Your Product Reviews Must Be In-Depth
So, I thought it worth reminding you about Google's product review algorithm that was rolled out in April. Several members wrote blog posts about it, but I am not sure if many people saw them.
To summarise, on April 8, Google rolled out a new algorithm that specifically looked at product reviews, with a view to only ranking those highly that contained in-depth research.
Many times, I have looked at websites to offer feedback, and their so-called reviews are simply just a few sentences of description, re-written from Amazon or elsewhere. Unfortunately, this is not going to win you any favors with Google.
A quote from Google - "we know people appreciate product reviews that share in-depth research, rather than thin content that simply summarizes a bunch of products"
So, Google is looking for reviews written by enthusiasts or experts who know their topic well. Reviews will have a more difficult time ranking if they simply contain short summaries of the products.
Google is looking for information that goes beyond what the manufacturer provides. If all you are doing, is simply re-writing a description of the product, that is not going to rank.
Google's advice includes the following points:
- Do you express expert knowledge of the product?
- Do you show how it can be used?
- Have you mentioned how it measures up in terms of performance?
- Have you said what sets it apart from its competitors?
- Have you compared it to other similar products?
- Have you discussed the pros and cons?
- Has the product evolved and improved from previous models?
I personally don't think that a singular product review should be less than 600 words. By the time you have added an introductory paragraph and a conclusion, plus a paragraph on each of the points above, this will give you a decent word count. No doubt, some of you will disagree or dispute this, but as I said, it's just my opinion!
I hope this helps in giving you a better idea of how to write a product review that will attract Google's attention and rank your post higher.
Recent Comments
81
Hey Diane,
Thank you for your impressive blog. I have read it about four or five times to grasp a clear meaning of what is written.
It is clear Google is looking for in depth reviews, the intelligence and intensity of the review speak volumes. After reading, my understanding is Google will not accept any superfluous or shallow reviews. It goes to show you're not versed with the product or products.
The bottom, we must have a clear and knowledgeable idea of the product under review. In order to engage with your customers and to be ranked in Google we must show the versatility and uniqueness of the product.
Hope this helps.
I agree with you and with Google that reviews have to have value to the readers i.e., the review must be in-depth. But I have never been a fan of counting words.
In my opinion, by default, focusing on counting words will not let you create a good article or review, and instead, take the focus away from the content you are writing.
That being said, an in-depth review or article will surpass 800 words easily just by being in-depth. I find that the reviews I write often end up somewhere between 2000 to 2500 words.
Roy
Hey Diane,
Thank you for writing this. It's exactly what I wanted to read. I've often wondered if my reviews are too long. I spend a lot of time researching.
All my reviews have over 2500 words. I believe my content info is relevant to my keyword. There is absolutely no way I can even write a review with just 800 words.
I do have a question to ask you though... lately, I've been writing reviews on MLM companies. Rather than go into great detail on compensation plans (i.e., ranking level, 8 ways to make commissions and bonuses, etc.) I state that I don't want to error on the details and present them with a YouTube compensation plan from a member of that MLM company.
In your opinion, should I just list the ranking levels and list the 8 ways to make commissions and bonuses and then include the video for more detailed info.
What do you suggest?
Thank you again for taking the time to always help us. Much appreciated 🙏.
Regards,
Monica
Hi - as I am not too familiar with writing about MLM products, I wouldn't want to give you the wrong advice. Perhaps you could ask this as a community question?
Hi Monica
2500 words are not too long, so long as it is relevant and your content is informative and helps solve a customer's question.
Regarding your second question on ranking levels, I didn't quite understand what you meant by this.
I would suggest listing the various ways to make commissions and bonuses that other organisations provide, making it informative and maybe including the star rating for each company.
You could do each listing as separate reviews.
Your video should not go into too much depth; otherwise, you may lose your viewers. It would help if you looked into how long your viewer's attention span might be.
I will not view anything over 10 minutes, no longer than 20 minutes; otherwise, you will lose my attention span.
I hope I have helped you in some way.
Hi Yvonne,
Thank you for your response.
I'm sorry I didn't clarify on 'ranking levels'. MLM companies use different levels to rank. It's like taking your first step and doing the tasks to earn small commissions and bonuses. After that, you take the 2nd step, do more tasks, earn a bit more commissions and bonuses, etc. It's how these MLM distributors rank (they earn their titles). I've seen some MLM companies have as many as 17 different levels to rank for... ridiculous.
I used to list them all and describe them but it became rather boring for me and even stopped writing MLM reviews.
I'm back to writing again... I appreciate your input, Yvonne, and it's very helpful for me to make my decision. Good info!
Thank you and kind regards,
Monica
Have a blessed weekend!
Great stuff, Diane! I can confirm that this is true. All my reviews that are ranked in the top 3 positions on page 1 are over 2,500 words. Some are even well over 3,500 words long. Of course, you should add only relevant information. Filler content is not going to cut it. Only well-researched and keyword-rich content will get you high rankings. Add to this some images and videos, inbound and outbound likes, and you've got a great chance to appear somewhere on the top of the SERP with your product review!
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Hello this is very helpful Diane. Thank you very muchm