How to Increase Trustpilot Rating: From Mediocre to 5-Star Excellence 

There are a huge number of sites where users post positive or negative reviews of products / services and give ratings. However, the Danish online platform Trustpilot, founded in 2007, has an unconditional authority all over the world. Thanks to her, people all over the world are guided by shops, cafes and restaurants, banks, veterinary clinics and other institutions. 

Reviews are the main engine of the brand. Some people express their opinions, others read the comments and make a purchase/order decision. The more stars a company has, the higher the conversion rate. In this regard, there is an incentive (especially for beginners) to increase Trustpilot rating, for example, from 3.5 to 4.5+. The 3.5 rating is perceived as average, and you don’t have to wait for something first-class: poor quality, delivery problems, and staff neglect are presented. Although in reality everything may be fine.

A 4.5+ rating has a different effect, and it is also more eloquent than longrides and presentations. People are more willing to trust the company, they want to make purchases and place orders, which has a positive effect on conversions. 

The only question is how to achieve a high score without mistakes.

The Math Behind the Score: How Trustpilot’s Bayesian Average Works

For Trustpilot, a score is not just an average value that is calculated from all ratings for the total time of a brand’s activity. Relevant comments are given priority. The logic is quite simple. The client is interested in the current state of affairs of the company. What happened a year or even six months ago is fine. But you never know what could have changed since that time. Suddenly, the quality of the products has decreased, or there are problems with delivery. If it’s bad now, where would a high rating come from?

It is also worth discussing such a point as the level of reliability, and everything is clear here too. In order for sales to grow and the customer base to expand, you need to receive feedback regularly. It may not be the highest five-star rating, but the brand remains recognizable. To do this, it is enough to imagine a situation: a user wants to buy a new TV in the living room and is looking for a store. Which will he choose – a store where feedback is constantly posted, or a platform where there are almost no comments? It seems the answer is obvious.

Trustpilot itself monitors the number and dates of reviews added. If they are not available for a long time, the rating of the company decreases. 

To maintain customer loyalty, conversion, and recognition, it is important to work with reviews correctly. To do this, we recommend using five proven strategies.

Strategy 1: Mastering the “Review Invitation” Workflow

Modern companies automate all processes, including reviews. This measure has its advantages:

• minimization of human labor (the manager may forget or miss something, the system may not);
• accuracy;
• high speed;
• get more Trustpilot reviews of responses in a short time.

Today, Trustpilot integrates with many platforms where millions of people buy goods and order services. These include Shopify, Magento, and others. Everything is thought out to the smallest detail. An email inviting you to leave feedback about the product is not sent immediately, but after the purchase has received the “Completed” status.

However, there is still a delicate point. It is important to catch the so-called “Magic Window”. This concept means a certain time period when the client has managed to make his assessment, but now he can objectively express his impressions. Marketers recommend a few hours or a maximum of one day. However, if it comes to technology or cosmetic care products, it is better to move the time for a couple of days.

The key role is played by inviting “experienced users” in the first place. We are talking about a category of clients who are highly likely to give a high rating and leave a positive response. They had been shopping before and were very satisfied.

Strategy 2: Optimizing the Invitation Email (The CTR Boost)

Despite the active use of social networks and their introduction into all spheres of life, e-mail remains consistently relevant. Ads and notifications continue to arrive at users’ addresses. With Trustpilot, it is worth using it to increase conversion (a fact that has been proven repeatedly). You just need to think about the style of the invitation. 

1. Customers trust brands that communicate personally. The letter indicates the name of the customer, and adds a pinch of emotionality for “humanity.” The main thing is not to cross the line when communication becomes overtly familiar, which is annoying.
2. As an alternative, direct Trustpilot invitation templates are often used. There is no unnecessary information in the invitation, everything is short and to the point. The style is winning and demonstrates high conversion rates, as specific actions are required from the user.

Additionally, it is recommended to implement “One click”. Modern people live in constant motion, they do everything quickly, so letters asking for a rating should not be long for a better perception. This is especially true for mobile gadgets with a small screen. The invitation looks like this:

• the interface designed for the device;
• large buttons for precise finger hits;
• one page.

Inserting large amounts of text, links, and images is undesirable. They distract from the essence of writing a comment and rating. In addition, you will have to wait for everything to load, which takes time.

Strategy 3: Using “Automatic Feedback Service” (AFS)

It is more convenient to send invitations using BCC (Blind Carbon Copy). This is incredibly convenient: emails are sent not to each individual client, but to a group of users. Buyers/customers do not see other people thanks to the special Trustpilot address. Then a timer is set when the process needs to be started, and the mailing list begins at the specified time. Users receive emails, after which they write feedback that helps brands increase conversions and occupy the first lines in search engines.

Which is better to take for ranking – verified through Trustpilot reviews or regular ones? The first ones are more effective: the site has authority, the fact of making a purchase or order is proved, which means that the response has more value. In addition, as mentioned earlier, the platform takes into account relevant comments, so it remains objective. In addition, the responses are protected by the system – they cannot be challenged or simply canceled.

Strategy 4: Incentives vs. Ethics (The Fine Line)

It is not necessary to use ordinary methods to achieve the goal of leaving a response about a product or service. Even here you can be creative.

1. QR codes on the packaging. A request is written on the box or envelope to scan the code and share your impressions – fresh and fast.
2. Postcards. The company puts together with the product a beautiful postcard with an invitation to write a response. 
3. SMS requests. As a rule, brand messages express gratitude for cooperation and ask them to rate a product or service.

There are methods that cannot be resorted to, and one of them is encouragement for leaving a good comment. Trustpilot closely monitors the brand’s actions, and in this case, money, gifts, and even promo codes with discounts are negatively perceived by the system. 

As a result, the company receives the appropriate label, its rating decreases, potential customers do not buy anything.

Strategy 5: Internal Culture as a Reputation Tool

Internal culture plays a major role in any company. It ensures success and demonstrates authority. For its stability, it is necessary to work with the support staff. Their task is to communicate with customers, including those who are not always satisfied after receiving the purchase.

Specialists need to be taught such a useful skill as “ask when the problem is solved.” In other words, you should communicate with the user after correcting the situation (or at least trying to) and creating a new impression. If everything is successful, you should ask for a review, but do it as courteously as possible.

If the platform is integrated with Trustpilot, the brand opens up opportunities for setting up feedback. Communication gives good results. Reviews with well–founded criticism help to get better, and for customers this is also a significant plus – they feel cared for, they understand that work on mistakes is being carried out; therefore, it is worth contacting in the future and recommending to friends.

You should not limit yourself to the Trustpilot space only. Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others are recommended by marketers to use ecommerce social proof strategy. It also wouldn’t be superfluous to post reviews on Trustpilot and on your web resource or as contextual advertising. 

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Many companies unknowingly or inadvertently make mistakes in the pursuit of a high rating. The most common is a “surge of reviews”, when dozens or hundreds of comments descend on the brand after a pause. Trustpilot perceives this as a scam and sends a warning.

The service also disapproves of the restriction of reviews. Firms try to block out all the negativity, naively believing that no one will notice anything. However, the algorithms think otherwise, so the blocking process starts.

Summary: The Consistency Rule

If you want to boost trust score of the brand, you need to act consistently. Five reviews per week is the key to stability, reliability, and loyalty from Trustpilot and customers. In addition, there is time to work on bugs.

Fifty reviews in one day won’t help. The system will not accept them, besides, they will lose relevance, and the company will only lose its rating.