Google’s September 2022 Product Reviews update is another one of Google’s ongoing monthly updates that is meant to target spam and low-quality product reviews on Google shopping. This update includes new rules for product-specific attributes and changes to the way brands and sellers can respond to negative reviews. Read on to learn more about what we know so far about the upcoming September 2022 Google Product Review update. As of this post, we have some details about the new updates, but not all of them.
What’s Changing With Google Product Reviews?
While we don’t know the specific changes that will be implemented in the next Google Product Reviews update, we do know that Google will be targeting spam and low-quality reviews. We expect that the update will include changes to the way that attributes are included. Like with the past updates, these changes will be product-specific. Google may also introduce new attributes for products that currently don’t include attributes. These attributes will vary depending on the type of product. For example, for apparel and accessories, Google may include size and color attributes.
New Rules For Product-Specific Attributes
Google has already added additional rules for product-specific attributes. These include rules for when and how attributes should be used. For example, the size attribute should only be used when the product is one size fits all. If a product comes in several sizes, then each size should have its own attribute. The color attribute should only be used when the product is one color. For example, if a product comes in several colors, then each color should have its own attribute. The same is true for the material attribute. If a product comes in different materials, then each material should have its own attribute. If a product comes in different variations, then each variation should have its own attribute.
Changes To Responding To Negative Reviews
Google is changing the way brands and sellers can respond to negative reviews. You can no longer respond to negative reviews with a discount. Instead, you can respond by asking the customer if the product would make a better gift. You can also ask the customer if you can send the product directly to the customer’s intended recipient. Google is introducing a new flagging system for responding to reviews. This system rates the responses based on their helpfulness. If a response won’t help resolve the customer’s issue, then it will likely be flagged. Responding to negative reviews can help improve your product rating. However, responding to a review incorrectly can hurt your product rating, regardless of whether you actually resolve the issue.
More Transparency For Shoppers
Google is introducing a new feature that allows shoppers to see all of the reviews for a particular product. This includes the reviews that Google has marked as helpful. Imagine that you are shopping for a new pair of earbuds. You can click on the review icon next to the earbuds and see all of the reviews. In addition to seeing the reviews that Google has marked as helpful, you can also see reviews that Google has marked as unhelpful. You can see all of the reviews, regardless of whether Google has marked them as helpful or unhelpful. This feature is designed to give shoppers more insights into the product’s features, disadvantages, and overall quality.
How Will This Update Affect SEO?
Google hasn’t mentioned anything about this update impacting SEO. However, we don’t expect that it will have a direct impact on SEO. The product-specific changes may impact how content is structured on product pages. However, we don’t expect that it will have a significant impact on SERPs. The review changes may impact click-through rates on product listings. Whether or not those impacts will have a direct effect on SEO depends on the type of CTR change.
Conclusion
Google’s September 2022 Product Reviews update is another one of Google’s ongoing monthly updates that is meant to target spam and low-quality product reviews on Google shopping. This update includes new rules for product-specific attributes and changes to the way brands and sellers can respond to negative reviews. Google is constantly updating their algorithm to make sure that users are getting the best search results and that businesses are not trying to manipulate their system. When these updates are made, it can sometimes affect your business if you haven’t kept up with the changes. When these updates happen, it is important to stay informed so that you can make any necessary changes to your business practices to avoid being penalized by Google.
