If you’re looking for products, you might know that Google recently released an update to its product review system and algorithm.
Rolled out in February 2023, this update aims to improve the reliability of product reviews in Google search results. In other words, when you search for products, you’ll see more informative reviews from credible sources.
Let’s dive deeper to learn more about:
- What this update entails
- How it might impact your future user experiences
- Tips on how to optimize your product reviews
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If you have been affected by the August 2023 Google Core Update we have an article with tips to recover traffic.
What Does Product Reviews Update Mean to You?
Google is always innovating and improving its products. Last September 2022, Google released its Product Reviews update to provide users with more product information.
On February 2023, Google Search Central announced the new Google product reviews update, that says:
Image Source: Twitter
For those who publish reviews, this update means that they need to pay more attention to the quality and credibility of their content. They should create comparison reviews that are unbiased and written by experts.
February 2023 Google Product Reviews Update Quick Facts
Here are some quick facts about the Google 2023 Product Reviews update:
| Name | Google February 2023 Product Reviews Update |
| Launched | February 21, 2023, at around 5pm ET |
| Rollout | The Google Product Reviews update was rolled out in about two weeks and completed on March 7, 2023. |
| Targets | Product review content |
| Penalty | It’s not a penalty. Yet, it only rewards or promotes "insightful analysis and original research." |
| Not a core update | Many think that this is a core update, but it is not. |
| Several languages | English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Russian, Portuguese, Dutch, and Polish. |
| Impact | Google didn't mention the percentage of searches or queries that were affected by this update. |
| Discover | As previously stated by Google, this update may have an impact on your performance in Google Discover. |
| Recover | If you were affected by this, you should check your content and see whether you can improve it by following Google's advice. |
| Refreshes | Google will always refresh this algorithm. But those updates may not be communicated in the future. This may be Google's first refresh, which Google has communicated. |
For more Google Search ranking updates, you can check Google’s Help Page.
Keeping up with the constant changes in Google’s ranking algorithm is no small feat. A comprehensive SEO audit is necessary to ensure your website always stays competitive. With SEOLeverage™️, you can easily get geared up to tackle any ranking updates from Google.
As such, our process provides a structured approach to make sure optimization activities are helping.
How to Make Your Product Review Pages Discoverable
To create reviews and provide an insightful snapshot, Google recommends these several criteria:
- Is expert knowledge appropriately expressed where relevant?
- What distinguishes one product from its competitors?
- Explain which products or services might be best for specific circumstances or uses.
- Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of products based on your research.
- Show what the product looks like in person or how it is used.
- Provide evidence of your own experiences with the product.
- Provide quantitative data on how a product performs in various performance categories.
- Explain how a product has evolved or otherwise assisted users in purchasing.
- Include links to multiple sellers so that the reader can buy from them.
- Determine the key decision-making factors and how the product performs in those areas.
Google’s new product reviews system has made it clear. If you want to provide trustworthy product reviews, focus on demonstrating credibility. If recommending the best product within a category, ensure your statement is backed up!
On the side note, Google Search's product reviews system works and clarifies that:
Tips for Optimizing Your Product Reviews
Google is continuing to make waves in search engine optimization. Some previous product review updates and February 2023 are no exception. It may seem overwhelming, but taking a few proactive steps will ensure you stay on top.
Here’s how to optimize your product reviews.
1. Understand what’s changing
This is why website owners need to see what they say about their products.
Google mentioned above that this update will focus mainly on improving how product reviews appear in search results. This is by making them more visible and relevant for users.
As such, look at the overall sentiment of the reviews, as well as any trends in individual ratings or comments. Doing so will give you an idea of what changes need to be made in order to improve customer satisfaction.
2. Focus on high-quality product reviews
Quality content matters when optimizing your product reviews. This means ensuring that your reviews contain keywords relevant to your products and services. Additionally, include links back to promote review content on your website.
You should make sure that your product reviews are written in ways that are easy to understand and interesting enough to capture readers’ attention. This can be done by including visuals, videos, or other engaging elements in your product reviews system.
Ensure that all customer comments are genuine – authenticity is key here. Make sure you verify that all customer comments are authentic and not written by marketers or paid reviewers. This will help boost your credibility with customers and rank higher in SERPs.
Moreover, if you receive negative feedback or questions from customers, be sure to respond promptly and professionally. This shows customers that you value their input and helps create a positive experience for them.
3. Make use of Structured Data Markup
This allows search engines like Google to easily interpret data on web pages and provide users with relevant information quickly.
By using structured data markup on your product pages, you can help search engine crawlers better understand the content of each page. This includes any product reviews—which improves their ability to rank those pages accordingly in SERPs.
Using structured data can also improve the visibility of your products in SERPs by providing additional context about each item. This includes ratings, pricing, availability status, etc., which can all help increase clickthrough rates from organic searches.
4. Ask for help from experts
Getting help from an expert like SEO consulting when keeping up with product reviews provides insights into trends and changes in the industry. They will be able to give you an idea as to what new products are being released and how they stack up against existing ones. This knowledge will enable you to make more informed decisions regarding which products might be right for your business.
To keep you stay on top, you can download and check the SEOLeverage™️ app about how Google Product Reviews update impacts your website.
Conclusion
Ultimately, February of 2023 was the major Google update to product reviews. As a business or individual looking to put forth the best version of their product or content, it is important to keep on top of updates like this.
Keeping an eye on Google algorithm updates is essential for any successful online presence. Take advantage of getting help to prepare for what’s up next in terms of your digital presence!
