Google’s December 2021 Product Reviews Update Surpassed April’s, According to Data Providers
On December 1, 2021, Google began rolling out the second product reviews update of the year, known as the December 2021 product reviews update. This update followed closely on the heels of the November 2021 core update, which concluded on November 30, 2021. Two SEO toolsets, RankRanger and Semrush, provided data indicating that the December 2021 product reviews update was more volatile than the April 2021 product reviews update, although there may be some nuances to consider.
Google stated that this product reviews update would take approximately three weeks to fully roll out, and at the time of reporting, the update was in its second week. Generally, the most significant impacts from such updates tend to manifest in the first few days.
Data Indicating December Was More Volatile Than April
RankRanger: RankRanger’s data showed that December’s fluctuations and volatility were substantially higher in the top three and top five positions on Google Search. When comparing changes in the top-three, top-five, and top-ten ranking positions, the December update appeared to demonstrate more significant volatility than the April update.
The data also broke down December’s volatility by niche across various sectors, showing that the retail and travel industries exhibited the most fluctuations in the top-five positions. Health and finance sectors showed the most fluctuations in the top ten results.
Additionally, RankRanger’s index tracker tool indicated that the update was beginning to slow down.
For the top winners and losers, RankRanger identified Tripadvisor, Choice Hotels, Agoda, and Hotwire as the losers, while Expedia, Kayak, and U.S. News & World Report were the top gainers.
Semrush: Semrush also provided data showing that December’s volatility peaked at much higher rates than the April update. However, when looking at overall volatility, the April update appeared 44% more volatile than the December update, potentially due to a generally more volatile year.
Semrush’s sensor tool also indicated that the update’s impact was slowing down.
Core Update Impact
Given 2021’s overall volatility, it is challenging to definitively determine which update was bigger. The close timing between the November core update and the December product reviews update may have caused some data overlap. Semrush indicated that the November 2021 core update had a more significant impact than the December product reviews update. Another tool provider, Sistrix, reported minimal changes with the December update.
More on the December 2021 Product Reviews Update
SEO Community Reaction: The December 2021 product reviews update was likely felt more than the April version. Community reactions included various ranking charts and social shares. Sites affected by the update likely experienced noticeable impacts.
Recommendations for Affected Sites: Google has provided advice for sites negatively impacted by the product reviews update. This includes providing multimedia evidence to support product reviews and linking to multiple sellers. Google’s intent with the update is to promote more insightful review content over templated information.
Why This Matters
If your website offers product review content, it’s crucial to check your rankings to see if you were affected by this update. Long-term, ensure that your product review content is detailed and distinctive to stand out from the competition.
Upcoming and Previous Google Updates
This year saw numerous confirmed updates from Google, including the July 2021 core update, multiple spam updates, the Google page experience update, and others. Previous core updates included the November 2021 core update, the July 2021 core update, the June 2021 core update, the December 2020 core update, the May 2020 core update, and earlier ones like the January 2020 core update and the September 2019 core update. Each of these had varying impacts on search rankings and website traffic.
