Let’s be real; star ratings are like the salt to your french fries – essential in today’s digital world! They give readers a quick and easy way to gauge the quality of your content, products, or services. But with so many star-rating plugins available for WordPress, it can be overwhelming to choose the best one. Don’t worry; I’ve got your back!
This article will explore the top star-rating plugins for WordPress, including my favorite, Strong Testimonials. We’ll give you all the juicy deets you need to make an informed decision. So, please grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and let’s dive in!
Table of contents
Criteria for Evaluating Star Rating Plugins
Before we jump into the exciting world of star-rating plugins, let’s discuss the factors we can consider when evaluating them. I want to ensure that the recommended plugins meet the needs of our audience and deliver the best user experience possible.
- Ease of use: This one is a biggie! No one wants to spend hours figuring out how to install and set up a plugin. That’s why I looked for plugins that are user-friendly and straightforward to use.
- Customization options: Every website is unique, and so is every user’s preference. I searched for plugins that offered various customization options, such as changing the style and color of the star ratings.
- Compatibility: This is also an important factor. I checked that the recommended plugins are compatible with the latest version of WordPress and other commonly used plugins. I don’t want to suggest a plugin that will cause compatibility issues and headaches. (Nobody needs that.)
- User reviews: Who knows better than the users themselves, right? I scoured the internet for user reviews to ensure that the plugins recommended have positive reviews that reflect their effectiveness, reliability, and ease of use.
By considering these criteria, you’ll be able to find a star-rating plugin that meets your needs and helps you engage with your audience more effectively.
Top Star Rating Plugins for WordPress
In this section, I’ve highlighted the cream of the crop regarding star-rating plugins for WordPress. These plugins offer a range of features and benefits, so you’re sure to find one that suits your needs and helps you stand out from the competition. Let’s take a closer look!
WP Forms
If you’re already using WPForms for forms on your website, you’ll be happy to know that their star-rating forms are just as user-friendly and customizable. The insights you gain from the ratings can help you better tailor your content or products to suit your audience’s needs and preferences.
WPForms allows adding star ratings in general forms, but you can also pair it with a testimonial form template to collect reviews and testimonials from clients. The star rating is available in both the free and paid versions of the plugin.
The star rating feature in WPForms is versatile. It can be used for various purposes, such as collecting feedback, gathering customer reviews, or rating products or services. You can also change the color of the stars in the star rating system.
| ✔️ Pros | ❌ Cons |
| Intuitive drag-and-drop form builder | It is a paid plugin, which can be expensive for some users |
| Fully customizable | Limited features compared to other star rating plugins |
| Integration with various email marketing services | |
| Mobile-friendly and responsive | |
| Secure and reliable |
Rating Widget
RatingWidget is a star when it comes to WordPress plugins! This highly popular plugin is loved by many for its versatile options. Not only does it offer star ratings, but it also provides polls and surveys to help you gather even more insights into your audience’s preferences. The star rating feature is available in both the free and paid versions of the plugin.
The customization options are extensive, so you can create widgets that perfectly match your site’s design and brand. Best of all, it’s super user-friendly and won’t require a tech genius to get it up and running on your site.
The paid versions of RatingWidget allow you to track the performance of your ratings and see how users are rating your content. It also offer more customization options for your ratings, such as the ability to change the color of the stars, the number of stars, and the text that appears next to the stars.
RatingWidget’s star rating system lets you collect feedback, reviews, and testimonials from people who visit your website. This feedback is super helpful because it helps you make your products or services better and gives you an idea of what people really think about your website.
| ✔️ Pros | ❌ Cons |
| Easy to use | Not an ideal solution unless you require polls and surveys |
| Fully customizable | The free version has limited features |
| Supports various rating types (e.g., thumbs up, stars, hearts, etc.) | |
| Real-time analytics | |
| Integration with various email marketing services |
Strong Testimonials
Strong Testimonials Plugin
We’ve built the #1 WordPress plugin for collecting, managing, and displaying testimonials. Drive more sales by leveraging your existing user audience.
If you’re looking for a versatile and customizable plugin to add star ratings and testimonials to your WordPress site, Strong Testimonials might be the perfect fit for you. This powerful plugin offers various display options, including testimonial sliders, grids, and list views, which are highly customizable and can be tailored to fit your site’s style and design.
With Strong Testimonials, you can also add star ratings to your testimonials, adding an extra layer of credibility and authority to your site. And the best part? It’s easy to set up and use to display your star ratings and testimonials in no time.
Strong Testimonials allows you also to import the star ratings when importing reviews from third-party platforms with the help of the Importer extension.
On top of that, with the help of the review markup add-on, you can include a rating markup, which will help search engines identify your testimonials as reviews in search results.
The free version of Strong Testimonials allows you to add a star rating field to your testimonials. The pro version allows you to change the color of the stars, but you will need the Strong Testimonials Pro Templates extension activated, which comes with the Plus plan or higher.
