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How to Make a Niche Review Site in WordPress Like a Pro

Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on WPBeginner. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations. Learn more about Editorial Process.

Do you want to create a review website and make money from your blog?

Online reviews help others make a buying decision while allowing you to earn referral fees, known as affiliate commissions.

You can build a reviews website dedicated to a specific niche, or you can add a reviews section to your existing blog.

In this article, we will show you how to easily create a niche review site in WordPress and make money from it.

How to make a niche review site in WordPress like a pro

Here are the steps we will cover in this guide:

Why Create a WordPress Reviews Site?

What’s the first thing that you do when you are looking to buy something online?

If you are like most of us, then you check the online reviews of that product to see what others say about it.

90% of shoppers say user-generated content line online reviews impacts their shopping habits. 

Source: Influencer Marketing Statistics

This is why a popular online review site, Wirecutter, was sold to The New York Times for $30 million.

While everyone cannot be as big as sites like Wirecutter, Trustpilot, or TripAdvisor, we know several entrepreneurs earning anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars a month from running a niche review site.

There are two popular ways to create a review website. The first is to add a reviews section to your existing WordPress blog. The second is to create a completely independent online review site.

Regardless of the direction you choose, it’s important that you don’t pick a highly competitive niche.

For example, there are tons of sites talking about digital camera reviews, but not as many that are talking about camera accessory reviews.

The secret to building a successful review site is to find the right niche. A perfect niche has low competition, and it should be something that you’re passionate about.

Here are a few factors to think about:

  • What unique things can you do to build traffic?
  • Can you easily attract advertisers? (i.e., are people selling paid products?)
  • Are there affiliate programs available?
  • Are other people making money in this niche?
  • What is the competition like?

You can browse our list of best blogging niches to help you get started. Once you have a few ideas, you can dig further into each market by using market research tools and traffic analysis tools to better understand your niche.

You can even use a tool like Semrush to uncover keywords to write your product reviews and articles about.

For more details, see our guide on how to do keyword research for your WordPress blog.

Once you have picked your niche, let’s take a look at how you can create your own reviews site.

Step 0: Before You Start

First, you need to choose a website builder. Of course, WordPress is #1, but there are two different types of WordPress.

First, there is WordPress.com, which is a hosting service. Second, you have the popular WordPress.org, also known as self-hosted WordPress.

When you hear WordPress, people are typically talking about WordPress.org. To understand the difference, see our comparison of WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org.

We recommend using WordPress.org because it gives you full freedom to create any website. It also gives you full access to all WordPress features out of the box.

To get started with WordPress, you’ll need a good WordPress hosting company and your own domain name.

We highly recommend Bluehost because they are an officially recommended WordPress hosting provider and one of the largest hosting companies in the world.

Bluehost website

Not to mention, they are giving our readers a free domain name, a free SSL certificate, and up to 61% off their hosting plans.

Simply click the button below to get started.

Once you have signed up for web hosting and set up your domain name, the next step is to install WordPress. With Bluehost, WordPress comes pre-installed.

Most other hosting companies offer a 1-click WordPress install option. If you’re using a different hosting provider, then see our guide on how to install WordPress, which covers every major hosting platform.

Once you have your WordPress site set up, you will reach the WordPress dashboard.

WordPress dashboard

Step 1: Choosing the Perfect WordPress “Review” Theme

The first step after setting up your WordPress website is to select the perfect WordPress theme for your product review blog.

When searching for the best WordPress review themes, you will likely come across several themes offering complete review-site functionality baked into the theme. You need to avoid these at all costs.

You don’t need a WordPress review site theme. Most of those WordPress review themes are bloated and will lock you into using them forever.

That’s why it’s better to use a WordPress reviews plugin, which will work with any theme you choose.

You will have the flexibility to change your WordPress theme in the future without having to hire a developer.

Your goal should be to pick a theme that you like in terms of look and feel. Take a look at our expert picks of the best WordPress themes for some great choices.

