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How to filter a review feed by star rating, keyword or source, so your best reviews get the prominent placement.
Would you like to choose which reviews your feed shows and the order they appear in?
In this guide, we’ll walk you through filtering your reviews by star rating, words, and length, choosing your feed’s sources, and sorting your reviews. All you need is a reviews feed you’ve already created.
Requirements: Filtering reviews requires a paid version of Reviews Feed.
Before you get started, make sure Reviews Feed is installed and activated on your WordPress site. If you don’t have a feed yet, see our guide on creating a reviews feed.
Filtering Your Reviews
Filters let you choose which reviews a feed shows. For example, you can show only your four-star and five-star reviews on your homepage, or only the reviews that mention your delivery service.
To get started, we’ll open the feed you want to filter. From your WordPress admin sidebar, go to Reviews Feed » All Feeds. Then, click the name of the feed.
Your feed opens in the feed editor, on the Customize tab. In the sidebar, click the Settings tab.
The Settings tab lists five sections: Sources, Sort, Filters, Moderation, and Language. Next, click Filters.
The Filters section has three types of filters: star rating, By Words, and By Character Count. As you change them, the preview on the right updates to show which reviews your feed keeps.
Filtering by Star Rating
At the top of the Filters section, there’s a checkbox for each star rating, from five stars down to one. Next, check each rating you’d like your feed to show. For example, check the five-star and four-star boxes to show only your best reviews.
If you leave every box unchecked, your feed shows reviews of every rating.
Next, we’ll look at filtering your reviews by the words they contain.
Filtering by Words
The By Words filter shows or hides reviews based on the words in them. It has two fields:
- Only show reviews containing: Your feed keeps only the reviews that mention at least one of these words.
- Do not show reviews containing: Your feed hides every review that mentions any of these words, such as the name of a service you no longer offer.
In either field, type your words. To add more than one word, separate them with a comma and no space, such as delivery,shipping.
Word filters ignore uppercase and lowercase letters. They also match part of a word. For example, “deliver” matches reviews that say “delivery.”
If you fill in both fields, a review shows only when it contains a word from the first field. It must also contain none of the words from the second.
You can also filter your reviews by how long they are.
Filtering by Character Count
The By Character Count filter shows reviews based on how long they are. In the Minimum field, enter the fewest characters a review needs before it shows. To also set an upper limit, enter the most characters a review can have in the Maximum field.
For example, a minimum of 50 hides very short reviews and leaves reviews with more detail. A maximum hides longer reviews and keeps every review in your feed quick to read.
By default, Minimum is 0 and Maximum is empty. Neither sets a limit. Your feed shows reviews of any length until you enter a number.
With your filters set, we’ll move on to the sources your feed pulls its reviews from. If filters are all you need, skip to the end of Sorting Your Reviews to save your feed.
Choosing Your Feed’s Sources
A feed can show reviews from more than one source, such as your Google and Yelp business pages. You can pick which sources each feed uses. That way, one feed can show only your Google reviews while another shows all of them.
If you’re starting with this section, open your feed’s Settings tab first, as shown at the start of Filtering Your Reviews. Otherwise, click Settings at the top of the sidebar to go back to the list of sections.
From the list of sections, click Sources.
The Sources section lists the sources this feed uses. To remove a source from this feed, click its trash icon. To add a source, click Add another Source.
Removing a source only takes it out of this feed. The source stays on your site. You can add it back at any time.
When the Add Sources window opens, check each source you’d like this feed to use. Then, click Add.
If the source you need isn’t in the list yet, you can connect a new one from this window.
For the steps, see our guide on creating a reviews feed.
Next, we’ll look at how your feed orders the reviews it shows.
Sorting Your Reviews
By default, your feed shows your newest reviews first. This way, visitors see your most recent feedback at the top. The Sort section lets you change that order.
If you’re starting with this section, open your feed’s Settings tab first, as shown at the start of Filtering Your Reviews. Otherwise, click Settings at the top of the sidebar to go back to the list of sections.
From the list of sections, click Sort.
The Sort section has three options:
- By Date: Puts your newest or oldest reviews first. You can choose Latest Reviews First or Oldest Reviews First.
- By Rating: Puts the reviews with the most stars or the fewest stars first. You can choose Highest Rated First or Lowest Rated First.
- Randomize: Shows your filtered reviews in no set order. When it’s on, the By Date and By Rating options are hidden.
To show your best reviews first, turn on the By Rating switch. Then, choose Highest Rated First from the dropdown below it.
When By Date and By Rating are both on, your feed sorts by rating first. Reviews with the same rating then show in date order. With the settings above, your five-star reviews show first, newest to oldest, followed by your four-star reviews.
When you’re happy with your filters, sources, and sort order, click Save at the top of the feed editor.
Each feed keeps its own filters, sources, and sort order. Your other feeds don’t change.
That’s it! You now know how to choose which reviews your feed shows and the order they appear in.
Next, if you’d like more control over which reviews your feed shows, see our guide on moderating your reviews feed. To change how your feed looks, see our guide on customizing the look of your reviews feed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below, we’ve answered some of the most common questions about filtering and sorting your reviews.
Do filters delete reviews from my sources?
No. Filters and sorting only change what your feed displays. Your reviews stay on Google, Yelp, and your other sources. If you change a filter later, any review it hid shows up in your feed again.
Can I use different filters on different feeds?
Yes. Each feed has its own filters, sources, and sort order. For example, one feed can show only your five-star reviews on your homepage while another shows all of your reviews on a testimonials page.
Do I need to match uppercase and lowercase letters in the By Words filter?
No. The By Words filter ignores uppercase and lowercase letters. For example, “Delivery” and “delivery” match the same reviews.
Should I add a space after each comma in the By Words fields?
No. Separate your words with a comma only, such as delivery,shipping. A space after a comma becomes part of the next word. The filter then looks for that word with a space in front of it.
Can I filter by a phrase instead of a single word?
Yes. In either By Words field, type the whole phrase, spaces included, such as fast delivery. The filter then matches reviews that contain those words together, in that order. To add more words or phrases, separate them with a comma and no space, such as fast delivery,friendly staff.
How does the star rating filter treat my Facebook recommendations?
Facebook reviews are recommendations instead of star ratings. The star rating filter counts a positive recommendation as five stars and a negative one as one star.
How do my filters work with moderation?
A review shows in your feed only when it passes both your filters and your moderation settings.
To learn more, see our guide on moderating your reviews feed.
Can I show my oldest reviews first?
Yes. In the Sort section, choose Oldest Reviews First under By Date. For the steps, see Sorting Your Reviews.
