Launched in July 2022, this was the fourth iteration of the Product Reviews Update, following the previous updates in April and December 2021, and March 2022. This update continued Google’s efforts to improve the quality and usefulness of product review content in search results.
Fallouts and Highlights from the Update
The July 2022 Product Reviews Update caused notable ranking fluctuations for websites featuring product reviews, particularly those in the affiliate marketing and e-commerce sectors.
One of the most significant impacts was on review sites that had been slow to adapt to the increasingly stringent requirements set by previous updates. Some of these sites saw further drops in their search visibility, with reports of traffic losses up to 30-40% for product review content.
Conversely, sites that had consistently invested in creating high-quality, experience-based reviews often saw improvements in their rankings. For example, a tech review site that had implemented a rigorous testing protocol and provided detailed video reviews alongside written content reportedly saw a 25% increase in organic traffic following this update.
Google didn’t provide specific new guidance for this update, instead referring webmasters to the existing product review update guidance. This suggested that the update was more about refining the existing signals rather than introducing entirely new criteria.
The SEO community’s reaction was largely one of resigned acceptance. Many saw this as a continuation of Google’s push towards more valuable, user-centric content, while others expressed concerns about the increasing resources required to create competitive product reviews.
Strategy Evolution
The July 2022 Product Reviews Update reinforced several key strategies:
- Increased focus on providing unique insights beyond manufacturer specifications
- Greater emphasis on demonstrating actual use of products in real-world scenarios
- More attention to updating older reviews to ensure continued relevance
- Development of multi-format content strategies, incorporating text, images, and video
- Renewed importance of structured data to help Google understand review content
This update further cemented the need for in-depth, experience-based product reviews. It encouraged content creators to go beyond simple summaries and provide genuine insights based on extensive testing and use.
For many review sites, this meant investing more in product testing and content creation. Instead of relying on manufacturer-provided information or brief hands-on experiences, they needed to conduct thorough, long-term testing and provide detailed accounts of their findings.
The update also led to an increased emphasis on content freshness. Many sites began to implement regular review update protocols, ensuring that older reviews were periodically revisited and updated to reflect any changes in the product or market.
Overall, the July 2022 Product Reviews Update continued to push the affiliate marketing and product review industries towards more comprehensive, user-centric practices. It underscored Google’s commitment to surfacing genuinely helpful content for users making purchasing decisions, and further raised the bar for what constitutes a high-quality product review in search results.
You must be logged in to comment.