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November 2023 Reviews Update

Search Ranking Algorithm Update

Updated on:

December 8, 2023

,

by Momentic

This update affects Google Search's reviews system, which aims to reward high-quality review content. The reviews system doesn't just evaluate product reviews - it evaluates all first-party website content providing recommendations, opinions, or analysis on any topic: products, entertainment, services, or businesses. It does not evaluate third-party reviews, for example user reviews.

Current status of the ranking update

  • Status:

    Rollout complete!

    Rollout in progress!

  • Announced by Google:

    November 8, 2023

  • Update started:

    November 8, 2023

  • Update completed:

    December 7, 2023

    Rollout in progress!

Momentic analysis and first look

Below you'll get tips on what to look for, how to respond on your website, and helpful resources to improve your website's SEO and UX as it relates specifically to this Google update.

Going forward, Google's reviews system will be improved at a regular and ongoing pace, and they will no longer be announcing reviews updates.

Types of websites affected

All ecommerce & product review sites.

What to look for

Changes in rankings for pages with product review content.

What to address

  • Replace low-quality product reviews with the type of high-quality product reviews Google wants to reward.
  • Add product review schema markup to pages with review content to be eligible for rich snippets on SERPs.