Updated January 7, 2023
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Google’s Tweaks
The search engine results page is constantly evolving and improving, with Google often AB testing new features and tools. For example, recently we’ve seen changes to meta descriptions and title tags stretch and then shrink back to normal size. The latest addition to Google’s SERP seem to be reviews for listings.
The Naughty or Nice List
Ranking highly on the SERP is a major target for the majority of companies who care about their SEO. Getting your website to the first page of Google takes a lot of time and effort, but imagine finally getting there and having negative comments posted alongside your page.
Google has recently let slip, through the publication of some help documentation, that reviews will soon be appearing on the search engine results page alongside listings. Much like a Facebook page, when you first visit a company page you will see the comments on the wall of that page front and centre, Google will be displaying some customer comments along with the meta description and other information displayed on the SERP.
Where Do They Come From?
At the moment there isn’t a great deal of information on what this is going to look like, or how it will be introduced, but we think it’s safe to assume that these changes will be linked to the recent improvements that Google has been making to the Google My Business platform, and also in some ways, helping to replace Google Plus.
Obviously, the first worry to pop into our heads is the ability to moderate these comments. As anyone who has ever used YouTube can testify, an unmoderated comments section can become toxic quite quickly. So the key here will be how Google police the comments, without giving companies too much power to censor them, and therefore render them pointless.
Any Comments?
Time will tell if this idea becomes a fixture on the SERP, but the ability to comment below a listing will certainly make things interesting for some time. Do you think comments will improve the search experience? Or is this just another crazy idea that will be forgotten about in a years time?
Educational Content – The Way Forward?