For Reviewers
A/ How to write a good review?
Typically, the top-performing reviews on Trustindex are those that are both detailed and informative, offering a personal account of an experience with a website or business. You have the freedom to discuss the advantages and drawbacks, your preferences and dislikes, and the reasons behind your recommendation (or lack thereof). A practical guideline to consider is asking yourself, “Would I find this review helpful?” or “What insights do I wish I had when I initially discovered this business?”
Reviews have the flexibility to encompass not only the services or products provided by a specific website but also insights into the content of the site itself. For instance, if it’s a news site or a platform hosting humorous videos, you’re welcome to provide feedback on those aspects. In essence, you can review anything that is associated with a website.
B/ What not to do in your reviews?
To keep reviews fair, please don’t review your own business or any that you’re linked to.
Also, please avoid using rude language or making personal attacks, like hate speech, bigotry, or inappropriate content. Remember, people of all ages read online reviews, so being respectful and polite is the way to go.
C/ Can I share a bad experience in my review?
Absolutely! You can write about both positive and negative experiences, which can be valuable for other consumers. However, it’s crucial to be truthful and offer as much relevant information as you can. While expressing your opinions is usually fine, posting false information can lead to legal consequences.
D/ Do you delete reviews?
In general, we uphold the principle of free speech and don’t remove reviews. However, there are specific situations where we do remove them when necessary, such as:
D1. Clash of interest
- Second-hand experiences
- Personal attacks like hate speech, bigotry, and lewd content
- Irrelevance (e.g., spam or a review meant for a different business)
D2. Regarding Plagiarism
Additionally, an automated algorithm is in place to identify and remove certain reviews, aiming to safeguard both buyers and businesses from fraudulent or copied reviews.
D3. Reason for not accepting/removing reviews
- Violates Terms of Use
- Fake or Spam reviews
- Irrelevant content
- Inappropriate language or content
- Conflicts of interest
- Duplicated content
- Privacy concerns
- Defamation or false information
- Bias or prejudice
- Promotional content
For Companies
A/ What can I do when receiving a bad review?
It’s common to receive a negative review on occasion. A few bad reviews typically won’t significantly impact your business, especially when balanced by positive feedback from satisfied customers. In fact, a mix of opinions can be helpful.
If you’re a business owner and want to respond to a review, you can do this through your business dashboard. If you don’t have a business account yet, you can create your business profile here.
B/ How to collect real reviews easily
Collecting reviews can be crucial for building trust and credibility for your business. Here are some strategies to help you collect reviews more easily:
- Request Reviews with Trustindex:
- Directly ask satisfied customers to leave a review. You can do this in person with Review Collector Cards, through automatic email campaigns, or in your email signature with Review signature widgets.
- Use Social Media:
- Use your social media platforms to encourage reviews. You can create Review Images to share on your platforms directly.
- Email Campaigns:
- Send out email campaigns specifically asking for reviews. With Trustindex, it’s easy to set up an automatic review-collecting email campaign.
- Display Positive Reviews:
- Display positive reviews on your website with review widgets. This encourages others to leave reviews as well and draws in more potential customers.
C/ How to request a revision for a review
C1. If the review is submitted to the Trustindex platform
Everyone can request a revision of a review published on the Trustindex platform if the validity of the review arises. The review is not acceptable (thereby deleted) if it contradicts the conditions set in the Review Guidelines.
The official way to revise a review is to report the review through the Trustindex system. This can be done on the “Review management” page in Trustindex Admin or on the Public Review Summary Page by clicking on the “Report” button and selecting the perceived reason.
Once the report is submitted, our customer service team will request proof (images, documentation, invoice, receipt) from the person who wrote the review. This allows us to verify if there was any relationship between the company and the reviewer.
The reviewer has 2 weeks to produce the evidence (of the service or purchase) or contact us. During this time, the review can appear in the same way as it does before the revision process.
The revision of the review has 2 possible outcomes:
- If the reviewer submits proof and it will be accepted: the review remains unchanged.
- If the reviewer does not submit any acceptable evidence within the 2-week grace period, the review will be marked as unacceptable and can be removed from Trustindex forever. It will not appear on the Public Review Summary Page and will not be included in the rating score.
We will not remove the review only upon a request being made. If you have a problem with a review, we suggest you start an official review revision.
C2. If the review is NOT submitted through the Trustindex platform
If the review originates not from Trustindex, but another review platform, yet it appears on the Trustindex Public Review Summary Page due to aggregation, the review revision must be initiated on the platform where the review was submitted, because Trustindex has no power to remove reviews posted on Google, Facebook, and other platforms. If a review is deleted on the original platform, it will also be removed from the Trusitndex system within 1 week at the latest, as reviews are automatically updated sooner or later by the platform.