UX |
| Purchasing | eWallet options, promotion disapproval rate |
You can view your real-time score in Merchant Center > Store Quality.
How to Improve Your Store Quality Score
- Add high-resolution images (≥1048px)
- Include shipping speed & return cost clearly
- Enable eWallets like PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Wallet
- Speed up mobile & desktop performance
- Keep your promotional offers compliant
FAQs
Can customers close the Google Store Widget completely?
No, they can minimize it, but the widget icon will remain visible.
Does Google track engagement in Google Store Widget?
Yes, Google collects aggregated view and click data—but not individual user tracking.
Where does the Google Store Widget panel data come from?
Directly from your Merchant Center > Store Quality data.
Real Examples: Trusted Stores in Action
We’ve implemented the widget for several high-performing clients who proudly display their Top Quality Store badge, resulting in a visible boost in shopper confidence and conversion rates.
Final Thoughts
Adding the Google Store Widget is more than a technical enhancement—it’s a trust signal that can significantly elevate your brand reputation, shopper confidence, and ultimately your revenue. Whether you’re an emerging brand or a seasoned e-commerce powerhouse, this simple implementation can create a real impact.
Need Help?
If you need assistance integrating the widget into your site, especially if you’re using Shopify or a custom CMS, feel free to contact our team for end-to-end support.
Reference:
| Reference Sites | URL |
| https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/14428754#zippy=,for-us-merchants,for-in-merchants,for-ca-merchants,for-au-merchants,for-gb-merchants,for-jp-merchants,frequently-asked-questions | |
| https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/14261098?sjid=17895887680527544209-NC&visit_id=638894524884941494-1890593010&rd=1 | |
| Sunny Diamonds (Site with Top Quality Store Badge) | https://sunnydiamonds.com |
| SPYNDELL ( Site with Store Quality Badge) | https://spyndell.com |
