Google Product Reviews Update: What SEOs Need to Know

Named the September 2022 product reviews update, Google debuted the fifth version of the Google product reviews update on the 20th of September, a few months after the previous update. What does this mean for product review content and websites? Here’s what you need to know.

Google Product Reviews Update

The Google product reviews update was first launched last year, in 2021, in order to promote more relevant, in-depth, and researched review content in search engine results pages (SERPs.) The product reviews update Google has recently released marks the fifth update that is set to be completed and roll out in a few weeks.

Google Product Reviews Update Timeline

First Product Reviews Update: April 8, 2021

Second Product Reviews Update: December 1, 2021

Third Product Reviews Update: March 23, 2022

Fourth Product Reviews Update: July 27, 2022

Fifth Product Reviews Update, September 20, 2022

What is the Google Products Reviews Update Anyways?

Content creators were given a guide on how to ensure that their product reviews are insightful, rich, relevant, and well-researched. Experts and enthusiasts are to ask if their reviews:

• Appropriately express expert knowledge about reviewed products
• Show audiences or target markets what products are physically like and how it is used along with unique content that is not necessarily provided by the manufacturer?
• Provide quantitative data about a product’s performance in various categories?
• Explain how and why a product is set apart from its competition?
• Cover competition that should be considered as well as explain what products are best for certain use cases or circumstances?
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of a product based on research?
• Trace back and describe the evolution of a product and how the current version has improved or addressed issues in order to help potential customers make an informed purchasing decision?
• Identify and state a product’s performance in key decision-making factors?
• Describe the key design choices of a product and their effect on user experience beyond what manufacturers provide?

This product reviews update Google debuted for English reviews is to ensure that potential customers are making informed decisions based on reviews that have tested and experimented with the subject products. While Google is not punishing template product reviews that are known to summarize products, content creators that take these questions into consideration when crafting product reviews will be rewarded with appropriate rankings on SERPs.

What About the Product Reviews Update Google Announced This Year?

So, how is the fifth version of the Google product reviews update any different? Well, content creators may have wondered about the following questions and Google has provided the following advice:

Are product review updates relevant to ranked lists and comparison reviews?

Yes. Product review updates apply to all forms of review content. The best practices we’ve shared also apply. However, due to the shorter nature of ranked lists, you may want to demonstrate expertise and reinforce authenticity in a more concise way. Citing pertinent results and including original images from tests you performed with the product can be good ways to do this.

Are there any recommendations for reviews recommending “best products?”

If you recommend a product as the best overall or the best for a certain purpose, be sure to share with the reader why you consider that product the best. What sets the product apart from others in the market? Why is the product particularly suited for its recommended purpose? Be sure to include supporting first-hand evidence.

If I create a review that covers multiple products, should I still create reviews for the products individually?

It can be effective to write a high-quality ranked list of related products in combination with in-depth single-product reviews for each recommended product.  If you write both, make sure there is enough useful content in the ranked list for it to stand on its own.

The Future of Product Review Content

We are only beginning to see what the future of product review content will be thanks to Google’s updates regarding this particular type of content. For those who offer product review content, constantly striving to provide relevant, well-researched, and in-depth information about products that your enthusiasts have collected first-hand can be rewarding. 

For SEO Audit and Services connect with GTECH SEO services agency in Dubai.