The fourth version of Google's product reviews update is now rolling out. This update to the search ranking algorithm aims to rank product review-related information on the web that is most beneficial and valuable to searchers. The first update to the product reviews was released on April 8, 2021, the second on December 1, 2021, the third on March 23, 2022, and the most recent update was released on July 27, 0222. The name of this update is July 2022 product reviews update.
Google announced on Twitter this improvement and made reference to the typical help page on how to write product reviews.
Updated Google product reviews. The Google product reviews update aims to highlight review content that is superior to much of the pre-written data you encounter online. According to Google, it will prioritize these product reviews in the order of search results.
Google does not specifically penalize reviews of inferior products that have "thin content that merely summarises a handful of products." However, it will undoubtedly feel like a penalty if you produce such content and discover that your rankings have fallen due to other content being promoted above yours. Technically, Google maintains, that there is no penalty applied to your content; rather, Google gives higher results to sites with more insightful review content.
Technically speaking, this update should only have an effect on content that reviews products, not other kinds of content.
What’s unique? Similar to the March product reviews update, it appears that no specific ranking criterion changed with this update. Google is probably just updating the algorithm and making minor changes.
The Rollout. According to Google, this deployment will take "2 - 3 weeks to complete." It should not be surprising that this will take a few weeks since core updates and these all typically take longer. The majority of the ranking volatility is likely to occur in the initial phases of this rollout, as you should expect.
What are the impacts? Google stated that although the initial rollout will only affect "English-language product reviews," this update "may affect those who write product reviews in any language" in the future. Google noted that this update had previously had "positive effects" and that it "plans to open up product review support for more languages" in the future.
Advice from previous product review update. Regarding this update, Google stated that "the general focus is on presenting people with information that delivers insightful analysis and unique research, content published by experts or enthusiasts who know the issue well." The following list of "other beneficial questions to consider in terms of product reviews" is similar advice to the basic update recommendations given above. Google suggests that your product reviews address these topics and provide these answers. Conduct product review now.
- When appropriate, share your product expertise.
- Show the product's physical characteristics or how it is used using original content that goes beyond what the manufacturer offers.
- Describe statistically how a product performs in different performance categories.
- Describe what makes a product unique compared to its competitors.
- Explain which products could be best for particular applications or circumstances, or provide comparisons of similar products to take into account.
- Describe the advantages and disadvantages of a specific product based on your research.
- Describe how a product changed from older versions or releases to offer updates, resolve problems, or otherwise assist customers in buying decisions.
- What are the main deciding variables for the product's category and how does the product fare against them? For instance, an automobile evaluation might establish that significant deciding variables include fuel efficiency, safety, and handling and grade the performance in those areas.
- Regardless of what the manufacturer says, what important design decisions were made and how did they affect the users?
- To prove your knowledge and uphold the validity of your review, including evidence from your own use of the product, such as images, audio, or other connections.
- Include links to several vendors so the reader has a choice of where to make their purchase.
Not a core update. Google has also previously stated that core updates and product review updates are not the same. They are calling this standalone update the product reviews update. The business informed us that this is distinct from Google's regular core updates. The advice Google originally gave for core updates, "regarding providing quality content for them is also essential here,".
Why we care If the content on your website includes product reviews, you should check your rankings to determine if they have changed. Your Google organic traffic changed for the better, became worse, or stayed the same.
In the long-term, you'll want to make sure that you put a lot more time and care into your product review content moving forward so that it is distinctive and stands out from the competitors on the web.
Additionally, people affected by earlier core changes who put in the effort might be rewarded by this update on product reviews in July 2022.