WordPress themes

Once you have found the theme you like, you can go ahead and install it. Need help installing the theme? See our beginner’s guide on how to install a WordPress theme for step-by-step instructions.

Related: If you want to create a more unique web design, you can also check out our tutorial on how to easily create a custom WordPress theme with no coding required.

Step 2: Installing the Best WordPress Reviews Plugin

Now that your WordPress website is ready, it is time to add review functionality to your website.

You will use a plugin to add SEO-friendly reviews that make your website more easily discoverable by search engines and users.

We recommend using the WP Review plugin. It’s one of the best product review plugins for WordPress and lets you easily add in-depth product reviews with star ratings, percentages, and more. 

WP Review Pro

First, you need to do is install and activate the WP Review plugin. For more details, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin

The basic version is free and has enough features to let you add simple review boxes to your product reviews.

However, you’ll need the premium version for this tutorial since it comes with advanced features like review templates, multiple rating systems, user reviews, and comparison tables, and even integrates with WooCommerce.

The WP Review plugin is easy to use, lets you create high-converting reviews, and helps you stand out in the search engines by adding schema markup or rich snippets to your reviews. 

In plain English, this will add a star rating, price, and other details next to your reviews in Google to help you stand out.

Review snippet in search results

Upon activation, navigate to the Settings » WP Review page in your WordPress admin panel to configure the plugin settings.

The settings page is divided into different sections.

First, you can choose to restrict ratings to registered users only. If you select ‘Yes’, then your readers won’t be able to contribute their own rating. 

You can also display the total rating on your product thumbnails. 

To change the settings, simply click the toggle to ‘Yes’ or ‘No.’

WP Review general settings

Next, you can allow users to add comments to the review. You can control the comment template, if ratings are required, and more.

You don’t have to allow user comments and ratings, but it can add more legitimacy to your reviews. 

Control user comments and ratings

Next, click the ‘Styling’ menu option. Here, you can choose between different review box templates. 

Simply select the template you want to use from the ‘Default’ drop-down. It will automatically generate a new preview based on the template you choose. 

Change review box style settings

Below that, you can completely customize the colors of your review box so they match your WordPress theme.

You can also change the review width, fonts, and more.

Change review box color scheme

Then, click the ‘Defaults’ menu option. Here, you’ll set the default settings for your review box. 

These can be changed on each review, but if you’re writing reviews for the same kind of product, then these settings will save you time.

You have control over the type of review, where the review box is placed, what kind of review schema it uses, and more. 

Change review box defaults

Once you’re done customizing these settings, make sure you click the ‘Save Changes’ button at the bottom of the screen.

The plugin is also equipped with features that let you add product popups, alert bars, Yelp and Facebook reviews, and more. 

Step 3: Adding a Review in WordPress

Adding a review using WP Review is quite easy. You can add reviews to any existing WordPress blog post or write a new review from scratch.

Instead of creating a new review post type, it simply gives you the option to add a review box to any blog post. 

The first thing you need to do is open up an existing post or create a new post in WordPress. 

You will write the main content of your review like you would write any other post in WordPress.

Then, below the post content, you’ll find a meta box called ‘Review.’ Here, you will enter your review box content.

First, you need to select the type of review in the ‘Review Type’ dropdown and enter a heading.

Select review type and enter heading

Then, select the schema type from the ‘Review Item Schema’ dropdown and enter any relevant schema information.

This is the product review data that will be displayed in the search engines.

Select product review schema type

Next, choose whether you want the rating to be from the author or a user rating aggregate (like Amazon) in the ‘Review Rating Schema’ drop-down. 

You can also enter a custom author name for the product review.

Select product rating source

After that, you need to add specific product features in the ‘Review Item’ section and give each feature a score.

You can also change the color to make it stand out. 

Enter product features

Next, you need to add your links to the ‘Review Links’ section.

This can be used for your affiliate links to send readers to the product website to make a purchase. 

