Crafting Compelling Reviews: 14 Tips for Online Success

With so many Google updates in 2023, we’ve been trying to get caught up in explaining the ramifications to our clients. Some witnessed their page rankings going down. This post offers compelling review writing tips.

In this post, we’re discussing the September Google Core Update. More explicitly, Google Search’s reviews system and web page name changed from Google Search’s product reviews system and your website.

I’m essentially rewriting the Google update so that you understand it better. I’m also providing some explainer text so that it all makes sense and helps you plan your reviews.

Google Search’s product reviews system and your website

The review system is crafted to assess first-party standalone content, encompassing articles, blog posts, web pages, or similar materials created to offer recommendations, express opinions, or conduct analyses. It does not, however, appraise third-party reviews, including those posted by users in the review sections of product or service pages.

Reviews come in various forms, including assessments of individual items, direct comparisons, or curated lists of recommendations. They span a broad spectrum of topics and subjects, encompassing evaluations of products like laptops or winter jackets, analyses of media such as movies or video games, and assessments of services and businesses like restaurants or fashion brands.

What is the purpose of this change? High-Quality Reviews

The review system strives to ensure that users can access comprehensive and well-researched reviews, prioritizing substantive content over superficial summaries of various products, services, or subjects.

Creating top-notch reviews can give individuals valuable insights into subjects they contemplate, including products, services, destinations, games, movies, or other topics. For instance, you could craft a review as:

A knowledgeable team member or a retailer who assists individuals in navigating through competing products

In this blog post, I’m using a Travel Agent (as an example) of someone who must pay attention to this update. 

Utilizing a travel agent serves as an excellent illustration of the effectiveness of Google’s review system. Travel agents often play a pivotal role in helping individuals make informed decisions about their trips, offering recommendations, and providing valuable insights into various destinations, accommodations, and travel services. By relying on Google’s review system, users can access genuine feedback and experiences shared by others who have utilized the benefits of these travel agents.

This synergy highlights how Google’s review platform can empower individuals to make well-informed choices in the travel industry and across various sectors. It underscores the versatility and significance of the review system in aiding users in their decision-making processes, ultimately enhancing the overall quality of their experiences.

I could have easily referred a blogger or some other position at a publishing website. But my focus is on the travel agent.

To assist individuals in finding your review pages on Google Search and across other Google platforms, adhere to these recommended strategies:

1. How would you consider a user’s perspective if they were interested in vacationing in the Azores coming from the United States?

First, mention the travel time: the weather, currency exchange, local cuisine, and accommodations. All important information for Compelling review writing tips

2. Illustrate your expertise and knowledge about the subject you are reviewing.

Visitors to your website assume you are knowledgeable. You have been there if you are a travel agent writing about traveling to the Azores. The more explicit the details, the more informed the viewer will be.

3. Offer supporting evidence, such as visuals, audio, or relevant links, showcasing your personal experience with the subject of your review. This not only bolsters your expertise but also enhances the authenticity of your evaluation.

Audio is convenient and easy to consume

I like the use of audio as a first choice. The viewer can listen if in their car or a waiting area (with their earbuds). A compelling video may make sense if you have been traveling to London and filmed with your iPhone. Something showing your personal experience will reinforce the review and add to your creditability.

4. Include quantitative measurements that assess performance across different categories

This term from Google’s Search Central makes more sense if you write about a product. But you could discuss transportation comparisons such as Uber and a city bus. Whatever you add could help rank your page.

5. Elaborate on what distinguishes something from its competitors.

You would likely compare your travel agency to another and why yours is a better choice. The same applies no matter what business you are in. What makes doing business with you better?

6. Consider similar options or clarify which one may be more suitable for specific purposes or situations.

This is just another variable on the point above regarding the competition. For example, you speak to a specific audience of seniors and how traveling with your agents is better and more comfortable.
The same could apply if you are selling a vacation rental or automobile. All of these examples could apply to a product or service.

7. Delve into the advantages and disadvantages of the subject, drawing from your original research.

Which restaurant is better for a specific cuisine

Using the example of a travel agent, you could explain which restaurant is better for specific cuisines. The same for transportation choices or hotels explain the good and the bad. The more you inform the reader, the more creditability and value you give them. This is what makes Compelling review writing tips.

8. Detail how a product or service has progressed from previous models or releases, highlighting enhancements, problem-solving features, or any improvements that assist users in purchasing decisions.

High-quality reviews aren’t limited to travel sites. It could be almost any product or service. Staying within the vain of a travel agency, you talk about the improvements of a restaurant or hotel you visited on your last stay in London. Those reviews are precious to someone considering a trip abroad.

9. Concentrate on the pivotal factors that influence decision-making, drawing from your experience or expertise. For instance, in a car review, one might prioritize fuel economy and safety as crucial determinants and assess performance in these areas.

10. Explain critical design choices made in the product’s development and their impact on users, going beyond the information the restaurant, hotel, or manufacturer provides about a product.

For example, you must embellish the writeup the hotel or restaurant wrote, delving into a more in-depth and impartial review. Here again, it shows that you are an expert and well-versed.

11. Incorporate links to additional valuable resources, whether your own or from external websites, to assist readers in making informed decisions.

This is good for the reader, helping them make an informed decision, and for SEO and having external links on your page.

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12. Consider including links to multiple sellers, giving readers the flexibility to purchase from their preferred merchant.

This one bugged me. If you’re a travel agent, it’s pretty hard to show a competitor and the chance of pushing them away. Google can suggest this because they have no competition! Easy for them to say.

13. When making a recommendation as the top choice or for a specific purpose, please explain why you believe it holds that position, providing firsthand supporting evidence.

Again, this is reinforcement that you know what you’re talking about. You might recommend a hotel or restaurant as an overall best choice or one for being the best choice in a specific area.

14. Ensure that your ranked lists contain sufficient valuable content to be informative, even if you decide to write separate comprehensive single reviews.

I am trying to understand what Google’s intent is with this comment. If you choose to write an in-depth review as opposed to this list, the list should have enough content to stand on its own.

Affiliate reviews

Reviews frequently incorporate affiliate links, allowing the creator of the review to be rewarded by the seller when someone finds the helpful review and purchases through the provided link. If you choose to use affiliate links, it’s essential to familiarize yourself with Google’s stance on affiliate programs.

Compelling review writing tips

Reviews can serve as invaluable tools for individuals when faced with decision-making. When crafting reviews, prioritize the quality and uniqueness of your assessments over their length while striving to incorporate as many of the previously mentioned best practices as possible. Doing so will provide the most outstanding value to those who rely on your reviews for guidance.