--- title: "March 2022 product reviews update: dates and what to do" url: https://seomadman.com/updates/march-2022-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"] --- # March 2022 product reviews update: dates and what to do ## The short answer Google's March 2022 product reviews update started on 23 March 2022 and finished on 6 April 2022, a 14-day rollout affecting English-language product reviews. Google said it improved its ability to identify high quality reviews and confirmed that the updates apply to ranked lists and comparison reviews, not only single-product reviews. ## Key takeaways - The Search Status Dashboard dates the rollout from 23 March 2022 to 6 April 2022. - Google said the update could affect English-language product reviews across many sites. - Google confirmed product reviews updates apply to ranked lists and comparison reviews. - Reviews calling a product the best should explain why, with first-hand supporting evidence. - Google published no impact figures for this update. ## What Google changed Google announced the update on 23 March 2022 in its [Search Central post](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2022/03/product-review-ranking-one-year-on), saying it builds on the past year's work "to enhance our ability to identify high quality product reviews." Google added that people prefer "detailed reviews with evidence of products actually being tested." The post also answered common questions about reviews covering several products: - "Product review updates apply to all forms of review content," including ranked lists and comparison reviews. - A review naming a product the best overall or best for a purpose should say why, with first-hand supporting evidence. - A ranked list can work alongside in-depth single-product reviews, if the list stands on its own. ## When it rolled out Google said the update "may impact the rankings of English-language product reviews across many sites" and would roll out over a few weeks. The [Search Status Dashboard](https://status.search.google.com/incidents/iYWoNu4QXRsQUrzxrbLv) records the rollout from 23 March 2022 to 6 April 2022, a total of 14 days, all times US/Pacific. The dashboard entry was added on 22 March 2023. No other confirmed update overlapped it. The page experience update for desktop had finished on 3 March 2022, 20 days earlier. ## What is known about its impact Google did not publish impact figures. It said it had "seen positive effects" of its earlier product review changes on the English-language ecosystem and planned to extend support to more languages, but gave no numbers. Treat any percentage you see attributed to this update as a third-party estimate. ## What site owners should do Google's [review guidance](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/specialty/ecommerce/write-high-quality-reviews) sets out the practices this update rewards: - Show first-hand evidence of testing, such as original images and pertinent results. - In ranked lists, show expertise concisely and explain why each pick earns its place. - Explain what sets a product apart and which option suits which use. - Cover benefits and drawbacks based on your own original research. - Focus on the quality and originality of reviews, not their length. ## How to check whether it affected you In Search Console, filter the Performance report to your review and best-of pages and compare clicks for the week before 23 March 2022 with the week starting 14 April 2022, a full week after completion. The [Google Algorithm Updates timeline](/updates) lists every confirmed update with its dates, so you can rule out overlapping rollouts before attributing a change to this one. ## Related updates - The [December 2021 product reviews update](/updates/december-2021-product-reviews-update) was the product reviews update before it. - The [July 2022 product reviews update](/updates/july-2022-product-reviews-update) was the next one. ## Frequently asked questions ### When did the March 2022 product reviews update start and finish? The Google Search Status Dashboard records the start on 23 March 2022 and completion on 6 April 2022, a 14-day rollout. Google announced it on the Search Central blog on 23 March 2022. ### Does the product reviews update apply to ranked lists? Yes. Google wrote that product review updates apply to all forms of review content, including ranked lists and comparison reviews, and suggested showing expertise concisely with test results and original images. ### Should I write single-product reviews as well as ranked lists? Google said it can be effective to combine a high quality ranked list with in-depth single-product reviews, as long as the ranked list has enough useful content to stand on its own. ## Sources 1. [March 2022 product reviews update (incident)](https://status.search.google.com/incidents/iYWoNu4QXRsQUrzxrbLv) - Google Search Status Dashboard (primary) 2. [Improving Product Review ranking, one year on](https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2022/03/product-review-ranking-one-year-on) - Google Search Central Blog (primary) 3. [Write high quality reviews](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/specialty/ecommerce/write-high-quality-reviews) - Google Search Central (primary)