Add product link

Then, you can enter the product description in the ‘Review Description’ section.

You can also add pros and cons for the product features. 

Add product description and pros and cons

After that, you have the option to enable user reviews.

This is common in most online stores, where users can give products a star rating. 

Then, enter the product’s price into the ‘Product Price’ box. 

Choose to display user reviews and add price

Once you are done, simply click the ‘Update’ or ‘Publish’ button to make your review live. 

You can now visit the post to see the review box in action.

Review box example

Related: See our guide on how to write an affiliate product review for expert tips.

Step 4: Displaying Your Product Reviews in Your Sidebar

WP Review also allows you to show your review posts in your sidebar and other widget areas of your website.

This is a great way to get more traffic to your high-converting product reviews. 

First, go to Appearance » Widgets, click the ‘+’ add block icon, and search for ‘WP Reviews’.

Add WP Review widget

Then, select the block, and it will add it to your widget area. Next, you can choose how you want your reviews to display.

You can choose to display top-rated reviews, recent reviews, certain types of reviews, and more. Simply check the boxes for each review type you want to display.

WP Review widget settings

It also lets you customize the number of reviews, title length, thumbnail image size, and the extra post information to show. 

Make sure to click the ‘Update’ button to save the changes to your widget area. 

More WP Review widget display settings

Now, go ahead and visit your website to see the reviews widget in action. 

It will show the top-rated reviews and product images.

Add reviews to sidebar

Step 5: Making Money From Your WordPress Reviews Site

Review websites are a great way to generate passive income on the side. There are multiple different business models to make money from your niche site.

The following are some of the most common ways used by review websites to generate revenue.

1. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing allows you to make money from your reviews by recommending products on your website. Affiliate marketers earn a commission when users click on your referral link and buy from your product review site.

You will need to find products that have an affiliate program. The easiest way to find awesome products in every niche is by joining a large affiliate network like ShareASale or Amazon Associates.

To learn more, see our ultimate affiliate marketing guide for beginners with detailed instructions and tools/plugins you’ll need to grow your business.

2. Advertisements

A lot of the top big-name brands using WordPress generate revenue with display ads. You get paid either for impressions or when a user clicks on the ad from your website.

The easiest way to display ads on your reviews site is by using Google AdSense. This gives you access to thousands of advertisers who are looking for targeted audiences.

To learn more, see our guide on how to properly add Google AdSense to your WordPress site.

Apart from Google AdSense, you can join other advertising networks like Media.net. Or, you can sell ads directly to advertisers. This allows you to diversify and maximize advertising revenue on your reviews website.

3. Paid Reviews

This direct approach allows you to cut the middleman and directly reach out to eCommerce businesses that want their products to be reviewed.

You get paid for testing and writing reviews with your honest opinion of the product. However, the outreach requires a lot of time and can influence the quality of your reviews.

For more ways to make money from your reviews site, see our list of proven ways to make money online.

Step 6: Taking Your WordPress Reviews Site to the Next Level

WordPress is a powerful platform, and it gives you access to thousands of awesome plugins that you can use to grow your review site and add new features.

Following are just some of the essential plugins that you can install right away.

Pretty Links – It allows you to cloak affiliate links and easily add, manage, and edit affiliate links in WordPress.

For more plugin recommendations, see our list of the best affiliate marketing tools and plugins for WordPress.

Step 7: Improving Your WordPress Skills

WordPress is quite easy to use, even for beginners. However, occasionally, you’ll need help learning new things as your WordPress review website grows. This is where WPBeginner can help.

WPBeginner is the largest free WordPress resource site for beginners. We have lots of helpful content created specifically for beginners, business owners, and bloggers.

