Sitejabber Review Guidelines

At Sitejabber, our mission is to make honesty and transparency a standard in every purchase. These Review Guidelines explain what is expected of reviewers and businesses, how we verify and moderate reviews, and how we handle incentives in line with U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rules.

What Makes a Genuine Review Prohibited Content Verification & Badges Moderation & Appeals Incentives & FTC Compliance Tips for Reviewers Tips for Businesses Compliance and Transparency

What Makes a Genuine Review

Reviews must be based on your firsthand experience with a product, service, or business.
Reviews should be honest, accurate, and relevant.
Only one review per transaction is allowed (duplicate reviews are removed).
No second-hand accounts (e.g., "my friend ordered from here") or unrelated commentary.

Prohibited Content

We do not allow:

Fake or fraudulent reviews (including paid reviews, undisclosed employee reviews, or trading reviews with other businesses).
Conflicts of interest -- reviews from business owners, employees, family, or close associates.
Hate speech, threats, harassment, or lewd content.
Irrelevant or promotional content that does not describe a customer experience.
Attempts to manipulate ratings through suppression, flooding, or "review gating" (asking only satisfied customers).
Attempts to use incentives to steer review sentiment.

Violations may result in review removal, warning banners on the business reviews page, and account suspension.

Verification & Badges

There are two ways a review can be given a verified badge:
- A review will display a Verified badge when a company uses supported Sitejabber's review request methods to collect the review (e.g., through order numbers, email invites after fulfillment). These reviews will also be labeled as "Solicited".
- When a reviewer leaves a review for a business, they will be prompted to share proof of purchase. If the reviewer provides one, the review may receive the verification badge.
Users can use the review filter on review pages to surface verified purchases.
Reviews collected pre-fulfillment (e.g., "site experience reviews" or "Instant Feedback") are now clearly separated from product/service reviews and no longer contribute to overall star ratings.

Moderation & Appeals

To safeguard against fake reviews, Sitejabber has Automated Filtering software as well as a moderation team in place. Learn more about the Review Approval process here.
Reviews that violate Sitejabbers' content policy and review guidelines will be flagged and removed. Furthermore, violations may result in warning banners on the business reviews page and account suspension.
Appeals: If a review is removed, both reviewers and businesses may appeal a moderation decision. Reviewers can email support@sitejabber.com. Businesses can email helpdesk@sitejabber.com. Appeals are reviewed typically within 10 business days.

Incentives & FTC Compliance

We strictly follow the FTC regulations around reviews and incentives.

Disclosure is required. If a reviewer received anything of value (money, discounts, gift cards, giveaway entries, etc.), this must be clearly and conspicuously disclosed in the review.
No paid sentiment. It is illegal to compensate for positive or negative reviews, or to require certain star ratings.
No misleading averages. Even disclosed incentives cannot inflate star ratings in a way that misleads consumers.
No insider or fake reviews. Owners, employees, or undisclosed affiliates may not review their own business.

Sitejabber's Incentive Policy

Business (company) reviews: No incentives allowed.
Product reviews, videos, and images: Incentives are permitted only if:
1. The incentive is not tied to sentiment or star rating.
2. The review follows all FTC rules above.
3. The incentive is clearly disclosed in the review itself (e.g., "I received a discount in exchange for this honest review").

Violations may result in review removal, warning banners on the business reviews page, or account suspension.

Tips for Reviewers

Be specific: What product/service did you buy? What worked well or poorly?
Stay respectful and factual, even if your experience was negative.
Use clear language and avoid personal attacks.
Add photos or videos if they reflect your genuine experience.

Tips for Businesses

Do not offer or imply compensation for positive reviews.
Do not ask reviewers to change or remove negative reviews.
Respond professionally to feedback, whether positive or negative.
Report suspicious or fraudulent reviews via the flagging system in your account dashboard.

Compliance and Transparency

We work closely with the FTC to ensure our practices meet the latest legal standards. Reviews are never removed or hidden simply because they are negative. Our goal is to provide a balanced, trustworthy environment for both consumers and businesses.