google product reviews

How to Adapt to Google’s Product Review Update

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Nobody likes dealing with Google’s ever-changing algorithm, but keeping up with it is an essential part of SEO.

In one of its most recent updates, Google’s product review algorithm was changed to encourage more genuine reviews and higher quality content.

But what does that mean for your business and your blog?

Are Google product reviews still worth writing?

Do you need to go back and rewrite all your previous reviews?

What should you change to ensure your reviews still make it to the top of the SERP?

These are all critical questions, so we’re going to take some time in this article to answer them. We’ll show you how to adapt to this new update and how to take advantage of it to thrive!

Let’s go!

We’ll cover:

What Changed in the Google Product Reviews Update?

Before talking about how to write reviews with the new Google product reviews update, we have to talk about what the March 2022 update changed.

Answering this question will also help you decide how to adapt your content strategy.

Here’s the good news: There are no new Google penalties against product reviews. That means you can leave your old reviews online without worrying about them getting penalized.

However, if you still want your product review pages to rank high, you’ll need to properly address the update.

Let’s look at the 3 most significant changes you need to know about.

google product review update

Only Product Reviews Are Affected

Sometimes Google launches an update, and everything is affected.

Fortunately, the Google product reviews update from March 2022 is not one of those massive updates.

Google’s original announcement made it clear that this update only relates to product reviews.

In other words, you don’t have to worry about your other types of content being affected. You can continue to write your other content just like you always have.

However, the effect of this update on product reviews will be significant, so let’s talk about how Google’s ranking algorithm changed.

Multimedia Receives Higher Value

One of the most significant changes for product reviews is the new emphasis on multiple types of media showing your experience with the product:

  • Audio
  • Video
  • Photos

Readers appreciate these media types because it makes the review seem more authentic. Google now rewards websites that use more media on their product reviews.

It’s important to note that you can’t add any picture or video and receive a ranking boost. Google explicitly rewards media that shows your experience with the product you’re reviewing!

Google’s primary goal is to provide high-quality content to searchers, and media lends credibility and authenticity to your reviews.

More Insightful Reviews Are Rewarded

Thin content has always been an issue plaguing Google search results, but Google has taken the next step in preventing it with this recent update.

More insightful reviews that engage with the product in more profound ways will now receive a ranking bonus.

What exactly does an insightful review look like?

  • Provide product details beyond what is immediately available on the manufacturer’s website.
  • Show that you have used the product–not just rehashed information from other sources.
  • Provide links to multiple sellers, giving readers a choice of where to purchase the product.

In other words, write a helpful review! You need to be writing reviews that you would want to read–not just something to fill a word count.

Let’s move on and talk more in detail about how to write better reviews for this new Google update.

How Do I Review a Product on Google?

Now that we’ve looked at the most significant changes Google made in this update, let’s discuss how to take advantage of it to write better reviews.

Before we jump into this section, it’s essential to realize that Google always prefers high-quality content on the SERP. You shouldn’t be writing an article just to check all the SEO boxes.

Instead, you should write articles that are genuinely useful to readers and offer valuable information.

The very first step to writing a helpful review is ensuring that you only review products you’ve used personally. 

There are so many blogs online that review products without ever using them. Don’t be one of them!

Let’s look at 3 more tips to review a product following the newest Google product review update.

Include Various Media Types

One of the most significant changes in the newest update was the higher value that it places on media. To take advantage of this change, you need to add more media to your reviews!

And that doesn’t just mean a picture you pulled off the internet from someone else’s review. It means:

  • Photos of you interacting with the product
  • Videos of you using the product and showing different features
  • Audio discussing details of the product

The key to the new media emphasis is using media that is unique to your review. If you provide your readers with media they can’t find anywhere else, Google will reward you.

Use Authoritative Details

Nobody likes to read a review with vague details. Imagine an iPad review that said something like this: “The iPad has a large screen, a long battery life, and several buttons.”

The reader doesn’t learn any new information from that kind of review. In your reviews, you need to ensure that you’re providing your readers with authoritative details that come from the product’s actual use.

