Until April 2023, Google’s reviews-focused updates had a clear boundary: they were about product reviews. If you wrote about restaurants, hotels, software services, films or travel destinations, they were not designed with you in mind. The April 2023 reviews update removed that boundary.
Google dropped the word “product”, renamed the system the “reviews system”, and said the update covered reviews about products, services and things. The rollout ran from 12 to 25 April 2023. For publishers in travel, entertainment, local services and B2B software, review content was now judged against the same standards affiliate product sites had been adapting to for two years.
This guide explains the rename, the expanded scope, the confirmed dates and the guidance Google gave, plus a practical checklist for any kind of review content.
Key Takeaways
- The April 2023 reviews update ran from 12 April 2023 to 25 April 2023, according to Google’s Search Status Dashboard.
- Google renamed the “product reviews system” the “reviews system” and widened it beyond products.
- Scope expanded to reviews of services, businesses, destinations and media such as games and films, as well as products.
- It evaluates first-party standalone review content, not user reviews posted on product or service pages.
- Google’s best practices for reviews stayed the same: first-hand evidence, expertise, comparisons and genuine analysis.
The update at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Official name | April 2023 reviews update |
| Rollout start | 12 April 2023 |
| Rollout complete | 25 April 2023 (about 13 days) |
| Type | Reviews system update (standalone from core updates) |
| Confirmed by Google? | Yes |
| Key change | Renamed from product reviews system to reviews system; broader scope |
| Languages | English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Russian, Dutch, Portuguese and Polish |
| Not covered | Third-party user reviews, such as those posted by customers |
“Released the April 2023 reviews update, which now covers reviews about products, services, and things.”
— Google Search Status Dashboard, April 2023 reviews update
From product reviews to all reviews
Search Engine Land documented how Google rewrote its documentation alongside the update. The word “product” was mostly removed or replaced with generic terms such as “thing”, “shoppers” became “people”, and the old product reviews pages were redirected to the new reviews system pages. Google also clarified what the system looks at:
“The reviews system is designed to evaluate articles, blog posts, pages or similar first-party standalone content.”
— Google documentation, as quoted by Search Engine Land, Google releases April 2023 reviews update
Google added that the system does not evaluate third-party reviews, such as those posted by users. So the star ratings customers leave on your product pages, your Google Business Profile reviews and marketplace feedback are not what this system assesses. For managing those, see our guide to online review management.
What types of content are now in scope?
| Review category | Examples | What strong content looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Products | Laptops, winter jackets, appliances | Hands-on testing, measurements, comparisons |
| Services and businesses | Restaurants, software tools, agencies, fashion brands | Real use or visits, pricing context, pros and cons |
| Destinations | Cities, hotels, attractions | First-hand travel experience, original photos, practical tips |
| Media | Games, films, books | Informed critique, context, comparison with similar works |
| Formats | Single-item reviews, head-to-head comparisons, ranked lists | Clear criteria and evidence behind every ranking |
The examples come from Search Engine Land’s summary of Google’s guidance and from Semrush’s timeline, which lists services, destinations, games and movies among the newly covered categories. If you run a travel site or a media and entertainment site, this was the update that brought your reviews into scope.
It also matters for local businesses and B2B companies. A plumber’s blog post comparing boiler brands, an agency’s round-up of project management tools or a law firm’s article weighing up types of business insurance can all count as review content if they recommend, opine on or analyse options. That does not mean every comparison page will be judged harshly. It means that pages making recommendations should show the reasoning and experience behind them, rather than repeating what every other page already says. A short, honest comparison written by someone who has actually used the options is usually stronger than a long one stitched together from other sites.
Page-level or site-wide?
Google’s current reviews system documentation says evaluation is primarily page-level. However, for sites with a substantial amount of review content, any content on the site might be evaluated by the system. Sites with only a few reviews are unlikely to receive a site-wide evaluation. In practice, that means a news site with an occasional review is mostly judged page by page, while a dedicated review site may feel a broader effect.
What Google advised
Search Engine Land noted that Google’s best practices for high-quality reviews were not new. They include:
- Show genuine expertise in the topic you are reviewing.
- Provide evidence of first-hand experience, such as original photos, video or measurements.
- Explain what sets something apart from competitors, and cover benefits and drawbacks.
- Compare with alternatives and explain which option suits which needs.
- Link to useful resources, including more than one seller where relevant.
Our reviews system explainer and reviews content guide turn these into a template.
Checklist: adapting non-product reviews
- Inventory every page that recommends, opines on or analyses something: services, places, media, software.
- In Search Console, compare those pages’ performance from 12 to 25 April 2023 with the weeks before.
- For each important page, ask: does it show we actually used, visited or experienced this?
- Add original evidence: your own photos, screenshots, timings, costs, test notes.
- Add comparisons with realistic alternatives and explain who each option suits.
- Name the author and their relevant experience; see author pages for SEO.
- Merge or remove reviews you cannot substantiate.
If your review content lost visibility, follow our reviews update recovery guide.
Common mistakes
- Thinking the update affected customer reviews. It evaluates first-party standalone review content, not user reviews.
- Assuming “we are not a product site” means you are exempt. Services, places and media were explicitly brought in.
- Publishing “best X” lists without criteria. Ranked lists need visible reasoning and evidence.
- Relying on review schema to signal quality. Markup can help identification but does not prove experience.
- Writing destination reviews without visiting. Desk-research travel content struggles against first-hand accounts.
How it fits the bigger timeline
The April 2023 update followed the multilingual February 2023 product reviews update and the March 2023 core update. The next and final announced reviews update was the November 2023 reviews update, after which Google said it would improve the reviews system at a regular, ongoing pace without announcing each change. See the algorithm updates hub for the complete history.
Related Guides
- Google's August 2023 Core Update and the Rise of Forums
- Google's September 2023 Helpful Content Update: Why It Hit Small Publishers So Hard
- Google’s October 2023 Spam Update: Expanding Language Coverage
Frequently Asked Questions
When did the April 2023 reviews update roll out?
Google’s Search Status Dashboard shows it started on 12 April 2023 and was complete on 25 April 2023.
What is the difference between the product reviews system and the reviews system?
It is the same system renamed. From April 2023 it covered reviews of services, businesses, destinations, media and other things, not only products.
Does it affect customer reviews on my site?
No. Google says it does not evaluate third-party reviews such as those posted by users; it evaluates first-party standalone review content.
Which languages did it cover?
English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Russian, Dutch, Portuguese and Polish, the same languages covered since February 2023.
Is the reviews system site-wide?
Google says evaluation is primarily page-level, but sites with a substantial amount of review content may have any content evaluated.
Conclusion
The April 2023 reviews update turned a product-focused system into one that covers almost anything people review. If you publish opinions on services, places, software or media, the bar is first-hand experience and honest analysis. For help raising your review content to that standard, talk to our content writing team or get a free quote.
