{"id":117363,"date":"2022-10-31T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-31T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/google-doubles-up-its-updates-and-tightens-review-guidelines\/"},"modified":"2024-12-20T09:24:10","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T14:24:10","slug":"google-doubles-up-its-updates-and-tightens-review-guidelines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/en-ca\/insights\/blog\/local-search\/google-doubles-up-its-updates-and-tightens-review-guidelines\/","title":{"rendered":"Google doubles up its updates and tightens review guidelines"},"content":{"rendered":"

We may be heading towards the end of 2022, but the change of pace never lets up in local search. Let’s run through all the updates you need to know before the holiday season arrives!<\/p>\n

Google releases an algorithm update one day after its spam update concludes<\/h2>\n

Unless your business is particularly affected by the issue\u2014such as insurers and locksmiths\u2014you may not appreciate the prevalence of fake websites and listings on Google<\/a>. The search giant regularly rolls out spam updates to not only maintain the quality of its search results but actively remove bad actors who attempt to steal personal information or hold leads hostage to sell back to legitimate businesses.<\/p>\n

Immediately following another spam update on October 22 came an algorithm update. This dual nature of these changes makes it highly likely that many businesses will see ranking fluctuations, especially those who are continually competing to outrank spam. If you are a webmaster and see volatility in your rankings specifically after the two updates in the first three weeks of October, these two updates may be the culprits.<\/p>\n

As always, knowing when Google makes these updates may help you understand if subsequent changes are due to something you changed on your website or something Google changed in its ranking algorithm. The appropriate response remains the same: Whether there is an algorithm update or not, follow SEO best practices<\/a> and maintain a robust organic presence that is less prone to algorithm volatility.<\/p>\n

Google tightens its review guidelines<\/h2>\n

As Google continues its process of becoming the world’s de facto<\/em> review platform, it is updating its policies to ensure Google reviews are among the most reliable. The search giant, in fact, was one of the first platforms to ban “review gating”, whereby businesses reach out to customers for feedback and only encourage them to leave a Google review if it’s likely to be positive. Since Google first banned review gating\u2014and demanded that all review solicitation requires the option to post directly on Google\u2014other review platforms, like Yelp, have followed suit.<\/p>\n

\"Woman<\/p>\n

Never one to stand still, Google has updated its review policies once again to keep legitimate reviews flowing. Its revised contribution policy<\/a> now specifies that businesses cannot engage in the practice of “discouraging or prohibiting negative reviews, or selectively soliciting positive reviews from customers.” Individual policies existed before, such as the aforementioned prohibition on review gating, but the new verbiage acts a catch-all to discourage all forms of review manipulation.<\/p>\n

New Google features for travel and tour-booking<\/h2>\n

The lockdowns of 2020 allowed Google to launch various travel and tourism-focused features in a very controlled environment. In short, the limited number of flights and travelers allowed for low-stakes testing\u2014and now that restrictions are easing, Google is slowly scaling its new travel products.<\/p>\n

With Google hotel<\/a> and attraction bookings now a common feature, we’re starting to see incremental improvements. Case in point is the latest update, which adds three new features to assist in visiting specific attractions.<\/p>\n

\"Editing<\/p>\n

GIF: Google<\/a><\/p>\n

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  1. Ticket booking links for attractions<\/strong>:\n