Google Product Forums

Re: Think you're affected by the recent algorithm change? Post here.

jim_sf Mar 4, 2011 8:56 PM
Posted in group: Webmaster Central

Categories: Crawling, indexing & ranking :

Thanks Wysz for opening up and providing a conduit for feedback. Buzzillions.com has had a reduction in traffic due to this algorithm change.

We feel that demoting Buzzillions from results has reduced access to an efficient, well-organized site where users can get consolidated access to consumer product reviews in an editorially neutral, user-centric setting. We believe the sites that have filled the void do not benefit the user and often degrade the search experience.

Following are four examples:

Search Term: Crib Mattress Reviews
Search Intent: Category

Before: #1 on Page 1
After: #9 on Page 1

Buzzillions page that ranks for this query: http://www.buzzillions.com/crib-mattress-reviews

Buzzillions has gathered and categorized almost 1,600 reviews on over 120 crib mattresses. We created a buying guide to start the user down the path toward buying a crib mattress. User intent here is at the category level.

This Made for AdSense site persists at #2 and gains a #3 listing:
http://www.crib-mattress-guide.com/

Click on Crib Safety and you’ll find that there is essentially no original content. All of the safety tips are cribbed from the Consumer Product Safety Commission which the site fails to link to.

This Made for Amazon site with thin content persists at #4:
http://www.allcribmattresses.com/crib-mattress-reviews/

The Epinions page provides four reviews on just one mattress which does not match the category level query intent.

Search Term: Dishwasher Reviews
Search Intent: Category

Before: #4 on Page 1
After: #9 on Page 1

Buzzillions page that ranks for this query: http://www.buzzillions.com/dishwasher-reviews

There are basically identical MFA sites rank #4 and #5 and apparently come from the same owner, or one has cribbed the other's privacy policy word for word.
#4 is http://www.dishwasher-review.com
#5 is http://www.dishwasher-ratings.com

The Epinions page for this query has sorting filters without advice. Using those filters leads to a much smaller set of reviewed dishwashers than found on Buzzillions. In addition, many dishwashers at Epinions do not have reviews.

Search Term: Slim Shots Reviews
Search Intent: Product

Before: #1 on Page 1
After: #6 on Page 1

Buzzillions page that ranks for this query: http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/slim-shotsappetite-controller-30-vanilla-flavor-30ea-reviews

Slim Shots is a representative product example where the Buzzillions team unifies multiple product representations from multiple vendors into one easy to use page for consumers with over 130 consumer reviews, which includes filters to read reviews from only Health Conscious reviewers or only Athletic reviewers in addition to highlighting negative reviews in the Review Faceoff and offering a chart to visually gauge the Pros and Cons.

This #2 site appears to be a paid content blog post from three years ago:
http://blog.asseenontvnetwork.com/slim-shots-review-do-they-work/

The site showing up at #3 and #4 boasts being a weight loss center but shows no address or identifying info whatsoever. The content is boilerplate and appears to be an advertisement or backlink site for another product called Lumatrim.
http://www.slimshotsreview.com/
http://www.slimshotsreview.com/slimshots-reviews.html

Amazon at #4 is out of stock and only has 22 reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/Slim-Shots-Appetite-Controller-Supply/dp/B0015X5A1A

Search Term: Green Tea Fat Burner Reviews
Search Intent: Product

Before: #1 on Page 1
After: #4 on Page 1

Buzzillions page that ranks for this query: http://www.buzzillions.com/reviews/appliednutrition-green-tea-fat-burner-liquid-soft-gel-30ea-reviews

The #2 site is not a review site and the green tea fat burner product is not even mentioned on this page.
http://www.fatburner.net/

The #3 site is an advertisement for two other products called Tava and Phen375.
http://www.24weightloss.com/advanced-green-tea-fat-burner-review.html

Also, viewpoints.com had a page that had original consumer reviews for this site. Not sure why they were dinged on this query.

These are but a few examples among hundreds that we could provide, and will upon request. In terms of other sites affected it seems like viewpoints.com would succeed instead of epinions but viewpoints seems to have been hit negatively by this change as well.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

More about Buzzillions:
Finding buying information and product reviews on the Internet can be frustrating. Users want trusted, unbiased, up-to-date reviews. Not just one or two either. Research shows users seek to read between 4 to 7 reviews before making a purchase decision. Buzzillions spent the last 4 years creating buying advice and legally aggregating reviews across a wide variety of categories into a user-centric shopping site.

Thanks, Jim