Google has rolled out its sixth Product Reviews Update – the February 2023 version.
This update will roll out over two weeks and will apply to 11 languages globally including; English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Russian, Dutch, Portuguese, and Polish.
Google took to Twitter to announce the update to the Product Reviews System:
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
Why Update the Current Product Review System?
If you have ever researched a product or service online, chances are you have come across customer reviews.
When done right, reviews can be a great source of information because they come from individuals who have real-life experience or knowledge of the product or service.
This helps potential customers understand the details of each alternative and draw comparisons, which is especially beneficial when the product or service is particularly expensive.
However, many of the reviews you may come across can be generic and lack a personal touch; making them unreliable and unhelpful.
Therefore, it is no surprise that Google has chosen to make some changes to the current product review system
The Algorithm
The Product Reviews algorithm works by taking into account a range of factors when ranking reviews.
These include quality indicators such as the recency of the review, reviewer trustworthiness, and ratings from other reviewers, as well as relevance indicators like whether the review mentions a product feature or usability issue relevant to the user’s query. Google states that this means shoppers can expect to find more reliable information about products that match their needs.
When it comes to the trustworthiness and reliability of reviews, Google has been taking steps to ensure only high-quality content is featured in its search results. In order to do so, they have implemented a series of measures such as limiting self-promotional reviews, preventing incentivized review abuse and filtering out low-value reviews. Additionally, they have partnered with third-party organizations that specialize in verifying online reviews – including Fakespot and ReviewMeta – helping users spot fake or manipulated reviews.
This latest update demonstrates Google’s commitment to providing helpful information for those looking for guidance on which products are right for them. By ensuring only verifiable product reviews appear in its search results pages, Google hopes users will be better informed about their choices and find what they need without being inundated with irrelevant data. This could have a positive impact not just on user experience but also on businesses as greater visibility should lead to increased sales revenues and improved customer satisfaction rates overall.
Read Google’s official announcement here.
