Google Introduces New Algorithm Update: Product Review Focused; Friday’s Daily Brief

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Good morning, Marketers. We’ve got an update on the search ranking algorithm for you today.

Yesterday afternoon, Google launched a new ranking algorithm aimed at rewarding high-quality product review content. Named the Google Product Reviews Update, it’s designed to better reward insightful and thoroughly researched product reviews over thin summaries of multiple products.

Google explained, “We know people appreciate product reviews that share in-depth research, rather than thin content that simply summarizes a bunch of products. That’s why we’re sharing an improvement to our ranking systems, which we call the product reviews update, that’s designed to better reward such content.”

Key Points from the Announcement:

• Name: Google Product Reviews Update
• Launched: April 8, 2021, at around 1pm ET
• Targets: Product review content
• Penalty: It does not penalize; it promotes or rewards “insightful analysis and original research.”
• Not a Core Update: It is not a core update despite what some may say.
• English Only: Currently, this update is only for English-language content, globally.
• Impact: Google did not specify what percentage of queries or searches were impacted.
• Recovery: If hit by this update, review your content quality. Check Google’s advice for better product reviews.

The Concerning Future of the Resilient Keyword

It’s time for PPC professionals to rethink keyword targeting strategies, asserts Kirk Williams of ZATO Marketing. Changes in user behavior, influenced by Google’s search improvements and the shift from desktop to mobile, along with Google Ads’ close variants, mean that customer queries may no longer have clear-cut intent.

Williams suggests that understanding keywords as topics or categories rather than strict intent-revealing signals can help marketers adapt to Google’s system, which uses over a million signals for a single auction and exclusively has access to a user’s search history. This doesn’t mean abandoning keywords but rather evolving our approach to them.

Google vs SEOs – How Google Engineers Think Differently

Paul Haahr, a long-time Google Search engineer, recently shared insights on Twitter about how Google engineers build algorithms to promote good web behavior. However, as SEOs learn and adapt to these algorithms, engineers need to evolve these algorithms to counter manipulative tactics.

Paul’s discussion on the “adversarial/evolutionary” behavior between Google and SEOs is enlightening and worth a read.

No Phone Numbers in Google Posts Anymore

A new guideline from Google disallows including phone numbers directly in Google Posts. Businesses can no longer write posts with statements like "call us at 800-555-5555” for appointments. This new rule, referred to as “phone stuffing,” is meant to prevent abuse. Businesses can still use a “Call now” button linked to their verified Business Profile phone number.

Other Noteworthy Updates:

• Reduce Rankings in Specific Countries: Google’s John Mueller mentioned on Reddit that you cannot request Google to lower your rankings in a specific country.
• PPC Chat on Clubhouse: The popular Twitter chat has moved to Fridays. Join the PPC Chat crew today on Clubhouse to discuss “Getting The Most From Your Query Data.”
• Block Your Staging Site: To prevent Google from crawling, indexing, and ranking your staging site, ensure it has authentication with a username and password, as suggested by John Mueller on Twitter.
• Web Stories Video Guide: Google’s Pascal Birchler released a video on getting started with Web Stories, explaining how to create them and maximize their use.
• Local Search Trends: Google shared data on how local searches evolved in 2020 due to COVID-19, providing some interesting metrics.

Additional Reads:

• Earn Press Coverage for Your Brand in 5 Steps – Moz
• How to Prepare for Core Web Vitals Update – SEM Rush
• Understanding and Optimising the Core Web Vitals – Billie Geena
• Yahoo Answers Shutting Down: An Opportunity for SEOs? – Search Engine Roundtable
• YouTube’s Dominance in Social Media During the Pandemic – CNBC