--- title: "February 2023 product reviews update: dates and what to do" url: https://seomadman.com/updates/february-2023-product-reviews-update section: updates language: en published: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-09-26T00:00:00.000Z author: Adam Hafez topics: ["Ecommerce SEO", "Content strategy"] --- # February 2023 product reviews update: dates and what to do ## The short answer Google's February 2023 product reviews update started on 21 February 2023 and finished on 7 March 2023, a 14-day rollout. The Search Status Dashboard says it applied globally to 11 languages, well beyond English. Google published no impact figures. Its guidance is to write reviews that show first-hand expertise, evidence and original research. ## Key takeaways - The Search Status Dashboard dates the rollout from 21 February 2023 to 7 March 2023, a 14-day run. - Google said it applied globally to 11 languages, including Spanish, German, French and Portuguese. - Google published no Search Central blog post and no impact figures for this update. - Google's review guidance asks for first-hand evidence, quantitative measurements and original research. - It finished eight days before the March 2023 core update began, so the two did not overlap. ## What Google changed The February 2023 product reviews update was a new run of Google's product reviews system. Google's [Search Status Dashboard](https://status.search.google.com/incidents/NDjZ11MEUJb5i62hy5aN) entry says it "applies to the following languages globally," listing English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Russian, Dutch, Portuguese and Polish. That made it broader in language coverage than the September 2022 product reviews update, which the dashboard records as applying to English-language product reviews. Google did not publish a Search Central blog post for this update. Its ranking systems guide now describes the reviews system as aiming to reward "high quality reviews, content that provides insightful analysis and original research." ## When it rolled out The dashboard says the incident began on 21 February 2023 and that the rollout was complete as of 7 March 2023, a 14-day run in US/Pacific time. Both entries are timestamped 22 March 2023, when Google added ranking updates to the dashboard, so they were posted after the rollout ended. No other confirmed update overlapped it. The March 2023 core update began on 15 March 2023, eight days after this one finished. ## What is known about its impact Google published no impact figures for this update: no share of queries affected and no list of affected sites. Treat any percentage attributed to it as a third-party estimate, and check its method. ## What site owners should do Google's guidance on writing high quality reviews is the practical checklist: - Evaluate products from a user's perspective and show you know what you are reviewing. - Provide evidence of your own experience, such as visuals, audio or links. - Share quantitative measurements of how something performs in different categories. - Explain what sets a product apart from competitors, and its benefits and drawbacks based on your own original research. - When naming something "the best," say why, with first-hand supporting evidence. Google also says to focus on "the quality and originality of your reviews, not the length." ## How to check whether it affected you In Search Console, filter the Performance report to your review pages and compare clicks for the week before 21 February 2023 with 8 to 14 March 2023, the week after completion. The March 2023 core update began on 15 March, so a later window mixes the two updates. The [Google Algorithm Updates timeline](/updates) lists every confirmed update with its dates, so you can rule out a nearby rollout before attributing a change to this one. ## Related updates - The [September 2022 product reviews update](/updates/september-2022-product-reviews-update) was the product reviews update before it. - The [April 2023 reviews update](/updates/april-2023-reviews-update) was the next one. - The [March 2023 core update](/updates/march-2023-core-update) began eight days after it finished. ## Frequently asked questions ### When did the February 2023 product reviews update start and finish? The Google Search Status Dashboard says the incident began on 21 February 2023 and that the rollout was complete as of 7 March 2023, a 14-day run in US/Pacific time. ### Which languages did the February 2023 product reviews update cover? The dashboard lists English, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Russian, Dutch, Portuguese and Polish, applied globally. ### What should I do if my review pages dropped after this update? Compare your reviews with Google's guidance on high quality reviews. It asks for evidence of your own experience, quantitative measurements, what sets a product apart from competitors, and benefits and drawbacks based on original research. ## Sources 1. [February 2023 product reviews update (incident)](https://status.search.google.com/incidents/NDjZ11MEUJb5i62hy5aN) - Google Search Status Dashboard (primary) 2. [Write high quality reviews](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/specialty/ecommerce/write-high-quality-reviews) - Google Search Central (primary) 3. [A guide to Google Search ranking systems](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ranking-systems-guide) - Google Search Central (primary)