Google Product Reviews Update 2022- How it Changes Creators Way
Google always surprises its content creators with continuous updates. Whenever Google rolls out any new update, most of the websites get hurt while some of them see positive developments in terms of ranking and traffic on the SERPs.
The intent of doing consistent algorithm updates is to give its users better search results. And this time Google came up with a product review update to give its users a more reliable shopping experience. As various studies show that around 80 to 90% of users prefer reading product reviews before their final purchase.
After taking feedback from users about the content’s trustworthiness and usefulness, users told Google that they trust reviews with evidence of products actually being tested, and prefer to have more options to purchase the product.
So Google came up with 2 new best practices
First is; while writing and publishing product reviews, content creators have to provide evidence such as visuals, audio, or other links of their own experience with the product, to support their expertise and reinforce the authenticity.
And the second thing that bloggers have to practice is to include relevant links to multiple sellers to give the reader the option to purchase from their merchant of choice.
Here are the useful questions by Google that you can consider while writing product reviews;
- Express expert knowledge about products where appropriate.
- Show what the product is like physically, or how it is used, with unique content beyond what’s provided by the manufacturer.
- Provide quantitative measurements about how a product measures up in various categories of performance.
- Explain what sets a product apart from its competitors.
- Cover comparable products to consider, or explain which products might be best for certain uses or circumstances.
- Discuss the benefits and drawbacks of a particular product, based on research into it.
- 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.
- 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.
- Describe key choices in how a product has been designed and their effect on the users beyond what the manufacturer says.
In April 2021, Google shared a product reviews update that was meant to promote high-quality product reviews. And now they have rolled out a new update that has changed the ranking of your product review pages on SERPs.
Be it a product reviews site or eCommerce site, when you publish high-quality product reviews, it helps shoppers/buyers to learn more about the product before the purchase of that product.
For example, if you create a product review page as an expert staff member of a merchant that guides shoppers between competing products, or as a blogger that provides independent opinions of products or as an editorial staff member at a news or other publishing site, your aim should be providing the best information on your pages that can help shoppers to know important aspects of that product.
So, if you want to rank your product review pages better on search results then you can follow the best practices written below:
- Write about the product from a user’s perspective by covering pros and cons.
- Evaluate the product in such a way that shoppers know you are highly knowledgeable or an expert in that. Describe key choices in how a product has been designed and their effect on the users beyond what the manufacturer says.
- As I told you in the beginning always give evidence to support your statement in form of video, visuals or other relevant links so that you can establish E-A-T and that the review page becomes highly authentic.
- Share quantitative measurements about how a product measures up in various categories of performance.
- Do an in-depth analysis and tell the shoppers how this product is better than its competitors.
- Also, tell them about the competitor’s product by explaining under which circumstances which product would be the best so that they can get maximum value for money.
- You should use that product before writing and publishing it on your site. It is one of the best ways to write a product review with original research. So that you can give authenticity and tell the shoppers how this product can solve their respective problems.
- Add useful resources such as links (it can be from your site or outbound links) to give them more authentic information.
- You should start including links to multiple sellers to give the shoppers multiple options to purchase from their merchant of choice.
How to Write High-Quality Product Reviews
Publishing high-quality product review pages on your e-commerce or product review site can help shoppers learn more about a product before purchasing. For example, you could create a product review page as:
- An expert staff member of a merchant that guides shoppers between competing products.
- Demonstrate that you are knowledgeable about the products reviewed – show you are an expert.
- A blogger that provides independent opinions of products.
- An editorial staff member at a news or other publishing site.
Writing high-quality product reviews involves several key steps
- Use the product: Use the product extensively to understand its features, benefits, and limitations.
- Research the product: Conduct research on the product, its competitors, and its market. This will help you provide valuable insights and comparisons in your review.
- Be honest and balanced: Be honest about your experience with the product, including any drawbacks or limitations. Provide a balanced review that considers both positive and negative aspects.
- Use specific details: Use specific details to describe the product’s features, benefits, and performance. This will help readers understand the product better and make an informed decision.
- Consider your audience: Consider your audience and their needs when writing the review. Think about what they want to know about the product and what questions they might have.
- Use a clear structure: Use a clear structure for your review, such as an introduction, a summary of the product’s features, an evaluation of its benefits and drawbacks, and a conclusion.
- Proofread and edit: Proofread and edit your review to ensure it is free of errors and reads smoothly.
Overall, a high-quality product review should provide readers with valuable insights into the product’s features, benefits, and limitations, and help them make an informed decision about whether to purchase the product.
FAQs on Google Product Reviews Update
Q.1: Are product review updates relevant to ranked lists and comparison reviews?
Answer: 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.
Q.2: Are there any recommendations for reviews recommending “best” products?
Answer: 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.
Q.3: If I create a review that covers multiple products, should I still create reviews for the products individually?
Answer: 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.