The templates that allow you to change the star rating color are Card, Elegant, Minimalist, Side, and Table.
The star rating system provided by Strong Testimonials serves as a valuable tool for collecting feedback, reviews, and testimonials from your users. This insightful input can be utilized to enhance your products or services and gain a deeper understanding of your users’ perspectives regarding your website.
| ✔️ Pros | ❌ Cons |
| Easy to use | Depending on the complexity of your testimonial layouts and styles, the plugin may require some additional CSS customization to achieve the desired look |
| Fully customizable | The free version has limited features |
| Integration with various email marketing services | |
| Shortcodes and widgets for easy display | |
| Supports custom fields for more advanced customization |
WP Review
Another great plugin for bloggers or website owners who want to review products or services is the WP Review plugin by MyThemeShop. This plugin allows you to add beautiful and customizable review boxes to your posts and pages, complete with star ratings, pros and cons, summaries, and more. The star rating feature is available in both the free and paid versions of the plugin.
You can use star, point, and percentage style ratings with the free version, and the pro version allows you to use thumbs-up and circle rating criteria.
The star rating system offered by WP Review provides a valuable means to rate the products, services, or content available on your website. This data can play a crucial role in assisting users to make well-informed decisions regarding their purchases or consumption choices.
The plugin is easy to use, SEO-friendly, and fully customizable to match your site’s design.
| ✔️ Pros | ❌ Cons |
| Offers different types of rating systems, including star ratings, point ratings, and percentage ratings | May not be the best choice for non-technical users who are looking for a simple and easy-to-use plugin |
| Customizable design and styling options | The free version has limited features |
| Compatible with a wide range of WordPress themes and plugins | |
| Allows users to add rich snippets to their reviews, which can help improve search engine visibility |
GD Rating System
GD Rating System is a WordPress plugin that allows you to add star ratings to your posts, pages, and custom post types. It is a powerful and versatile plugin that can be used for various purposes, such as collecting customer feedback, gathering product reviews, or rating content.
GD Rating System’s star rating system is available in both the free and pro versions of the plugin.
Apart from star ratings, GD Rating System provides various other rating formats such as percentages, points, and thumbs up/down. The plugin also seamlessly integrates with Google Analytics, enabling users to monitor and analyze their rating data effectively.
| ✔️ Pros | ❌ Cons |
| The plugin is easy to install and use. You can create a new rating in just a few clicks | There is a free version available, but it has limited features. |
| It can be used for various purposes, such as collecting customer feedback, gathering product reviews, or rating content. | Can be difficult to customize sometimes. If you are unfamiliar with CSS, you may need help getting the look and feel of your ratings to match your website’s style. |
| The plugin can help you collect valuable data about your users and their opinions. This data can be used to improve your products or services or to understand your target audience better. | Can be slow, especially on large websites. If you have a lot of content on your website, you may experience some slowdown when users rate your content. |
How to Effectively Use Star Ratings on Your WordPress Site
Adding star ratings to your WordPress site can be a *stellar* (wink wink) way to engage with your audience and showcase the quality of your content. Here are some tips and best practices for using star ratings effectively:
- Use star ratings in product reviews: If you sell products or services on your WordPress site, consider adding star ratings to your product reviews. This can help potential customers make informed purchase decisions and improve your site’s credibility.
- Use star ratings in posts and page reviews: You can also use star ratings to encourage readers to leave reviews of your blog posts or pages. This can help you get feedback on your content and increase user engagement.
- Customize the appearance of your star ratings: Most star rating plugins offer a range of customization options, such as choosing different icon sets, colors, and styles. Take advantage of these options to create a rating system that matches your site’s design and brand.
- Display star ratings prominently: Make sure your star ratings are visible and prominent on your site. You can display them in various ways, such as adding them to your sidebar, embedding them within your content, or displaying them in a separate review section.
- Respond to user feedback: If users leave reviews or feedback on your site, make sure to respond to them promptly and professionally. This can help you build a strong relationship with your audience and improve your site’s reputation.
- Test and optimize your star ratings: It’s important to continually test and optimize your star ratings to ensure that they work effectively. You can use analytics tools to track user engagement with your rating system and adjust them as needed.
By following these tips and best practices, you can effectively use star ratings to engage with your audience and improve the quality of your content on your WordPress site.
Wrapping up…
Adding star ratings to your WordPress site can improve user engagement and social proof. We’ve provided a list of top star-rating plugins for WordPress, including our recommendation of Strong Testimonials.
By implementing the strategies outlined in this article, you can make an informed decision about which plugin is best suited to your needs.
I’m going to make like a star ⭐ and twinkle my way out of here, but only after encouraging you to try out the recommended plugin(s) and share your experience in the comments section below.
Strong Testimonials Plugin
We’ve built the #1 WordPress plugin for collecting, managing, and displaying testimonials. Drive more sales by leveraging your existing user audience.
