Reviews Widget

The Reviews Widget is one of several "Community Widgets" available to all users on ShinePages.

While ALL community widgets offer the ability to create interactive discussions or "commenting" on your pages, they each have slightly different aesthetics, structure and functionality - lending themselves to slightly different uses.

All Community Widgets (Discussion Widget, Wall/Forum Widget, Comment Area Widget, Reviews Widget) require users to "login" (or create an account) as a "Member" of your site in order to participate/comment.  

The Reviews widget lets you add a simple, interactive review section to your product pages - or to any page of your site or funnel. It’s perfect for gathering feedback, displaying testimonials, or collecting insights on specific products, events, or services.

With this widget, your members or customers can:

• Submit reviews with text, images, and emoji reactions.




• Engage with your site content by leaving feedback.

• Help you build trust by showcasing authentic customer experiences.

Once the Reviews widget is placed on your page,(simply drag the widget where you'd like from the Widgets menu) the settings panel allows you to customize permissions, moderation, and appearance. 

FIRST STEP: 

Type your OWN Review Widget "Thread Name" in the Name field (overwrite/replace the "Default-XXXXXXXXX" Name with your OWN Review thread name - ie: "Review of Product A", "Review of Event Name", etc.) When you create a new name - you will be given the option to save it and use it.

If you already have existing Review widgets created - a Drop-Down list of Review thread names will appear when you place your cursor into the Name box. You can "Select" a Review thread name from this list to display instead. 

NEXT STEP CONFIGURATIONS: 

-Review Approval & Moderation

• All new reviews are automatically set to “Waiting Approval.”




• To approve reviews:

  1. Navigate to Website Settings > Moderation > Reviews.

  
  

  2. Select the review you want to approve and click “Approve.”

• Once approved, the review will be visible to all visitors.

• You can also reply to reviews directly from the Moderation board for better engagement.

-Who Can Leave a Review?

You can set permission levels to control who can submit reviews:

• Only Admins: Restricts review posting to site admins.

• Admins & Moderators: Allows admins and moderators to post reviews.

• All Logged-In Members (default): Any member of your site or funnel can leave a review.

Even when “All Members” is selected, members must be previously logged in to interact with the Reviews Widget. If a visitor is not logged in, they will still see the Reviews, but will not be able to comment or react until they are logged in. 

NOTE: Unlike with other widgets - there is no button to click within the Reviews widget that will pop open the "login/register" window. The user would need to be logged in via other means.  Anytime a visitor "Registers" on your site via any means - they will become a "Website Member" of your site (part of your Default Member Group). If any Community widget is within a Community Circle, they will also become a "Circle Member")

-Supported Review Formats

• Text: Users can write detailed feedback or testimonials.

• Images: Enable the "Allow Images setting" to let users upload images with their reviews.

• Reactions & Emojis: Allow users to add emoji reactions to express quick feedback.

-Adjusting for Dark Backgrounds

If your page uses a dark background, enable the Light Text Theme in the widget settings. This ensures that reviews are easy to read and visually clear against dark page elements.

Best Practices

• Encourage detailed reviews: Ask users to include both text and images to make reviews more impactful.

• Enable moderation for public reviews: Helps ensure all displayed reviews align with your brand’s tone.

• Showcase the best reviews: Use the moderation panel to curate which reviews appear first.

• Match design with your site: Adjust light/dark mode for a seamless look.