Google July 2022 Product Review Update and How it Affects You
What is the Google Product Review Update released July 2022?
The Google Product Review Update is a series of 4 search engine algorithm updates focusing on product review content that began releasing on April 8th, 2021. The second update was released December 1st, 2021. The third update was launched March 23, 2022. The fourth and most recent was released July 27th, 2022, dubbed the “July 2022 product reviews update”.
According to Google and SearchEngineLand.com, this update is aimed primarily at “English-language product reviews”.
While Google is not necessarily penalizing or punishing sites that aren’t following the new update guidelines, they are rewarding sites that are.
Google is concerned with the amount of spam content, especially as AI tools make it easier to generate massive amounts of auto-generated content that summarizes already available content.
Also, as more people turn to social media platforms like Reddit for more “authentic” product reviews, Google is focusing on rehabbing the negative impression some people have started to have towards some low-quality organic results.
Google has released multiple updates to combat this including the Page Experience Update, and most recently the Helpful Content Update which rolled out September 2022.
The Product Review Update wants to reward review content that show expertise, first-hand experience, and are trustworthy and transparent. While this can seem a little vague, Google provides a list of questions to ask yourself about your content:
Credit: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/specialty/ecommerce/write-high-quality-product-reviews
7 Tips for Writing Great Product Reviews
So how do you go about actually making sure your reviews look good to Google? While it may seem like an overwhelming list of questions and requirements, there are a few simple tips to help make your website stand out to Google.
Use your own original photos and videos of the product
Using your own photos, videos and other media is a great way to show your first-hand experience with the product and can help people really experience the product hands-on.
Making short videos showing the unboxing, or screen-sharing as you use software is a great way to not only have great content for your blog but can also help you rank on YouTube.
Make comparison tables
Make a simple table that shows how a product performs against a competitor’s product like the one below:
This shows that you understand the other products a reader is probably also considering and can help them actually decide which is right for them.
Write HONEST reviews
One of the best parts of being an affiliate marketer is that you can be an affiliate for multiple products. The goal isn’t to get everyone to just buy one product. The goal is to get people to buy the right product for THEM. This will not just help you rise in Google rankings, but also build a loyal following that trusts your opinion and recommendations.
Make sure your reviews talk about who the product is and is NOT for. Talking about flaws, drawbacks, and worthy competitors will help establish your website as a trusted authority.
Offer multiple places to buy
Google wants you to offer your website visitors multiple places to buy. So instead of just putting your Amazon affiliate link, also include a Best Buy, or Wal-Mart affiliate link, so the reader can buy wherever is convenient for them and offers the best price.
Talk about your personal experience with the product
Instead of just summarizing other reviews from other websites, talk specifically about what you liked about the product. Adding a personal touch and fresh ideas and opinions will show Google that you're creating 100% original content.
Link to reputable sites, or other articles giving more information
Outbound linking to reputable authority sites, or even to your own internal content, will help build your authority and trustworthiness.
For example, if you write a camera lens review, link to an article talking about the main differences between prime and zoom lenses to educate your readers.
If you haven’t created informational content of your own, you can link to other sites that have.
Explain your testing and review process
If you look at major review sites like The Wirecutter or Consumer Reports, you’ll notice that in each article, they explain how they test products.
Being transparent with what tests you did and how they were conducted shows that you are providing first-hand knowledge of how a product performs.
Alternatively, you can also create a dedicated page that explains how you test products that you link to in all your reviews.
How Much Does the Product Review Update Affect Affiliate Websites?
Affiliate sites will possibly be most affected by this update, and the effect will continue to get stronger over time as these updates evolve. This is part of a major effort to clean up search results, and simply summarizing existing content won’t cut it anymore. You can learn more about if affiliate marketing is still worth it in 2022 here.
Overall, the goal of these updates is to cut down on the spammy, low-quality websites and blogs out there. Unfortunately, affiliate sites tend to make up a large portion of that category.
While these major updates can seem scary to new or existing affiliate marketers, it’s actually an incredible opportunity to stand out. It’s hard to keep pace with spammy content factories, and it can be demoralizing to lose out in ranking to sites that are clearly not providing value to users.
For affiliates who have been doing it the right way for years, you can expect a huge boost in the future. It also means that if you’re willing to put in a little extra effort you can see some incredible results even as a new website!
How to Make the Perfect Affiliate Website
If you want to gain an even bigger advantage over the competition you can use JetPage.co a website builder that’s focused on SEO and affiliate marketing. JetPage will generate a beautiful affiliate site in seconds, with all the technical SEO handled so you don’t need to worry about things like the Page Experience Update.
No need to worry about maintenance, web design, or development, you can focus all your energy on creating great product reviews. We’ve been seeing amazing results from users already! Like 0 to over 600,000 monthly Google Search impressions in just 10 months!
You can learn more about why JetPage is the best website builder for Affiliate Marketers here, or you can start your free 14-day trial, no credit card required, by clicking HERE!
If you have any questions about SEO, or how the latest Google Updates are affecting sites, make sure to reach out to us on Twitter!
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