On the 8th of April, Google announced the release of the Product reviews update, the first of three renewals of its internal SEO algorithms. The other rollouts started on the 1st of December 2021 and the 23rd of March 2022. The impact on the SEO sphere was significant, with the rollout being similar in scope to a core update.
The product reviews update was mainly aimed at improving Google’s ranking services for sites promoting quality informational content about different products. So, the main sites affected were those in the e-commerce environment. With this update, Google tried to improve the performance of sites offering well-researched, in-depth product reviews and to minimize the impact of sites using thin, superficial reviews built only to earn commissions from affiliate links.
The April Google product reviews update was not a core rollout, but its impact on the market was massive, and the volatility changes it brought could be seen immediately, although the rollout of the subsequent updates made it quite challenging to quantify the results. Nevertheless, it was obvious that the sites that had the most to gain were those that followed the tips offered by Google in its product review blog post.
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In the documentation provided by Google with the release of the Product reviews update, several vital factors that can influence the position of your site in the SERPs are listed.
- First, you must present visual evidence that you have interacted with the reviewed product.
- You must demonstrate the product’s usability in different environments, have well-defined graphical presentations, a concise headline, and list the specifications of the reviewed product.
- You must be able to demonstrate the advantages of the product objectively compared to rival brands.
- You must avoid excessive marketing language, which started to be penalized by the algorithm after this update.
The April Google algorithm update only affected English-language domains and was intended to apply only to sites dealing with product reviews. However, those offering services were also affected due to the overlap in the fields.
A product reviews update was necessary because the quality of product reviews that could be found in the SERPs has suffered because of the change in investment implemented by most marketers. The number of affiliate links listed by Google’s crawlers was steadily increasing, and an update to address this problem became unavoidable. In fact, the April algorithm update was complemented in September by a renewal of Google’s product reviews policies.
First and foremost, sites that have avoided spammy descriptions that focus too much on selling products through affiliate links. Google, with this update, has rewarded sites that have managed to do in-depth reviews, which also took into account the user experience in different environments.
The google product reviews update deployed in April rewarded sites that contained regularly updated reviews, that listed the methodology behind the review process, and that included links to multiple sellers. With this thought in mind, a professional SEO website with a rich portfolio of successful projects can prove indispensable to the professional future of your business. And in many ways, GAMIT can be just the partner you need to take advantage of the latest changes brought by Google’s algorithm updates.
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