Restaurants
Your reviews are on Google, Tripadvisor, OpenTable and the delivery apps. Your website shows none of them. This fixes that.
Review widgets for local business
Most people who find you have already looked at your Google rating. The job of your website is to confirm it rather than to introduce it.
The sources that matter for local business
Customers in this industry do not all review in the same place, and the platforms are not equally worth your effort.
| Source | Matters for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Everyone | Always, and by a wide margin | |
| Community and word of mouth | If customers message you there | |
| Yelp | US consumers | US only — and Yelp forbids soliciting |
| BBB | Trust-sensitive purchases | If you sell something expensive |
| Nextdoor | Neighbourhood referrals | If you work locally — added manually |
Where to put them on the page
Under the hero on the homepage, and next to the contact form or phone number. A local visitor is deciding whether to call, and the reviews belong where that decision happens.
Full-width sections suit carousel and grid layouts; tight spaces suit a badge.
When to ask for a review
Same day, by text, with a direct link. Local businesses have the shortest window between a good experience and the customer forgetting.
Google allows asking and prohibits incentives. Yelp asks you not to solicit at all. More on asking.
One platform done well beats five done thinly.
A business with forty recent Google reviews is in a stronger position than one with eight spread across five platforms — thin profiles read as neglect.
Questions
Other industries
Hotels
Guests who found you on an OTA are looking at your own site to decide whether to book direct. Reviews are what close that.
Ecommerce
Reviews on a product page are the last thing between a visitor and the buy button, which is why placement matters more here than anywhere else.
Real estate
An agent is chosen on trust, and a review that names the agent and describes the sale does more than any amount of copy about local expertise.