Can I add manually collected product reviews to Product structured data?
I run a small Shopify store that’s still in its first year, currently at 50+ orders.
I tried a few popular Shopify review apps/free trials, but honestly found most of them pretty heavy and clunky for what I need right now. So I ended up building a very lightweight review system myself, where I manually add genuine customer reviews to the relevant product pages. Did this with metaobjects and few lines of custom liquid - super simple and lightweight
My question is about Google / SEO:
Can I also include these reviews in the product’s structured data using Review / AggregateRating schema?
Does Google care how the reviews were collected or what system/app they came through, as long as they are real customer reviews and visible on the product page?
Or do reviews need to come through some specific third-party/approved review platform before Google will accept the structured data or potentially show review stars in search?
If a third-party system is effectively required, what would you recommend as the most lightweight Shopify solution for a small store with relatively low review volume?
I’m mainly trying to avoid installing a large app just to handle a handful of genuine product reviews.