For example, you could change the above sentence to say, “Our testing revealed a 10-hour battery life with video streaming, and the 11.5-inch screen was more than enough to provide a comfortable viewing experience.”

Using these solid details will help you write a better review, but it will also help you get to the top of the SERP.

Make Concrete Product Comparisons

Many product reviews involve comparing 2 or more products. Readers like these reviews because they give them better information about what to buy.

Google’s new product reviews update values product comparisons. However, you can’t just make random comparisons without giving details to back it up.

For example, you might be comparing the call quality of 2 different phones. You could say, “Phone 1 had more consistent quality going through tunnels, but Phone 2 experienced fewer dropped calls in the city.”

To strengthen these comparisons even more, use media to illustrate your points.

How to Rank Your Product Reviews Higher With ProRankTracker

Even though the strategies above will help you send your product reviews to the top of the SERP, they aren’t enough.

Achieving high ranks also involves other strategic moves:

  • Finding the right keywords
  • Tracking your competitors
  • Tracking your ranks
  • Looking at data and adjusting your strategy accordingly

Finding the right SERP tracking tool will help you make these moves. ProRankTracker is a highly specialized SERP tracking solution that will help you get your posts to the top of the SERP.

Let’s finish by discussing how ProRankTracker can help you take advantage of the new Google update to write the best product reviews possible.

Find New Keywords

You can write the best review in the world, but it won’t reach the top of the SERP if it doesn’t target high-value keywords.

ProRankTracker solves this problem by bringing you 2 powerful keyword discovery tools.

The Rankings Discovery tool automatically finds keywords that you already rank but are not tracking yet. 

The Rankings Discovery tool

Use this tool for your URLs or your competitors’ to discover keywords people search for online.

The Keyword Suggestions tool uses the keywords you’re already tracking to generate a list of high-value keywords.

The Keyword Suggestions tool

Use both of these tools together to discover large numbers of valuable keywords. Then, write your product reviews to target the keywords and watch as you climb the ranks!

Track Competitor Rankings

If you’re not ranking as high as you’d like, it’s probably because your competitors are getting the best of you. The first step to beating them is understanding their strategies.

Using ProRankTracker, you can add your competitors’ URLs and keywords just like your own.

Go to the Add Wizard, then:

  • Type the competitor’s URL
  • Add the keywords you want to know about
  • Group and Tag the URLs and keywords for easy organization
  • Add location, device, and TLD info
  • Click “Save”

Track your competitors’ URLs and keywords

Now you will have full access to ProRankTracker’s tracking tools to get information about your competitors. In addition, you can also use the 2 keyword tools mentioned above to learn more about their keyword strategy.

If you want to see exactly how the SERP has changed over time, use ProRankTracker’s Full SERPs tool to get a detailed view of daily SERP changes.

The Full SERPs tool helps you visualize all your competitors on the SERP up to the 100th position. It meticulously tracks daily changes and plots them on a chart for you to see any changes.

SERP positions

Using this chart will allow you to clearly see how a competitor’s review (or an algorithm change) has affected their SERP positions.

Pay careful attention to your competitors’ strategies using ProRankTracker’s tools and you will be able to beat them on the SERP.

Set Up Automatic Notifications

To make the most of ProRankTracker’s capabilities, you need to set up automatic notifications. Notifications enable you to make split-second changes before minor problems turn into disasters.

Go to the Reports Center and select from the options available to set up notifications. ProRankTracker offers more than 20 types of reports, including 3 different types of automated notifications.

Reports Center

Fill in the required info and select the parameters that will trigger the notifications. Then click “Save.” Your notification will automatically trigger and send to your email when those parameters are met.

Trigger notifications

Set up multiple notifications and reports to ensure that you’re as up-to-date as possible!

Conclusion

Google’s product review update changes several things, but you should still be able to make it to the top of the SERP with some effort.

Make sure to review the changes to Google’s algorithm outlined above, then write some excellent product reviews!

Using ProRankTracker is extremely helpful for finding the right keywords to target and track. If you aren’t already a subscriber, sign up for the 30-day free trial and see how it can help your business’s ranks!

Good luck!