Displaying customer reviews on your website is one of the fastest ways to build trust and grow your sales.
However, the technical headache of setting up Google Cloud projects and Yelp developer accounts often stops business owners before they even start.
Today, that changes. We are excited to announce a major update for Reviews Feed Pro: you can now display your reviews instantly without an API key.
- 100% API-Key Free: No need to add API keys or developer accounts.
- No-Code Integration: Quick and easy configuration with no coding needed.
- Instant Activation: Simply paste your business URL or Place ID and go live in seconds.
Just like that, it’s even easier for you to highlight what your customers love about your business and boost confidence in your brand.
Cheaper Way to Display Yelp Reviews — No Paid API Needed
In the past, creating new review feeds meant using API keys. Think of them like special passwords that let different computer systems talk to each other.
If you want to grab reviews from Yelp and show them on your website, you’d need one of these API keys.
Unfortunately, Yelp started charging for API keys recently, so many of our users had to deal with extra charges.
So, we released this update to help you sidestep these extra costs and create Yelp review feeds even without API keys.
And for those of you using Reviews Feed Pro, your review feeds will automatically be updated – just like before!
Step 1: Create a Yelp Review Feed
In case you don’t have the plugin yet, get Reviews Feed Pro from here.
Then install and activate the plugin on your website.
From your dashboard, open the Reviews Feed » All Feeds menu and click on Add New.
Step 2: Add Yelp as Your Source
When adding a new source, select the Yelp option and click on Next, just like usual.
Finally, paste the link to your brand’s Yelp page and click on Next – that’s it!
And if you have an API key, you can also enter it here to get faster feed updates and unlimited sources.
Step 3: Customize and Embed Your Yelp Review Feed
After that, you’ll see the option to pick the template for your Yelp reviews feed.
Pick an option you like and click on Next.
After you do that, you can use the live customizer to design your feed in detail.
It just takes a few minutes, and you can have a beautiful Yelp reviews feed that perfectly matches your website.
Not only does this save you money, you’re also saving time with a faster and streamlined setup.
With our new way of creating Yelp review feeds, you’ll be able to:
- Promote your small flower shop without breaking the bank by adding customer testimonials to your homepage.
- Instantly add positive review widgets to your online bookstore and boost sales when it’s time for a flash sale.
- Use a Yelp feed to display the consistently high star rating of your restaurant and build trust without connecting any credit cards to Yelp.
Faster Way of Creating Google Review Feeds
Previously, setting up Google review feeds could involve creating a Google Maps Platform project and linking a billing account.
On top of taking more clicks to set up, you also needed to enter your credit card details.
After listening to your feedback, we wanted to streamline the process for creating Google review feeds.
Now, you can instantly create Google review feeds – forget about needing API keys or connecting your credit card!
Step 1: Create a New Reviews Feed
To try the new method, open the Reviews Feed » All Feeds menu from your dashboard and click on Add New.
After adding a new source, select Google and click on Next like you normally do.
Step 2: Find Your Google Place ID
A Google Place ID is a unique identifier that represents your specific business in the Google Maps database.
To find your Place ID, first, go to the Google Maps Platform Place ID Finder.
Type your business name and address into the search bar on the map.
A small window will appear over your business location.
Copy the string of letters and numbers next to the text “Place ID:”
Step 3: Connect Your Google Place ID
With that, you can return to your website to complete the setup.
Finally, you can paste your Place ID and click on Finish.
Just like that, your Google reviews feed is ready. And you didn’t have to deal with API codes.
Plus, you can still choose to enter an API key like before if you want to unlock faster updates and unlimited sources.
Step 4: Customize Your Google Reviews Feed
Like any other review feed, you can pick a template to instantly set the design for your reviews feed.
After picking an option, click on Next here.
On the live customizer, you can change your layout, colors, header, buttons, review elements, and much more.
Use the options on the left to change the design and track the changes on the right.
Remember to Save your changes once you’re done customizing your feed.
Step 5: Filter and Embed Your Google Reviews Feed
To control which reviews are visible on your website, you can add filters or moderate your Google reviews.
First, click on the Settings tab and select the Filters option.
From there, you can filter reviews by star rating, keywords, or word count.
Once you’re done setting up your reviews feed, click on the Embed button.
After that, you can display the reviews on a page, sidebar, or footer.
As you can see, you can now save time and money while creating effective review feeds to grow your sales and build customer trust.
How Can This Newest Update Benefit You?
This latest update to Reviews Feed Pro is all about making your life easier! Here’s how you’ll benefit:
- Jump right in: You can start displaying reviews on your website almost instantly. No more waiting around!
- No hidden costs: Forget about setting up billing accounts or entering credit card details just to show your customer reviews.
- Tech made easy: We’ve taken away the complicated technical steps, so you can focus on what matters most – your business.
- Save money: If you just want to show Google or Yelp reviews, you can often do it without needing to pay for their API.
- Less to manage: You’ll have fewer settings to configure and fewer external accounts to worry about, freeing up your time for other important tasks.
Is This Plugin Available for You?
While Reviews Feed Pro is a dedicated WordPress plugin, many business owners on other platforms look for ways to avoid the API key headache. Here is how this update applies to your site:
- WordPress: You have full access to this “No API” feature. Simply install the plugin and use the visual setup wizard to connect Google or Yelp in seconds.
- Shopify, Wix, and Squarespace: This specific plugin is built exclusively for the WordPress ecosystem, so Reviews Feed Pro isn’t available here.
Skyrocket Social Proof & Conversions – Start Now!
Want to try out this new feature?
Just head over to your website and update to the latest version of Reviews Feed.
For free users, you can display up to 10 reviews from a single source like Google or Yelp without needing an API key.
But if you want to get more out of review feeds, you can unlock unlimited sources, advanced customization, and automatic updates by upgrading to Reviews Feed Pro.
Not using Reviews Feed yet? It’s the perfect time to hop in. Creating review feeds is easier than ever before.
Get Reviews Feed Pro today and build trust and turn your visitors into loyal customers
We can’t wait to see you use this update to show off social proof with ease and grow your business! And finally, a big thanks to everyone in the Smash Balloon community for all your support and valuable feedback.
(Keep your eyes peeled – we’re always cooking up new ways to help your business shine!)
