Google Releases Product Review in Search Update

[engine]

Google has just announced a product review in search update which will roll out over the next few weeks, and Google says and may impact the rankings of English-language product reviews across many sites.

This document also indicates how the update affects ranked list and comparison reviews, amongst other tips and ideas to get the best from product reviews in search.

[developers.google.com...]

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

This is the third one and it adds criteria to the other two launched last year.

Featured product reviews should:

- Include key benefits and drawbacks of the product
- Include changes from previous versions of the product
- Feature images and videos of the product(s) in use
- Highlight similarities and differences of competing products
- Come from reviewers who demonstrate first-hand, expert knowledge of the product

Pay attention to that last line. If your product review reads like "About widget model acme rockets: Widget model acme rockets are good at being rockets. They go fast etc" then expect such 3rd person passive talk to get blown away by "Check this out, I'm stapping on this sucker and Ima zooooom! LETS DO THIS"... even if the former is more keyword sanitized.

[bwnbwn]

Jeeze just another way to spam the system.

[Robert Charlton]

jeeze just another way to spam the system.

bwnbwn... virtually every bit of social content or opinion on the web offers some kind of possibility to spam or distort the system... That's true even about discussions on WebmasterWorld. ;)

I would think that details would make spamming harder. To a degee, details would even be algorithmically verifiable. Specificity in reviews should be useful. What's wrong with that?

Can you think of any way of generating a helpful product review without details about the product?

We get the kind of web that we collectively deserve. It's a real shame that at this point in history, with all the problems we deal with in this world, this kind of reflexive Google-bashing of every new feature Google announces is where we're at. I'd take that article for what it is... good free advice on how to make reviews, good or bad, rank higher.

[rustybrick]

Anyone noticing any ranking changes?

[phranque]

i think it is interesting that their description of high quality product reviews [developers.google.com] includes two mentions of outbound links:

• Include links to other useful resources (your own or from other sites) to help a reader make a decision.
  
• Consider including links to multiple sellers to give the reader the option to purchase from their merchant of choice.

[phranque]

note that this is not "rote outlinking to authoritative sites" being suggested.
it is a specific type of outlinking in a way that is useful for visitors to product review pages.

[No5needinput]

Google should practice what it preaches