Here are a few helpful resources you will find on WPBeginner (all of them are entirely free):

  • WPBeginner Blog – The central place for all our WordPress tutorials and guides.
  • WPBeginner Videos – Our free WordPress video tutorials for beginners will help you learn WordPress quickly.
  • WPBeginner Dictionary – Our WordPress glossary is the best place to familiarize yourself with the WordPress lingo.
  • WPBeginner on YouTube – Need more video instructions? Subscribe to our YouTube channel with more than 442,000 subscribers and 50 Million+ views.
  • WPBeginner Deals – Exclusive discounts on WordPress products and services for WPBeginner readers.

For more discussions, you may want to join our free Facebook group, WPBeginner Engage. With more than 97,000 members, the group is focused on helping beginners and non-tech users do more with WordPress.

We hope this article helped you learn how to create a niche review site in WordPress like a pro. You may also want to see our guide on creating a free business email address and our expert picks of the best GoDaddy alternatives that are cheaper and more reliable. 

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

Disclosure: Our content is reader-supported. This means if you click on some of our links, then we may earn a commission. See how WPBeginner is funded, why it matters, and how you can support us. Here's our editorial process.

Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WPBeginner is a team of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi with over 16 years of experience in WordPress, Web Hosting, eCommerce, SEO, and Marketing. Started in 2009, WPBeginner is now the largest free WordPress resource site in the industry and is often referred to as the Wikipedia for WordPress.

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Reader Interactions

45 CommentsLeave a Reply

  1. Syed Balkhi says

    Hey WPBeginner readers,
    Did you know you can win exciting prizes by commenting on WPBeginner?
    Every month, our top blog commenters will win HUGE rewards, including premium WordPress plugin licenses and cash prizes.
    You can get more details about the contest from here.
    Start sharing your thoughts below to stand a chance to win!

  2. Ralph says

    Even though this article is quite old I see by comments i’m glad you guys update your stuff so it is worth reading.

    Thanks for the opening about avoiding review themes! I have read about them on 95% of blogs as must-have and i’m 100% sure it’s not true. Themes nowadays are like Lego, you got blocks and can build whatever you want. Review site, personal blog, portfolio, portal. Doesn’ matter. You can do it all.

    By sheer fact of this opening i trust you way more!

  3. Marc Flagon says

    Will the WP Review Pro plugin allow paid subscribers to leave a review about a commercial property?

    • WPBeginner Support says

      It would depend on how you specifically set up your site, it should be possible but you would want to reach out to the plugin’s support for how to set it up.

      Admin

  4. segun jose says

    Although this post is far back 2019. i still find it relevant while i was trying to create a review site recently i found your site and i am being able to build a word press online product review site thank you so much.

  5. Brian says

    Great info.

    I was just wanting to ask if you have any over the shoulder courses (video) showing step by step how to build a review site, like top 10 reviews of each product in one site or top 10 of a niche – would be great if you could push me in the right direction, please.

    Regards

    Brian

  6. Ash says

    Hey
    What if I use WordPress free plan for my website and then after few weeks I buy premium or business plan — will my website be ranking high and all ? And still earning?

  7. Kavleen Kaur says

    Thanks for this wonderful guide. I have found you blog quite interesting and informative. All your topics are important to learn. And the content on this site is amazing !!
    Thanks for the information !! And Keep Posting !!

    • WPBeginner Support says

      The plugin does have a comparison table, if you take a look at the plugin’s page they can let you know the specifics.

      Admin

    • WPBeginner Support says

      Hi Deba,

      Yes, you can. However, you will need to install a seperate WordPress instance in a subdomain. However, it will be quite complicated to integrate both your root WordPress install and the subdomain install to look like they are the same website.

      Admin

  8. Chris Medeiros says

    This is a good how-to-create guide, but what options are there to monetize this type of website?

  9. Nancy Olewe says

    Wow! This is just great! Saved me a lot of time. I love the plugin and it looks nice when reviewing a single product. I’m not sure about using it for a top 10 list though. Is it possible? All the same, I LOVE it.

