Increasing engagement and getting feedback from your audience are crucial elements of running a successful WordPress site. One of the best ways to do this is by implementing a rating and review system.
There are many great plugins available, both free and premium, that allow you to easily add ratings and reviews to your WordPress site. In this article, we will look at 11 of the top options to consider in 2023.
Why Reviews and Ratings Matter
Here are some of the key benefits of having reviews and ratings on your WordPress site:
- Increased User Engagement – Allowing users to rate and review content gets them more actively involved with your site. This improves overall engagement.
- Social Proof – Ratings and reviews build trust and credibility through social proof. Visitors can see real feedback from real users.
- SEO Value – Ratings and reviews strengthen your SEO when implemented with rich snippets. Google displays star ratings in search results.
- Conversion Optimization – Peer reviews boost conversion rates by provide social validation. This peer pressure motivates purchases.
- Customer Insights – User-generated reviews give you valuable insights into customer needs, pains, and feedback on products/services.
- Improved Products/Services – Reviews highlight areas for improvement so you can continue optimizing and enhancing your offerings.
Top Free WordPress Ratings and Reviews Plugins
1. PollDaddy
PollDaddy allows you to create unlimited polls and embed reviews from PaulDaddy directly inside your WordPress site. You can add a rating to a blog post and have it displayed under the post title.
The poll and rating features provide a simple way to get feedback from your audience. The plugin is easy to set up and use.
2. KK Star Ratings
KK Star Ratings lets your viewers rate your content using a star rating system. It supports Google Rich Snippets so the ratings are indexed by Google and can show up in search results.
You can customize the number of stars and use the included widget to display top-rated posts. This is great for encouraging engagement.
3. WP Customer Reviews
WP Customer Reviews enables you to allow customers to write reviews directly on your site. The reviews are moderated so you decide what gets published.
This is ideal if you run a local business and want to feature authentic customer testimonials on your site. The lightweight code base makes it fast and simple to use.
4. WP Product Review Lite
WP Product Review Lite lets you write product review summaries. You can list pros/cons, grade features, and insert affiliate links.
The plugin is customizable and also supports Rich Snippets. It’s a great choice for review-focused sites.
5. WP Review
WP Review offers Stars, Percentages, and Points review types. It has unlimited color schemes and is fast and lightweight.
You can display reviews on a post-by-post basis. It’s easy to set up and great for adding simple yet effective ratings.
6. Comment Rating Field
Comment Rating Field adds a star rating system to your comments section. Users can leave a rating with their comments.
It’s a straightforward way to get ratings attached to user feedback.
Best Premium WordPress Reviews Plugins
Here are some of the best premium WordPress ratings and reviews plugins:
7. WP Business Reviews
WP Business Reviews pulls in and displays your reviews from multiple sites. You get extensive customization options for styling and layout.
It’s a great way to showcase externally-hosted reviews without asking customers to leave additional feedback. Pricing starts at $99/year.
8. TAC Team WordPress Review Plugin
TAC Team lets you insert summarized reviews into posts. It has built-in Google Fonts support and is customizable.
The widgets allow you to display reviews in sidebars or footers. It also supports Rich Snippets. Pricing starts at $29.
9. Reviewer WordPress Plugin
Reviewer enables fully customizable reviews as well as comparison charts. It comes with templates to get you started.
There are many options for tailoring the look and functionality. It’s a robust premium option starting at $27.
10. Book Review
Book Review is designed specifically for book reviews. You can customize colors, add cover images, and link to purchase options.
If you run a book review site, this plugin simplifies the process.
11. YOTPO
YOTPO is an all-in-one review and UGC platform. It goes beyond basic ratings and reviews.
You get features like photos, Q&A, user-generated content, loyalty programs, and more. Pricing starts at $118/month.
Implementing Ratings and Reviews Best Practices
To get the most value from ratings and reviews, keep these best practices in mind:
- Make it easy for users to submit reviews with clear calls-to-action
- Send review request emails to customers after purchases to proactively collect feedback
- Moderate reviews to filter out spam and inappropriate content
- Highlight and display reviews visually with star ratings, badges, etc.
- curate and feature your best reviews prominently across your site and content
- Use rich snippets to optimize reviews for SEO and search visibility
- Analyze review sentiment and feedback to improve weak areas
- Promptly reply to negative reviews to publicly address concerns
- Share great reviews on social media to expand reach and awareness
Final Thoughts
Adding ratings and reviews to your WordPress site is a great way to increase engagement, get feedback, and build trust with your audience. The plugins covered above represent some of the top options to consider in 2023.
The best free plugins provide core ratings and reviews functionality along with options like star ratings and Google Rich Snippet integration. Premium plugins offer more advanced features and customization for additional fees.
Think about your specific goals and needs to determine which plugin is the best fit for your WordPress site. With the right solution in place, you can start leveraging user-generated ratings and reviews to grow your site and community.