The Google product reviews update of July 2022 was the fourth product reviews update. It started on 27 July 2022 and finished on 2 August 2022, just 6 days, far quicker than the 2 to 3 weeks Google had estimated. Unlike the December 2021 and March 2022 versions, it came with no new guidance: it was a refresh that continued to reward original research and hands-on analysis over templated rewrites of manufacturer information.
The earlier and later reviews updates each have their own page in my full list of Google algorithm updates.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Update name | Google Product Reviews Update (July 2022) |
| Type | Product reviews update (fourth in the series) |
| Rollout started | 27 July 2022 |
| Rollout finished | 2 August 2022 |
| Rollout length | 6 days (Google had estimated 2 to 3 weeks) |
| Confirmed by Google | Yes, listed on Google’s Search Status Dashboard |
| Official source | Google Search Status Dashboard: ranking updates history |
What the July 2022 product reviews update changed
This update applied only to English-language product reviews. It continued the direction set by the earlier versions: reviews built on original research, testing and real analysis should do better than pages that rewrite the manufacturer’s description in a template.
The thing that sets July 2022 apart is what it did not include. There was no new guidance with this update. Compare that with its predecessors:
- April 2021 introduced the reviews system.
- December 2021 added guidance on visual or audio evidence of use and links to multiple sellers.
- March 2022 added criteria for single reviews, ranked lists and comparisons.
- July 2022 added nothing new to the guidance. It was effectively a re-run of the system against the existing criteria.
That matters for anyone who had been improving review pages since March. A refresh like this is a chance for the system to reassess pages that had been improved, and equally a point where pages that had slipped further behind competitors could fall.
Timeline
| Date | What happened |
|---|---|
| 25 May to 9 June 2022 | May 2022 core update. |
| 27 July 2022 | Fourth product reviews update begins; Google estimates 2 to 3 weeks. |
| 2 August 2022 | Rollout complete after 6 days. |
| 25 August 2022 | The helpful content update begins, about three weeks later. |
Who was affected
Overall volatility was low. Semrush called it “incredibly mild” and Sistrix saw no major impact on search results. However, the averages hid individual cases: some review sites reported traffic swings of up to 80%. That combination, quiet overall but sharp for particular sites, is common with reviews updates, because they only touch one type of content and only some sites depend heavily on it. These figures are industry reports, not Google data.
How to tell if the July 2022 product reviews update hit your site
The short rollout makes this one of the cleaner updates to check. My angle for this one is to compare it with the March 2022 result, because without new guidance the question is whether the system rewarded or penalised what you did between the two.
- Use tight windows. Compare 13 to 26 July 2022 with 3 to 16 August 2022 in Search Console. A clean step on or just after 27 July, limited to review pages, points to this update.
- Isolate review pages. Filter by your review, “best” and comparison URL patterns. If only those moved, the attribution is fairly safe.
- Line it up with March 2022. Did the same pages move in March to April 2022? A page that fell in March and rose in July likely benefited from improvements; a page that fell in both is still missing something.
- Check the improved versus untouched pages. If you updated some reviews after March and not others, compare how each group moved. That is the most useful evidence you will get about what is working on your site.
- Do not confuse it with the helpful content update. A fall from 25 August 2022 onwards is more likely the helpful content update, especially if it affected non-review content too.
How to recover from the July 2022 product reviews update
With no new guidance, the recovery plan is the existing criteria applied more thoroughly. The common weakness I see on sites that fell here is the templated review: the same structure, the same headings and the same rewritten specs across hundreds of products.
- Find your templated pages. Look for reviews where most of the text could apply to any product in the category. These are the most likely to lose ground to genuine testing.
- Add original research. Run real tests, measure what matters to buyers, and report results in your own words. Even a small, honest test beats a long rewrite of the spec sheet.
- Show hands-on use with original media. Your own photos and video from testing, not manufacturer images.
- Make genuine comparisons. Explain how the product stacks up against the alternatives a buyer is actually considering.
- Reduce volume if needed. Fewer, better reviews usually outperform a large catalogue of thin ones. Remove or merge pages you cannot improve.
- Expect re-evaluation at the next reviews update. Improvements are typically picked up when the reviews system runs again.
| Templated review | Research-led review |
|---|---|
| Specs rewritten in paragraphs | Specs interpreted: what they mean in use |
| Generic pros and cons | Pros and cons found during testing |
| Manufacturer images | Original photos and video |
| Same structure for every product | Structure follows what matters for that product |
If a large catalogue of templated reviews is weighing on a site, my on-page optimisation services include deciding what to keep, merge or retire. For shops publishing buying guides alongside products, see my ecommerce SEO services.
Is it still relevant today?
The July 2022 version is mainly relevant as a lesson: not every update comes with new rules, and a mild update on average can still be severe for an individual site. Later reviews updates expanded the system, but the core expectation, original research and hands-on analysis rather than templated rewrites, has not changed.
Frequently asked questions
When was the July 2022 product reviews update?
It ran from 27 July to 2 August 2022, six days in total.
What was new in the July 2022 product reviews update?
No new guidance came with it. It applied the existing reviews criteria again, rewarding original research and hands-on analysis.
Was the July 2022 product reviews update big?
Overall it was reported as mild, with Semrush calling it “incredibly mild”. Some individual review sites still reported swings of up to 80%.
Did it apply to non-English reviews?
No. It applied to English-language product reviews only.
Sources
- Google Search Status Dashboard: ranking updates history
- Keywords Everywhere: July 2022 product reviews update
- Search Engine Journal: Google algorithm history
If your review pages moved in late July 2022, or after a later reviews change, I can tell you which pages are holding you back and why. Request a free audit, or see my SEO audit services.
More Google algorithm updates
- Previous update: May 2022 Core Update (25 May 2022)
- Next update: Helpful Content Update (August 2022) (25 Aug 2022)
Other reviews updates:
- Product Reviews Update (March 2022) (23 Mar 2022)
- Product Reviews Update (December 2021) (1 Dec 2021)
- Product Reviews Update (April 2021) (8 Apr 2021)
- Product Reviews Update (September 2022) (20 Sep 2022)