Overview

In December 2021, Google announced an algorithm update involving product review pages. This major Product Review Update will take up to three weeks to conclude.

A similar algorithm update was announced in April. Websites that are already improved from the last product review update will have changes reflected in the new update.

In early November, a spam update precedes this new update and a core algorithm update in late November.

What’s new rolling out in Google’s December 2021 product review update?

Google product review update for December 2021 is meant to improve online businesses’ presence. This release simply says that the business owners will have to make positive changes in the product review content. Google encourages companies to post the most trustworthy and helpful product reviews and related content that helps users with the right decision. 

This won’t only improve companies’ marketing activities performance but also build brand trust. After all, online shoppers consider only those eCommerce websites with honest feedback listed on their site from past users.

Google December 2021 Product Reviews Update Help

When Google first revealed an effort to change rankings for this type of content in April of 2021, it released a page full of tips on writing high-quality product reviews for review-based websites. 

Check this official documentation from Google Search Central for writing imperative product reviews.

Here are some of the tips from the official document:

• Analyze the product from a user’s perspective.
• Demonstrate that you know the products – show you are an expert.
• Provide proof such as visuals, audio, or other links of your own experience with the product, to prove your expertise and support the authenticity of your review.
• Share quantitative assessments about how a product measures up in various performance
• categories. 
• Show how a product sets itself apart from the competitors.
• Cover comparable products to consider, or suggest which products might be best for specific uses or circumstances.
• Explain the pros and cons of a particular product based on your own research
• Express how a product has changed from previous releases to address problems, provide improvements, or otherwise help users make a strong purchase decision.
• Identify key decision-making elements for the product’s category and how the product performs in those areas.
• Show how a product has been designed and its impact on the users beyond what the retailer says.
• Do not forget to provide links to other useful resources (your own or from other sites) to help a reader decide.
• Ensure you include links from multiple sellers to give the reader the option to buy from numerous merchants.

Key Takeaway

The December 2021 Product Review Update is projected to be finished in three weeks, giving site owners sufficient time to improve the quality of their reviews.

If you have a site that writes product reviews, you will most likely be affected by the December 2021 Product Reviews update. Google will get smarter at identifying spammy and lazy reviews due to this new algorithm update. 

Our best suggestion is to read Google’s official documents and guidelines for Product Review creators and focus on providing genuine reviews for your customers/users.