What is it?
The September 2022 product reviews update was launched on September 20th. The aim of this update is nice and straightforward – Google will prioritise content that goes above and beyond to provide unique valuable content to the searcher; content that helps searchers decide whether or not to purchase a product. What is key here is that Google wants these product reviews to be unique – gone are the days when you could write some generic sentences about the product and then copy and paste the manufacturer’s specifications into your article. While Google has stated that it will not directly punish product reviews that aren’t unique and helpful to searchers, it is very likely that if you provide these sorts of low-quality reviews, you will soon find yourself out-ranked.
If you’re wondering whether this update was the reason for a change in your performance, it’s quite likely that it was if you produce long-form product reviews. However, if you do not produce product reviews, then any changes you have witnessed are unlikely to have been due to the September update.
Who does this update apply to?
It’s important to note that when Google says product reviews, it means long-form product reviews and not product reviews left by customers on your site (these are known as customer reviews).
How to take advantage of it?
Quite a simple question to answer really, don’t write generic and unhelpful product reviews. Instead, take the time to thoroughly review the product and write a unique and insightful product review article – something that will genuinely help the reader.
Google provides the following tips for writing product reviews:
- Express expert knowledge on the product
- Showcase what the product looks like and how it should be used
- Provide product measurements
- Explain why the product showcased is better than what is provided by competitors
- Present the pros and cons of the product
- Describe how a new product differs from the old variant
- Provide your own experience with the product and provide evidence in the form of visuals, audio, or other links which support your views
- If you recommend a product as best of class, be sure to explain why that is the case and provide evidence for your views
- If you can, be sure to provide options for the reader to choose from.
If you keep these tips in mind when writing your product reviews, you will be in a position to benefit most from this update.
New to product reviews?
If you do not write long-form product reviews but are interested in sneezing the opportunity that this update has created, an opportunity to rank higher and get your website more exposure, product reviews are definitely worth considering. They are a great resource for shoppers when it comes to deciding which product to buy or whether they should buy a certain product or not. I’m sure that you, as have I, have at some point found yourself deciding against buying something because of a long-form product review (or perhaps on the opposite side, found yourself purchasing something because of it). When writing your reviews, be sure to focus on quality over quantity and try to include as many of the above tips as possible.
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