Google has made a minor but important change to its review snippet documentation. The addition to Google’s structured data guidelines warns site owners not to use fake or undisclosed incentivized reviews on their pages or in their structured data. It is a brief addition to the document, but it highlights a loophole that many sites may have taken advantage of.
If you operate a site that displays star ratings or other review snippets, it is worth the time to read through this latest addition to the documentation, however simple it may seem.
What Review Snippets Actually Are
Before you continue reading, it may be helpful to ensure you understand what a review snippet actually is. A review snippet is either a short excerpt from a review or an aggregate score based on a set of reviews. This is most commonly seen as a star rating, either displayed alongside a link to the snippet’s source or found within a Google Knowledge Panel.
Review snippets require structured data to appear in these formats. Structured data is a system where a site owner adds code to their site so Google can better understand what the page is about. Without structured data, Google cannot know if that number on your page is a rating or a price. This is especially important for review snippets, as the presence of this data is what allows these aggregated scores to appear and influence search results.
Since snippets contain valuable information for searchers, a higher score can influence search results. Having a higher rating compared to similar sites can lead to higher visibility in search results and therefore more traffic. This is why review snippets and their structured data are so closely monitored by Google and why abuse of this system is heavily penalized.
The New Rule, In Google’s Own Words
Google updated its review snippet structured data documentation to include a new line that states, “Don’t include fake or undisclosed incentivized reviews on your page or in your structured data markup.”
This addition to the document, while brief, clearly outlines what Google deems as unacceptable practice in relation to review snippets. First and foremost, it addresses the practice of including fake reviews that were not actually written by real users of your products or services.
Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, this update addresses the undisclosed incentivized reviews. This refers to reviews that may have been written by real users but were incentivized in some way to write what they wrote without disclosing this fact or the terms of the incentive to the user.
Many site owners who write reviews or hire review writers to post on their site may believe themselves to be safe from penalties, assuming that real reviews have no issues in Google’s eyes. However, this update clarifies that reviews which were written as a result of incentives given or promised to the reviewer must disclose this fact clearly and prominently to the user. If they did not, those reviews will be considered ineligible for review snippet structured data.
The Examples Google Provided
To clear up any confusion regarding what does and does not constitute fake or undisclosed incentivized reviews, Google listed two common examples of such reviews. The first example is fairly simple to understand – it refers to reviews that were not actually written by a user of the reviewed products or services.
It is common knowledge that fake reviews do not belong on review sites or on sites that feature snippets; however, in the past, it may not have been explicitly stated in Google’s structured data guidelines.
The second type of review that Google has classified as ineligible for review snippet structured data refers to incentivized reviews that did not disclose the fact that they were incentivized.
The wording for this example is slightly more complex, so it is worth reiterating what this type of review entails. Incentivized reviews are reviews that were written in exchange for some type of reward, be it monetary or otherwise. Disclosing this information means that either the review itself or the listing page for that review clearly and prominently displays the fact that the reviewer was promised this reward.
Incentivized reviews do become ineligible if the disclosure isn’t present anywhere the user can easily see. Rewards like vouchers, cash discounts, or free products are common examples of incentives used in exchange for reviews.
Why This Update Exists At All
It is no secret that Google typically only updates its documentation when there is a specific necessity or if there is a widespread issue.
This update, on the other hand, seems fairly obvious at first glance. It is likely that many site owners who write incentivized reviews without disclosing this information believed themselves to be in compliance with Google’s structured data guidelines. It likely took Google some time to notice how widespread this loophole had become before addressing it directly in an official update.
Review manipulation has long been a known issue both in the sphere of search engine optimization (SEO) and in e-commerce in general. Fake reviews, review swaps, and other practices have plagued both spheres for years. The fact that Google did not explicitly outline these practices in their structured data guidelines before now may be the reason why such practices continued to persist.
Now that Google has chosen to address the issue directly, it is unlikely to be ignored again.
Why This Matters If You Rely On Review Snippets
If your website displays star ratings or other review snippets, this is a big red flag for you. Although the changes Google made to their documentation are relatively straightforward, the consequences of ignoring them may not be so benign. Any snippets of reviews that appear on your website must follow Google’s guidelines for structured data. Otherwise, Google can just remove your snippets from their search results.
