A Major Change: November 2023 Google Reviews System Updates
A Google Reviews System Update is on the way – marking the end of an era and the beginning of a new phase for review updates.
There isn’t a lot of information about Google’s newest ‘Reviews System Update’. However, lets get into what the system is for. “The reviews system is designed to evaluate articles, blog posts, pages or similar first-party standalone content written with the purpose of providing a recommendation, giving an opinion, or providing analysis. It does not evaluate third-party reviews, such as those posted by users in the reviews section of a product or services page.”
The Google Reviews System Update Explained
Google Announced: “We expect an update to our reviews system to start rolling out next week.” This means November is going have two waves of updates. Websites will be hit from all directions, due to the November Core Algorithm Update, followed by the Reviews Update.
After next weeks’ Reviews System update roll out, Google will transition to regular releases of updates and improvements to the system. Google have said that this update “will also mark a point when we’ll no longer be giving periodic notifications of improvements to our reviews system.” This is “because they will be happening at a regular and ongoing pace.”
Although they didn’t specifically use the phrase “rolling update”, it seems as though that’s what the Reviews System Update is. A rolling update is an update where a system is incrementally improved or changed on a regular basis.
How Will This Update Affect Your Website?
People are divided about this update. Some say it’s could be negative, because it may affect SEO and the way we look at online content in general. However, others welcome the change. This is due to more substantial updates, having catastrophic consequences for websites. Even if an editor was to make the necessary changes, the rankings may not be updated until the next update. Meaning, some sites would see a depreciation in site traffic for a month, or more. With the newest update, it may become a chance for faster recovery. And the ability to improve your rankings, rather than be punished.
Contact Think Local Digital Today
If you’re still unsure about these updates, give Think Local Digital a call today, on 1300 206 444. We’re happy to discuss any queries you may have about the Google updates. We can help you prepare, rather than wait until after the fact, when we’ll be there to help damage control.
To learn more about the ‘Google Algorithm Update’ mentioned in this blog, visit our ‘What is the October Google Algorithm Update?’ blog.
