Driving sales and traffic from product reviews is more vital today than ever before for online businesses. According to stats from Trustpilot, over 70% of consumers won‘t complete a purchase without reading reviews first.
Beyond conversions, reviews also provide search visibility benefits. Data from Moz shows pages with user-generated reviews can achieve over 25% higher search engine rankings.
With the right WordPress plugin, adding and optimizing customer product reviews becomes easy. In this updated guide for 2023, we showcase the top plugins for managing various review needs.
Core Benefits of Using a Review Plugin
While WordPress has some integrated review features, third-party plugins offer significant advantages like:
- Optimized review schema – Properly structured data improves SEO and powers rich snippets (star ratings, pricing, etc.) in search results.
- Enhanced display functionality – Flexibly showcase curated or user-generated reviews using shortcodes, widgets, blocks, and custom templates.
- More detailed feedback – Encourage comprehensive reviews by allowing pros/cons, images, videos, ratings per attribute, verifications, and more.
- Importing external reviews – Seamlessly pull authenticated reviews from major platforms like Google, Facebook, Yelp, and Amazon.
- Customer email follow-ups – Automated review requests and reminders after purchases to boost response rate.
- Advanced moderation – Review queues, spam blocking, and role-based publishing workflow.
- Metrics and reputation management – Track reviewer details and aggregate ratings over time.
Now let‘s explore highly-rated plugins offering the above capabilities and more.
1. Stamped.io – Powerful Import and Management
Stamped.io is the leading solution for sites needing aggregated reviews across major platforms like Google, Amazon, and Facebook.
Over 5,000 ecommerce merchants use Stamped currently, with the Stamped dashboard managing 50+ million imported reviews in 2022 alone.
Key Features
- Auto-import authenticated reviews from 100+ sources
- Role-based moderation and publishing
- In-depth reviewer profiles and metrics
- AI to detect fake/incentivized reviews
- Email review requests for customers
- Review widgets compatible with popular WordPress page builders
Pros
- Robust importing from major external platforms
- Highly customizable review forms/fields
- Powerful automated reviewer outreach
- Helps sites accumulate thousands of verified reviews
Cons
- Expensive pricing that scales per-location
- Overkill for simpler review needs
Stamped suits larger enterprises needing to aggregate authenticated reviews at scale across the web.
2. AliDropship Reviews Import – Top Plugin for Dropshippers
AliDropship Reviews Import focuses specifically on dropshippers working with the AliExpress platform.
It seamlessly pulls in product ratings and customer reviews from corresponding AliExpress listings to showcase on associated WooCommerce store pages. This builds trust and saves dropshippers from writing listings manually.
Over 5,000 users currently rely on AliDropship Reviews Import for the core functionality.
Key Features
- One-click automated review import from AliExpress
- Flexible display as summaries or full reviews
- Review data syncs automatically with AliExpress
- Sorting by date, rating, usefulness, etc
Pros
- Huge timesaver for AliExpress dropshippers
- Significantly increases conversion rates
- Great supplementary solution to other plugins
Cons
- Only useful for AliExpress-centered stores
- Limited features beyond core import process
Perfect for any dropshipper sourcing products primarily through AliExpress.
3. WP Customer Reviews – Gather Own Site Reviews
WP Customer Reviews focuses on maximizing user-generated reviews showcased directly on your WordPress site (rather than external import).
It powers review collection via customized forms, displaying the submissions using shortcodes, widgets, blocks, and endpoint pages.
Currently over 40,000 sites actively use WP Customer Reviews to engage visitors.
Key Features
- Build visually appealing review forms
- Flexible display control using templates
- Detailed reviewer moderation
- Integrates with leading form and page builders
- Basic review email marketing
Pros
- Excellent core tool for self-managed reviews
- Very customizable and extensible
- Affordable pricing plans
- Straightforward interface
Cons
- No support for external review importing
- Some features require developer intervention
Ideal for sites ready to actively solicit and host reviews independently.
/Full Plugin Comparison Table/
| Stamped.io | AliDropship Import | WP Customer Reviews | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Key Focus | Importing/aggregating external reviews | Importing AliExpress reviews | Collecting own site reviews |
| Cost | $19+/mo scaled pricing | One-time $47 | Freemium ($29+ premium) |
| Importing | Yes – all major platforms | Yes – AliExpress only | No |
| Email Marketing | Advanced built-in | No | Basic add-on |
| Use Case Fit | Larger catalogs, enterprises | AliExpress dropshippers | Smaller catalogs, self-managed |
/Expert Recommendations/
While the best WordPress review plugin depends on your business needs, I generally suggest:
- Stamped.io for larger brands needing aggregated external reviews
- AliDropship Reviews Import specifically for AliExpress dropshipping
- WP Customer Reviews for natively collecting your own reviews
Zomento, Birdeye, Judge.me, and Yotpo also provide excellent solutions in certain use cases.
Prioritize tools that simplify collecting and displaying impactful social proof that resonates with potential customers. Authentic reviews build authority and trust that drives purchasing decisions.
/Best Practices for Managing Product Reviews/
Once your plugin is capturing customer feedback, use these proven best practices for success:
- Make leaving reviews extremely quick and convenient
- Promote exemplary reviews via email lists and social media
- Monitor negative reviews and resolve issues promptly
- Refresh any imported reviews monthly to remain current
- Analyze metrics like ratings over time and by attribute
- Show aggregated reviews prominently across your store
- Incentivize customers to leave in-depth honest feedback
/Expert Final Thoughts/
Collecting and leveraging product reviews should become integral to both marketing and product development efforts. With helpful plugins covered here handling the technical work, focus more energy on engaging customers for valuable insights that also provide sales-driving social proof.
Prioritizing genuine reviews establishes reputation and ultimately long-term consumer trust in your business. Consult the comparison table and recommendations in this guide to select solutions matching your specific review management requirements.