Review snippets carry significant weight in influencing search results. This is especially true in competitive search result positions where snippets are the deciding factor between one page and the next. If the star rating on your site isn’t enticing enough, users are more likely to click through to a competitor’s listing with a higher rating instead.
In cases of this nature, the addition of a star rating snippet could be the deciding factor between a click and a scroll.
This update also serves as a strong reminder regarding Google’s stance on the integrity of the information that appears in review snippets in Google’s search results. Review snippets are meant to help users make informed decisions by providing quick information. As such, it is crucial that this information is accurate and relevant to the user’s search. Incentivized reviews and fake reviews, even if they come from real users, compromise this integrity.
Review snippets are one of Google’s most useful tools for helping users find what they need. Incentive and fake reviews damage this system, and Google’s latest documentation update is a way for the company to remind webmasters and site owners about the importance of maintaining the accuracy of the information Google provides to its users.
What Happens If You Don’t Comply
Google did not specify any particular penalty for violating the newly introduced recommendations. Nevertheless, it is vital to realize that adherence to the suggestions is the only way to fully benefit from the structured data. In particular, websites that fail to comply with the guidelines may see their rich results removed.. It means that Google may eliminate all the additional snippets displaying ratings, reviews, and other information. For many domains, it will be a significant problem because such snippets are often crucial for driving traffic. This is especially true for the competitive niches, where every rating matters, and the row of stars next to the name helps the user make a choice immediately.
Apart from the traffic and visibility reasons, there is another compelling motive to follow the new rules. Google has designed review snippets to serve skimmers looking for trustworthy information. In other words, the search engine wants to limit the amount of spam on the SERPs by encouraging the visibility of those relevant to the user without clicking on them. Google will take all necessary measures to ensure that only truthful snippets appear in search results.
Bottom Line
Google has made a relatively minor but still significant change to its review snippet documentation. This update serves as a reminder that sites using structured data should not include fake or undisclosed incentivized reviews. The update highlights prohibited practices that could lead to review snippets being disapproved by Google. For this reason, if your site uses review snippets, it is essential to ensure that the reviews published on your site were genuinely written by users and were not incentivized without being disclosed as such.
FAQs
Q1: What new guideline was introduced by Google in the review snippet documentation?
Google introduced a guideline saying that sites shouldn’t contain fake or undisclosed incentivized reviews on the page and in the structured data markup. This guideline was specifically stated as new to fill a gap that wasn’t stated before.
Q2: What is a review snippet?
It is an excerpt of a review/rating taken from the website such as Yelp, TripAdvisor etc. Usually, snippets represent the average rating calculated on the basis of multiple reviewers’ scores. They may be shown in rich results or Google Knowledge Panels.
Q3: Does this mean that incentivized reviews are banned?
No. The guideline refers only to incentivized reviews with a nondisclosed incentive. Reviews written in exchange for some benefits are allowed only if the readers understand about the existence of this incentive.
Q4: What is considered as fake reviews according to the new guideline?
Google specifies that reviews not based on a genuine experience of the product or service should be treated as fake.
Q5: What types of incentives are mentioned in the guideline?
Money, discounts, vouchers and free products offered in return for a review are listed as examples. It doesn’t matter what kind of incentive you offer, the main point is that it must be clearly stated.
Q6: Why did Google introduce this guideline at all?
Google probably noticed the appearance of this problem often enough to mention it as a separate one and give a detailed instruction about how the site should deal with it.
Q7: What will happen to those sites which don’t comply with this guideline?
Google didn’t give a specific penalty for violation of this guideline. However, the usual penalty for structured data violation is ineligibility for rich results.
Q8: How can site owners check if their reviews comply with this guideline?
First of all, they need to understand where the reviews on the page come from. Then, they should make sure that all the incentives offered for writing a review are clearly stated for the readers. Next, they need to make sure that the reviews represent the experience of the customers and weren’t just copied from somewhere else.
Q9: Is this guideline aimed at sites which pay for reviews only?
No. This guideline refers to all sites which use structured data to mark up their reviews. Fake reviews without any incentive are also forbidden by this guideline.
Q10: Where can site owners see Google’s guidelines on this topic?
They can be found in the review snippet structured data documentation of Google, in the section devoted to the general guidelines of eligibility.