  10. don smith says

    Hello, great article! i think this plugin you mentioned is good for product reviews only, I started a new Reviews WordPress site to review all gold investment sites, i can’t find a plugin to help with creating this, i am doing it with just pages and posts like any other site, please if you have any idea what plugin to use for this let me know.
    I even searched Fiverr to find someone who know how to do this but couldn’t find any.
    I appreciate your help
    Thank you
    Don

  11. Lee says

    Hi there, great article. Hope you can help with some Qs:
    1. Can this widget collate review results by the logged in reviewer’s data, i.e. to show users with x trait gave it 4/5 and users with y trait gave it 2/5?
    2. And would it be possible (or how) to be able to have a database system on the back end where you can hit add product, upload the pic and info, then it gets added to the front end, with an automatically generated page showing the products by category, then when a reviewer goes to the product page they can hit a review button and rate it?
    Kinda like an online shopping site but with the complicated review system. Any help is hugely appreciated, thanks heaps!

  12. Will says

    Hi WP Beginner Support,

    I have reached out to the WP Product Review plugin team and they indicated right now the plugin doesn’t allow visitors to create reviews from scratch, but that once the admin has created a review than visitors can then add their own review.

    Is there another WordPress plugin or theme that allows users to create reviews prior to the admin initially creating their own review?

    • Michael Charvet says

      Well, that’s a critical fail. I can see where the plugin might assume that the site owner would be posting all reviews, but the power in reviews is the public aspect: sign-in, write a review as on Google, Yelp, Amazon, etc. Without that, I don’t see the point.

  13. Chandraprakash Shah says

    Nice piece of information, you have saved my day. I am wondering if you suggest some themes for reviewing website.
    Thanks a lot.

  14. Zaoul says

    @wpbeginners editorial staff please let me know is it possible for me to start a review website where people who has used the product can write reviews themselves.if yes , is there anyway WordPress can help me with.Or your team can do any favour to answer or help with that .
    I shall remain obliged .Thanks

  15. Eric says

    How would I go about setting up a single page, on an existing website, that shows reviews and can take reviews (form at top or bottom I suppose)?

  16. Jirong Hu says

    How can I let everyone contribute to the rating, like Amazon books? I want them able to rate without even writing a comment. I want the final rate comes from the user, not the author, every one has the same weight of influnce to the rating.

  17. Jim says

    Hi,
    Great article.
    I am wondering, do you have another article teaching how to creating a rating/review site that I will not be doing the review but individual user/general public can write review and put ratings on something? Is it possible to achieve it with wordpress plugin?
    Thank you.

  18. Hemang Rindani says

    Great post. Because of the capabilities, WordPress has been a great enterprise web content management services that allows users to develop sites effortlessly. The built-in tools like themes, modules and plugins are extremely easy to install and use which takes WordPress ahead of other platforms like Sitefinity CMS, Drupal and others.
    It is important to identify right SET of tools, and with that it means each tool must complement each other. Make sure that tools are used optimistically and use only if that is utmost necessary. Regular reviews help site owner to get insights about web performance and help to further nurture the site for better results.

  19. Lascelles Clarke says

    Very good article. Now how about a WordPress plugin (or theme) that does the same thing, but in the reverse. I mean how about allowing the site visitor (instead of the author) to grade several different options of a product. This would be equal to a site that is essentially guest-contributed, just like Tripadvisor or Yelp.

  20. Raman Gutyan says

    WPBeginner is one of the best site, After reading this article I found some important things to do in my review niche blog. Thank you for sharing such a useful article.

  21. Suzanne says

    Hi,

    Great Post and very informative. I am considering starting a review site and I am still fairly new at this so I hope you don’t consider this a stupid question. Having a review site wouldn’t you have to purchase and personally review each item you put on your site or would you just be relying on what other say about it and pulling reviews in from say Amazon for example.

  22. sarfraz khan says

    I just love this site. Everything is useful. I also run a product niche site and I am earning several hundred dollars per month. But yes thanks for providing the useful plugin like wp product review about which I didn’t knew. Definitely will use it in the coming times inshallah.

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