Affiliate SEO
Earning search traffic for content monetised through affiliate commissions; permitted by Google when the content adds substantial original…
AlgorithmsProduct reviews update
Reviews system
Google's system for rewarding in-depth review content that demonstrates first-hand expertise, broadened in 2023 from products to services, businesses and media.
In full
Google's guidance asks for evidence of actual use, quantitative measurement, discussion of trade-offs and alternatives, and explanation of what distinguishes a product from competitors. In April 2023 the system moved to continuous, unannounced improvement rather than discrete named updates. It disproportionately affected affiliate roundups assembled from manufacturer specifications with no testing.
Example
A review adds photographs of the reviewer's own unit, a measurement table and an explicit comparison against two named alternatives.
Related terms
E-E-A-T
The framework in Google's Search Quality Rater Guidelines for assessing page quality: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and…
Commercial investigation intent
Queries from users comparing options before buying — 'best', 'vs', 'alternatives', 'review' — sitting between informational and…
Core update
A significant, broad change to Google's ranking systems, announced in advance and rolled out over one to several weeks, typically a few…
Google ranking systems
Google's documented list of the systems that generate rankings, distinguished from one-off 'updates' to those systems, and including…