A blogger asked for my thoughts on Google’s recently announced product reviews update. Here was my response with additional comments added (any comments about his blog and practices have been removed):
On April 8, 2021, Google wrote about its “product reviews” update and what content creators should know about it. That’s one way of putting it, however, this is information affiliate marketers will want to know.
Google likes high-quality sites
Google prefaced the piece by noting, “Google Search is always working to show the most useful and helpful information possible, through testing, experimenting, and review processes.” This is not surprising. This has been the case for more than a decade, and Google provided “More guidance on building high-quality sites” in May 2011. It posed nearly two dozen questions you can ask about your content.
Just like the May 2011 guidance, Google proffers these questions for creators to consider when writing product reviews:
Ask yourself these questions concerning the product reviews update
For those creating content, here are some additional useful questions to consider in terms of product reviews. Do your reviews:
- Express expert knowledge about products where appropriate?
- This suggests Google prefers reviews from people who have experience with the product.
- Show what the product is like physically, or how it is used, with unique content beyond what’s provided by the manufacturer?
- Too many affiliate marketers and bloggers just aggregate review content from other sites.
- Provide quantitative measurements about how a product measures up in various categories of performance?
- You should really have some experience with the product/service being reviewed to go beyond just what the company says.
- Explain what sets a product apart from its competitors?
- This will entail having experience with similar products/services so you can write with more authority.
- Cover comparable products to consider, or explain which products might be best for certain uses or circumstances?
- Again, Google is really looking for information from someone who has expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (aka E-A-T).
- Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of a particular product, based on research into it?
- Some affiliate marketers just want to highlight the positives in order to increase conversions. Google prefers to see pros and cons.
- Describe how a product has evolved from previous models or releases to provide improvements, address issues, or otherwise help users in making a purchase decision?
- This is something to keep in mind when writing. Should you update content when there are new features or a new version released?
- Identify key decision-making factors for the product’s category and how the product performs in those areas? For example, a car review might determine that fuel economy, safety, and handling are key decision-making factors and rate performance in those areas.
- I think this kind of information should be included in the concluding paragraph, and it sort of encapsulates other points mentioned above (how does it compare to others, what sets it apart, etc.).
- Describe key choices in how a product has been designed and their effect on the users beyond what the manufacturer says?
- You can only do this if you have experience with the product.
Did Google hint that a product reviews update was in the works?
Google might have hinted that a product reviews update was coming when it published “Providing better product information for shoppers” on Feb. 26, 2021. In that piece, it offered tips for online publishers. Here are the relevant tips:
- Use exact product names (makes it easier for Google to understand which product is referenced)
- Use structured data (makes it easier for search engines to understand better when to show your pages in search).
Additional thoughts on product reviews update from Google search advocate
Google Search Advocate Johannes Mueller (@JohnMu on Twitter) noted:
- The Product Reviews update is not a core update, and it is a separate algorithm.
- It is focused more on affiliate-like content than ecommerce site reviews.
- These changes tend to be more on broader parts of sites, or the sites overall
Hope this helps,
Bobby
