Atlanta SEO Consultant: What You Should Know About Google’s Product Review Update

Google rolled out the product review update in April 2021, and most of the webmasters (specifically affiliate and product review sites) have started noticing a significant drop in traffic. Should we blame Google’s product review update for this drop in traffic? Maybe yes! According to the leading Atlanta SEO consultant, Google’s product review update is more like the core update that was rolled out in December 2020. Danny Sullivan, Google’s first search liaison, confirmed that the product review update would have an impact on Google Discover traffic and search, like the core update.

Strategic Marketing Consultants, the leading Atlanta SEO consultant, figures Google’s product review update as a big update that makes a significant impact on websites that focuses on product reviews area. According to Google, this review is rolled out with an aim to promote review content more than the templated information found on the website. The ultimate goal of this update is to reward in-depth product reviews than thinner review content.    Further, Google also emphasized that it will promote product reviews in search results. So, it’s evident that the product review update is focused on websites that do product reviews.

“…product reviews that share in-depth research, rather than thin content that simply summarizes a bunch of products. That’s why we’re sharing an improvement to our ranking systems, which we call the product reviews update, that’s designed to better reward such content,” said Google on April 8, 2021.

A Web-focused Update – Atlanta SEO Consultant

Google’s product review update is a web-focused update that affects the whole website or sections of a website. In Google’s own words, “the changes to the algorithm are meant for broader “parts of sites, or the site overall.” Unlike the core algorithm update, it affects the rankings of websites with product reviews. And now, the websites that do not do product reviews can breathe a sigh of relief. This update controls the rankings of product reviews, service reviews, product round-ups, single product reviews, business reviews, and more.

Tips from Atlanta SEO Consultant to Optimize for Product Review Update

According to the leading Atlanta SEO consultant, Google isn’t directly penalizing websites with thin product descriptions. Instead, it pulls websites with better product reviews to the top of the search results. Google considers this as an appreciation to websites that feature product reviews that are unbiased and detailed. When it’s said, it feels more like a penalty when you are pushed down the search result page for your thin review content. As we are yet to figure out how this algorithmic update works, employing a user-first approach while developing content is considered to be one of the best practices.

Focus on Users and their Needs

Google loves product reviews that are focused on the users and their needs. Obviously, users are reading your review, and they are looking for more information about your product. Moreover, they make their purchasing decision based on these reviews. So, as a product reviewer, it’s crucial for you to create reviews that are genuine and helps users make wise decisions.

Expert Knowledge About the Product

Google points out that the product reviewer must have expert knowledge about the product. When it comes to product knowledge, it goes beyond knowing the product name, model, and other specifications.  Obviously, a product reviewer who doesn’t have thorough knowledge about the product will create vague and thin product reviews.

Explain the Product

No matter whether you are reviewing a product or a service, it’s important for the product reviewer to show how the product looks like. Atlanta SEO consultant recommends taking photos of the product to provide users a glimpse of what the product looks like. Moreover, if you are writing for a service, save screenshots of the software and its interface. Also, this helps you to get a leg up on your competition.

Product Usage – Atlanta SEO Consultant

Generally, people reading the product reviews know some basic information about the product. They are reading the reviews to get additional information about the product and to find out whether it fits them. As a product reviewer, you can add photos or videos of the objects to provide the customers an understanding of how it works.

Evaluate the Product

Instead of writing a vague and blunt product review, try evaluating the product and explaining how it works in different categories. The more engaging your product reviews are, the more attractive they will be for your audience. So, set different categories and evaluate the performance of the product on a scale of one to ten.

Atlanta SEO Consultant Asks Reviewers to Be Creative

Generally, the manufacturer will list the features of the product and other general information while launching the product. So, if you want to stand out from the competition, you must be creative enough to show something unique to your audience. Yes, don’t just list the same features listed by the manufacturers on your product reviews. Instead, explain the function of the product features and provide tips on using them to get a specific job completed. You can also compare how the product differs from its previous version or other competitors. This provides new information to the user and helps them make a buying decision.

Talk About Related Products

While writing product reviews, it’s obvious for us to create a unique description of the particular product and how it works. But, a high-quality review includes other related products, how they work, and the circumstances in which they can be used. So, the next time you write a product review, don’t miss your chance to mention an alternative product whenever possible.

Discuss Both Pros and Cons

Creating a product description that focuses only on the advantages of the product isn’t going to work out anymore. Presenting both the pros and cons of the product in a visually appealing table can make a difference. According to the Atlanta SEO consultant, listing only the pros of a product looks unnatural. On the other hand, discussing the cons of the product reveals your loyalty. But remember, you should present the pros and cons of the product based on its actual usage.

Decision-Making Factors – Atlanta SEO Consultant

When reviewing a product, identifying the decision-making factors is the crucial part. Identifying and explaining how the product performs in its key decision-making factors help people reading the review to identify if this product is right for them. Some of the critical decision-making factors are reliability, ease-of-use, affordability, security, safety, and more.

Additional Tips from Atlanta SEO Consultant

• Explain how the product is designed and its effect on users.
• Always focus on providing additional information. One of the best ways to get extra information is running a poll. On the other hand, you can also ask the actual users about the product and their experience with it.
• Your reviews must be genuine and provide more value and insight.
• Create product reviews that satisfy the search intent for the keywords you want to rank.
• Add author information.
• Check grammar, spelling, and other stylistic issues.
• Add an H1 tag to optimize the content.
• Provide contact details and show the last modification date and publication date.
• Embed images correctly.
• If you are adding images, don’t forget the Alt Tag.

Talk to the Atlanta SEO consultant for more tips.

Final Thoughts – Atlanta SEO Consultant

Is your website affected by Google’s product review update? Don’t fret! Primarily, follow Google’s recommendations and ensure that your product reviews are genuine and multi-faceted. Follow the above tips, and update your older reviews to ensure that it follows Google’s new guidelines. Get in touch with the professionals at Strategic Marketing Consultants, a top-rated Atlanta SEO consultant, to learn more.