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Yep, it’s another Google Update… this time it’s the “Google Search’s product reviews system” again. You may be asking yourself, “Will the Google Search product review update affect my website?”… the short answer; unless you’re running an affiliate site or have a ton of thin product reviews on your site, probably not. At least not negatively anyway. So what is the update then, and should you be worried?
I’ll try not to paraphrase too much here and will do my best to help you readers understand what this means.
In a nutshell, the product reviews system aims to reward high-quality product reviews that provide insightful analysis and original research, written by experts or enthusiasts who know the topic well. This means that your product review content needs to be in-depth and informative, rather than just a summary of products. We should think of ways to guide and reward insightful and in depth reviews. They should also contain keywords relevant to the product and niche in a natural way as well. But remember, buying fake reviews will NOT be rewarded by Google’s algorithms.
To ensure that your website’s product reviews are of high quality, you should follow Google’s guidelines for creating high-quality product reviews.
The Review Should
- Be Thorough: Provide detailed and insightful analysis of the product, including its features, benefits, and drawbacks.
- Be Honest: Share your genuine opinion of the product, including any criticisms or shortcomings.
- Be Original: Avoid copying content from other sources and provide your unique perspective and insights.
- Be Knowledgeable: Write from a position of expertise or enthusiasm for the topic to provide credible and trustworthy content.
- Be Helpful: Provide information that will help readers make informed decisions about whether to purchase the product or not.
By following these tips and staying up to date with Google’s product reviews system updates, you can ensure that your website’s product reviews are of high quality and will continue to rank well in search results.
See examples of insightful and high quality reviews below.
Service Business Review Example:
“I recently had a plumbing emergency in my home and called XYZ Plumbing. I was impressed with how quickly they responded to my call and how professional and friendly their staff was. The plumber who came to my home was knowledgeable and was able to fix the problem quickly. The price was fair, and I felt like I got good value for my money. I would highly recommend XYZ Plumbing to anyone in need of plumbing services.”
This review provides in-depth information about the customer’s experience with your plumbing company, including details about the speed of response, the professionalism of the staff, and the quality of the work. It also includes a positive recommendation and a specific mention of fair pricing, which can help to build trust with potential customers who are reading the review.
Product Review Example:
“I recently got my hands on the new XYZ laptop, and I have to say, I’m really impressed with its performance. The processor is lightning fast, and I was able to run multiple programs at once without any lag. The battery life is also excellent, lasting me through an entire workday without needing a recharge. The keyboard is comfortable to type on, and the trackpad is responsive and accurate. One downside is that the laptop is a bit heavier than other models in its category, which might be a consideration for some users. Overall, I think the XYZ laptop is a great choice for anyone looking for a powerful and reliable computer.”
This review provides in-depth information about the laptop’s performance, including specifics about the processor, battery life, and keyboard/trackpad functionality. It also acknowledges a downside of the product (the weight), which helps to give a balanced perspective. The review is written by someone with expertise in the technology industry and offers original research based on the writer’s experience with the product.
It was also confirmed again that the product reviews system evaluates product review content on a page-level basis, meaning that each page with a product review may be assessed. However, if your website has a substantial amount of product review content throughout, other content within the site might be evaluated as well. This could potentially result in loss or gain of rankings, depending on your content strategies, due to the recent helpful content update and link spam update. So, if you’re not careful with your SEO practices, you are definitely asking for it! Remember, if you don’t have a lot of product reviews on your website, then a site-wide evaluation is not likely to happen.
They also mentioned structured data markup, or schema, as well. Stating that while structured data might help Google better identify if something is a product review, it’s not the only factor considered. Structured data is a whole other blog post that I’ve yet to write… it’s a lot… but I’ll get to it if you guys and gals are interested. Comment below to show interest and I’ll think about it ok. 😉
To stay on top of updates to the product reviews system and other important rollouts to the algorithm, we regularly check Google’s ranking updates page. Google periodically improves how the product reviews system works, and when it does, it shares this as a “product reviews update.”
If your content and rankings were impacted negatively by a product reviews update, it might not recover until the next update is released. Historically, these rollout pretty regularly, about every 3 to 5 months. So if your site did suffer losses, it’s not permanent and can be remedied.
There are many small updates weekly that may not be confirmed by the Google Search Team. They aren’t always necessarily important for the most part either. However, when something is, Google will confirm and tell us about its potential impact, or at least give an overview. Either way, we keep our ears to the ground over here.
We know Google’s automated assessment of product review content is only one of many factors used in ranking content. Other factors include the relevance and usefulness of the content, the website’s authority, and the user experience.
As a business owner, it can be challenging to keep up with Google’s updates, especially if you’re managing your web design, SEO, and review management on your own. That’s where employing a digital marketing agency like BIGdeal Marketing Solutions can be beneficial.
BIGdeal Marketing Solutions offers a range of digital marketing services that can help your business stay on top of Google’s updates and improve your website’s search rankings. Some of our services include web design, SEO, review management, social media marketing, and pay-per-click advertising.
When it comes to web design, BIGdeal Marketing Solutions can create a website that is not only visually appealing but also optimized for search engines. We will ensure that your website is user-friendly, loads quickly, and is responsive on all devices.
SEO is another critical component of digital marketing that can help your website rank higher in search results. BIGdeal Marketing Solutions can perform keyword research, optimize your website’s content, and build backlinks to improve your search rankings.
Managing reviews is also essential for improving your website’s search rankings, and BIGdeal Marketing Solutions can help with that too. We can monitor your online reviews, respond to customer feedback, and implement strategies to increase the number of positive reviews. This service is known as Review Management and is an important part of a successful Reputation Management Campaign as well.
Social media marketing and pay-per-click advertising are other effective digital marketing strategies that can help increase your website’s visibility and drive traffic. BIGdeal Marketing Solutions can create and manage social media campaigns and PPC ads to reach your target audience and generate leads.
Staying on top of Google’s updates can be challenging, but with the help of a digital marketing agency like BIGdeal Marketing Solutions, you can ensure that your website is optimized for search engines and positioned for success. Whether it’s web design, SEO, review management, or other digital marketing services, BIGdeal Marketing Solutions can help your business thrive online.
Read more about the update here: https://developers.google.com/search/updates/product-reviews-update