The final standalone update, for November 2023 reviews, is being released by Google. From now on, Google will evaluate review content quality on a regular basis.
Google declared that it will begin releasing the November 2023 reviews update today. With this update, Google will now handle review-based content differently.
The reviews ranking system is intended to assess articles, blog posts, and other stand-alone content that focuses on opinions and analysis, according to Google’s documentation. Third-party reviews, such as those posted by customers on product or service pages, are not evaluated by it.
When reviews make up the majority of a website’s content, the system will assess every piece of it. For sites where reviews are not the primary focus, assessments will take place at the page level instead of the website as a whole.
Beginning today, Google is also rolling out their most recent update to their core search algorithm, which also affects reviews. Thus, over the course of the next few weeks, many websites may experience variations in search traffic and rankings as a result of the combined effect.
Furthermore, Google announced that this update means that instead of only releasing updates on a periodic basis, changes to the review system will now happen on a regular basis.
As a result, Google will no longer send out notifications regarding ongoing improvements to the review system.
What Does This Indicate About Review Websites?
This change could be advantageous for websites that prioritize reviews.
Even though problems were quickly resolved, websites that suffered from Google’s review system in the past had to wait months for a recovery until the next update.
Faster rebounds are possible when regular, incremental changes are adopted. However, publishers now face additional difficulties as a result of having to continuously monitor and assess content based on reviews.
Google recommends that websites that solicit reviews adhere closely to its quality guidelines and concentrate on them.
Overview of the Details
Timing: On November 8, 2023, Google Reviews will be updated. These kinds of updates usually take one to two weeks to finish.
Scope: Google says this update may eventually spread to other languages, but for now it only affects English reviews-based content.
Google’s advice Google has previously offered guidance on creating original, transparent, up-to-date, educational, and pros-and-cons-covered review content. These signals may be given even more priority in this update.
Impact: Website traffic that depends on reviews may fluctuate. Content may rank higher or lower based on how well it fits Google’s changing review system.
Reaction: Evaluate your review content by applying Google’s quality rater standards. Improve thin or low-value reviews as your main priority.
Turn: Sites that are losing ground have an opportunity as a result of the upheaval. While attempting to enhance the review content, they can switch to Google Ads to make up for lost traffic.
To sum up
With the release of Google’s most recent reviews update, websites that provide reviews-based content are entering a new phase of ongoing assessment and modification.
Regular incremental updates might facilitate a quicker recovery from ranking fluctuations, despite the short-term disruption.
