Google released an update to its reviews system on November 8, 2023. Google didn’t give a timeline for the update but mentioned that it’ll update its rankings release history page once it is complete.
Google later updated its rankings release history page, indicating it completed the update on December 7, 2023.
What is Google Search Reviews System?
The Google Search reviews system is what Google uses to determine the best reviews to display in search results. The review system only includes original, first-hand reviews and does not include reviews left on product or service pages.
Google’s Official Announcement
Google announced the release of the November 2023 Reviews Update in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Google posted the announcement under a previous post announcing the November 2023 Core Update, which was released on November 2, 2023, and ran alongside the reviews update.
the November 2023 reviews update is also rolling out now (as per my last email: https://t.co/xny94FOVvn)
we'll update the ranking release history page when the rollout is finished: https://t.co/hgjEkfpbA2
— Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) November 8, 2023
What Are People Saying?
Barry Schwartz provided some insights into the November 2023 Reviews Update on X.
Google updated the reviews system documentation with these changes https://t.co/1NLGp2kyuz pic.twitter.com/ALRuGvqZKx
— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) November 9, 2023
Glenn Gabe added that releasing two updates may confuse site owners affected by either update. He further suggested that Google wants to release both updates before the December holiday shopping season.
With the Nov broad core update being so heated, & now a reviews update rolling out, I think many site owners will be confused about which update is impacting them. But, I'm sure Google wants both updates out before the holiday shopping season kicks in (which is very, very soon). https://t.co/onlk73ZDKi
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) November 9, 2023
A few days after the reviews update was completed, Barry Schwartz shared some stats on X, indicating sites were still experiencing volatility in search results.
🚨 Google Search ranking still super volatile this weekend, even days after the reviews update was completed – more at https://t.co/e6eXHvQ3Mt pic.twitter.com/8ekv0Cpvhg
— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) December 10, 2023
Previous Reviews Updates
This is the eighth (and final) review update Google has announced since April 8, 2021, when it released the first review update. Google said it wouldn’t announce future updates to the reviews system, as the system would be updated regularly and ongoing pace going further.
Below, we have provided a list of the other confirmed review updates.
- April 2023 Reviews Update: April 12 – April 25, 2023
- February 2023 Product Reviews Update: February 21 – March 7, 2023
- September 2022 Product Reviews Algorithm Update: September 20 – September 26, 2022
- July 2022 Product Reviews Update: July 27 – August 2, 2022
- March 2022 Product Reviews Update: March 23 – April 11, 2022
- December 2021 Product Reviews Update: December 1 – December 21, 2021
- Product Reviews Update: April 8 – April 22, 2021
What’s Next – Dealing With This Update
You should begin monitoring your site with Rank Math Analytics. However, because the reviews update ran alongside the November 2023 Core Update, it may be hard to know how each update affected your site.
In either case, if you notice fluctuations in your analytics, refer to the video below for tips on recovering from a Google update.
