Google
April 2023 Reviews Update
In brief
A "reviews" update extending the evaluation of review content to all formats, before public announcements of this system were discontinued.
Key points
- Last publicly announced iteration of the reviews system (Reviews System).
- Generalization of the evaluation to all review content formats.
- After this date, the system is updated continuously without dedicated announcements.
- Rollout spread over several days.
Analysis
With this update, Google unifies its various review systems and announces that future updates will now happen continuously, without specific communication. The system therefore switches to permanent mode, which changes the way its impact is tracked.
For publishers, the disappearance of announcements means there will no longer be precise dates to attribute to review-related changes. Quality must be maintained at all times, since the system can reassess pages at any moment.
What to do
- Adopt a continuous quality approach to review pages, without relying on possible announcements.
- Maintain proof of direct experience and demonstrable expertise at all times.
- Monitor traffic trends on review content over time, given the absence of official update dates.
Impact
Last announced iteration of the reviews system, now updated continuously. The quality bar remains at its highest.