Google released the latest product reviews update on February 21, 2023. This latest product reviews update expands previous updates from English to apply to several more languages.
Languages included in the update:
- Spanish
- German
- French
- Italian
- Vietnamese
- Indonesian
- Russian
- Dutch
- Portuguese
- Polish
Rollout Duration
The update was announced in a Google tweet, and the rollout lasted for two weeks after the release. During the rollout, rankings are expected to change frequently.
Today we released the February 2023 product reviews update, which applies to these languages globally: English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Russian, Dutch, Portuguese, Polish. It'll take ~2 weeks to fully roll out. More here: https://t.co/YpNnK97G3O
— Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) February 21, 2023
What Is a Product Reviews Update?
Google product review updates reward “insightful analysis and original research” and is not considered a penalty. If your site has many product reviews, any content within site may be subject to evaluation during the most recent update. If the site does not have a lot of product reviews, evaluation is not likely to happen.
Product review updates aim to improve the overall user experience by providing more accurate and relevant product recommendations. In addition, Google’s Product Review System ensures that sites don’t publish thin content that only summarizes existing content from the web.
If your site is from the e-commerce industry, then this update is more likely to impact your SEO. However, any website with product reviews could be impacted by this update.
How to Ensure Product Reviews Meet Google Standards
To proactively ensure your product reviews are up to par with Google’s standards, see their guidelines for writing high-quality reviews.
These guidelines ensure that you write product reviews from a user’s perspective and require you to display authority when writing your product reviews.
Reviews help shoppers make informed choices when deciding what products to buy. Google rewards reviews that prioritize quality and originality over length.
Some of the highlights in Google’s guidelines include the following best practices for writing product reviews:
- Show that you are knowledgeable about the product at an expert level.
- Prove the originality and first-person experience of reviews by including proof like videos, images, and other material taken when evaluating the product.
- Quantitatively measure the product performance.
- Share what makes the product different from others.
- Explain the pros and cons of using the product.
- Include information about how products evolved from their predecessors and what problems the new product resolves.
- Include links to multiple sellers, providing options for readers when shopping.
- Provide proof of first-hand experience when recommending a product.
- Indicate key decision-making factors that help shoppers decide when buying products. Explain how the product does in each area.
When Can You Recover If Your Site Was Affected?
Google states you cannot recover from any impacts of the previous product review update until the next product review update is released. But it is important to note that product reviews updates are just one of many factors that affect rankings, so many other factors might influence any fluctuations.
