Google Developer Advocate Alan Kent says product reviews linked to multiple sellers may receive a ranking boost over reviews linked to a single seller.
Kent confirmed this on Twitter in response to a question about Google’s documentation on writing quality product reviews.
There is a line in the document that reads:
“Consider adding links to multiple sellers to give the reader the opportunity to shop from their retailer of choice.”
Does this mean that a website will be disadvantaged if it only points to one seller?
Kent says yes, linking to just one retailer would put the site at a disadvantage.
A product review site that links to multiple sellers could get a ranking boost if all others were equal.
Yes. If there were two great sites with similarly great content, the one with reviews linking to multiple vendors could get a little boost. But more often content quality will vary and dominate.
– Alan Kent (@akent99) January 10, 2023
It can be a good idea to link to multiple retailers when writing a product review, as this gives readers options and allows them to compare prices and availability.
By presenting customers with multiple ways to purchase a product, Google shows that you’re trying to be helpful.
Linking to only one seller might make it appear that the sole purpose of the product review is to generate affiliate revenue.
However, it’s still important to disclose any potential bias or financial incentives you may have for associating with specific merchants, even if there is more than one option.
In addition, it is always good practice to check and ensure you are complying with any affiliate program terms or policies before posting your product review.
These include Google’s guidelines, which state that you should use the rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow” attribute when posting affiliate links.
Featured image: Tikhonova Yana/Shutterstock
