Reviews And Google - Has It Really Changed That Much?
Good Morning WA. I am sure the subject I am about to cover has been covered by many in the past week, and I am sure I have not seen at least half. With this in mind, I feel the information I am about to share is a crucial part of your business's well-being.
Google Algorithm Update
Google released a new update to their algorithm, which regards product reviews. I, for one, am excited to see this update. So, you ask, why all the excitement?
Have you seen product review websites that list a ton of products, copy the description, and hope to get a click and a sale? Not to mention, they are stuffed with keywords in hopes of ranking on page one of Google. These websites, according to Google are considered thin sites. The days of a site like the one I have described outranking my product reviews are over.
Many of us work hard to produce a valuable product reviews. One that helps the reader make an informed decision. In that hard work, we put in good query keywords and research out the wazoo to make the article the best possible.
So, what can one do to improve their post and have Google sit up to take notice?
Dos (Benefits)
- Personally test the product. If this is not possible, then rely on the following suggestion
- Research until the cows come home and then research some more
- Become an authority on the product
- Build trust with your audience
- Convey why one product is better than another with honest words
- Write for your audience
- Keep your review positive
- Incorporate internal and external links
- Use videos and photos to prove your point
- Use words like benefits and drawbacks
- Affiliate link to multiple sellers, not just one, for instance, not just amazon
- Use good strong supporting evidence when recommending a product
- Write in simple words, easy to understand
- Use an excellent SEO plugin and get to know it well
Dont's (Drawbacks)
- Never promote products just because they have a high-ticket commission
- Never put down another product to make the review of your product look good
- The days of Pros and Cons are out the window
- Never try to sell your reader something
- Don't stuff keywords
So there you have it all wrapped up in a nutshell. Of course, this is not all-inclusive, but it does give a good idea of what Google is looking for.
Conclusion
All of this means is Google wants easy-to-understand valuable information that leads the readers to a product. So write for your audience and not for Google, and you will be well on your way to ranking. Google just wants to give those searching the most valuable, informational, and personable posts.
FYI
Just one last tidbit of information, research is the key to a successful online business because it builds trust and shows authority.
Recent Comments
8
Appreciate the info Laura, many thanks!
Writing reviews has never been my favourite part of this business especially when we don't physically own the product we are reviewing!
But, I totally agree that research, research and more research is key if we want to write better and more comprehensive reviews than our competitors (no matter how time consuming this can be!)
Take care my friend and enjoy the rest of your week!:-)
Hi Jessie,
Absolutely, research is the key. It is the longest phase of writing any blog post, but oh so important.
Also, I have review templates that help to simplify and shorten the process.
Have a wonderful day.
Laura
Research is definitely the key Laura, and having some quality templates can certainly make writing reviews a lot lot easier!
Have a wonderful day as well my friend!:-)
Thanks for sharing.
You mention pros and cons are out the window, but should we use benefits and drawbacks instead?
Hi there and thanks for reading.
And yes Google is suggesting the use of Benefits and Drawbacks instead of Pros and Cons.
Now I have not tried this yet but I will change a couple of my posts to see how they do.
Laura
Thank you, that's good to know. I have only been using pros and cons, so I will be changing that going forward.
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Have just started doing this, let’s see what happens.
Stephen