Google has begun the rollout of the third version of the products reviews update, a search ranking algorithm update targeted at ranking product review related content on the web that is most helpful and useful to searchers. The first product reviews update was launched on April 8, 2021, the second was launched on December 1, 2021 and now the third has been released on March 23, 2022. The new is named the March 2022 product reviews update.
Google product reviews update. The Google product reviews update aims to promote review content that is above and beyond much of the templated information you see on the web. Google said it will promote these types of product reviews in its search results rankings.
Google is not directly punishing lower quality product reviews that have “thin content that simply summarizes a bunch of products.” However, if you provide such content and find your rankings demoted because other content is promoted above yours, it will definitely feel like a penalty. Technically, according to Google, this is not a penalty against your content, Google is just rewarding sites with more insightful review content with rankings above yours.
Technically, this update should only impact product review content and not other types of content.
What has changed. With the third release of the product reviews update, Google said this update “builds on” the work of the first two product review updates to enhance Google’s “ability to identify high quality product reviews.” “This will make it easier for us to get sound purchasing advice in front of users, and to reward creators who are earnest in being helpful,” Alan Kent of Google added.
Google listed the following criteria for what matters with the product reviews update:
- Include helpful in-depth details, like the benefits or drawbacks of a certain item, specifics on how a product performs or how the product differs from previous versions
- Come from people who have actually used the products, and show what the product is physically like or how it’s used
- Include unique information beyond what the manufacturer provides — like visuals, audio or links to other content detailing the reviewer’s experience
- Cover comparable products, or explain what sets a product apart from its competitors
The rollout. This rollout will happen over the “next few weeks,” Google said. These, and core updates, normally take a few weeks to rollout, so that should be no surprise. You should expect the bulk of the ranking volatility to happen in the earlier stages of this rollout.
What is impacted. Google said this update may impact those who “create product reviews in any language.” Google said the initial rollout will be “English-language product reviews” but they have seen “positive effects” from this update in the past and the search company “plans to open up product review support for more languages” in the future.
Initially, Google said this update is looking at “English-language product reviews across many sites.”