Search Engine Land recently featured an article by Barry Schwartz entitled, “Google November 2023 reviews update now done rolling out”. Google’s latest reviews system update marks the last update they will publicly confirm to the review system. Although the reviews system will continue to be updated and maintained, they will no longer be publicly confirmed. Since April of 2021, Google has announced 8 updates to the reviews systems.

The update to the review system coincides with the November 2023 Google Core update, impact on search rankings is yet to be fully understood or determined.

What is the Google Review System

Google’s review system refers to the algorithms and processes used by Google to evaluate and rank online reviews, such as those found on Google Maps and Google Search. This system is designed to ensure the quality and authenticity of reviews, helping users make informed decisions based on reliable user feedback. The system uses a variety of signals to assess reviews, aiming to highlight genuine and useful reviews while minimizing the impact of spam, fake, or low-quality reviews. Regular updates to this system enhance its effectiveness in providing accurate and trustworthy review information.

How the November 2023 Reviews Update Can Impact Website Search Rankings

It’s been a well established fact that good reviews can have a positive impact on your business. They can help introduce your brand or establish trust with future customers. From an SEO perspective, Google reviews are just one of the many factors or signals Google uses to help rank your website content. Things like a high star rating, or content rich reviews with long-tail keywords can all impact your search rankings. Google reviews are also critical for improving your visibility on Local Service Ads and play an important part of traditional search ads as well.

The full impact of the reviews update is yet to be fully understood or felt, but Google’s announcement offers a few valuable clues on the general direction of the reviews system. 

“Released the November 2023 reviews update. Learn more about how to write high quality reviews. Going forward, as the reviews system is now being improved at a regular and ongoing pace, we will no longer be posting about future updates on the status dashboard.” 

Google Continues to Prioritize High Quality Content and Transparency 

The latest update from Google, underscores a consistent message from the tech giant: the prioritization of content crafted with human readers in mind. This approach is not new; Google has been vocal about its commitment to high-quality content for some time. The update to the reviews system further aligns the treatment of online reviews with that of traditional web content, reinforcing the idea that all forms of user-generated content on its platforms are subject to the same rigorous standards.

In line with this, Google maintains strict policies regarding the integrity of reviews. It has always had the authority to remove reviews that violate its policies or resemble spam, as well as very strict rules for deleting a Google review on the user end. This power has become particularly relevant in the wake of the latest updates. Users who find their reviews inexplicably missing might be witnessing Google’s enhanced efforts to clean up low-quality contributions. These removals could be due to Google’s algorithms identifying the reviews as spammy or in violation of their guidelines.