Over the last few weeks, beginning April 8th and finishing on April 22nd, Google released a new update titled “Google’s product reviews.” If you noticed an increase or decrease in traffic during this time or heavy fluctuations in web visitors, this is likely your culprit. However, if you do not have a product review or affiliate site, or your site does not contain any reviews, then this update will likely not apply to you or your website.
This short article will explain the new Google product reviews update in more detail, highlighting what’s changed and what you need to focus on in the coming weeks and months.
In-depth research vs. thin summaries
This has been going on for a while now. However, Google has once again prioritized review posts that are more in-depth as opposed to thin summaries and re-writes from the manufacturer’s websites.
Reviews should contain insightful knowledge, be useful, transparent, and if possible, hands-on or at least providing expert knowledge.
If you currently produce thin summaries, you need to re-work your content, adding pros and cons, more honest details, and, if possible, unique images and other fixes.
Use quantitative measures where possible
Quantitative measures (numbers and stats) are now a must-have for any review post. You should include tables and other data where possible, showing off how good a product is visually in a clear and easy-to-understand way.
This is a quick fix, and a simple table or two can go a long way, but a key part of the Google product reviews updae, so it’s well worth doing.
Key decision-making factors
Finally, the Google product reviews update directly mentions the need for content creators to identify key decision-making factors. For example, this could be the price, how long the battery lasts, whether it’s limited edition, or if this model is the best value compared to others on the market.
These can be included in either a bullet point list or tables, perhaps paired with your pros and cons for each product.
To conclude the Google product reviews update
The new Google product reviews update prioritizes content that is original, insightful, and contains information that is not available on the manufactures page. Instead, content creators and affiliate marketers need to re-think their approach if they’ve been negatively impacted.
To read the full Google update report and actionable advice for creators, click here.
