Frequently Asked Questions

Crowdreviewing is the process of obtaining reviews and input on products, services, and other tangibles from a large group of people.

CrowdReviews.com is a transparent online platform for determining which products and services are the best based on the opinion of the crowd. The crowd consists of Internet users which have experienced products and services first-hand and have an interest in letting other potential buyers benefit from their thoughts on their experience. The platform exists as a way to have an open discussion on the quality of products and services amongst the buyers and providers in a way where there are no secrets and hidden agendas.

We currently rank software in over 700 categories and services in over 200 categories. We are in the process of expanding our coverage into new areas including products in the future.

The vast majority of research platforms offer very biased recommendations and lack the necessary transparency that buyers deserve. These platforms operate in a pay-for-play environment where top-spenders get the top positions which can be very misleading. Buyers deserve better than this so CrowdReviews.com solves this problem by offering free, unbiased and transparent rankings of the best software and services based on public opinion. No favoritism. No discrimination.

We pride ourselves in ensuring that users are able to find out exactly how and why the rankings are produced as they are. Our "How Do We Rank" page will provide you with detailed insight in how placement is determined in the rankings and is also provided to help companies understand what behaviors can help them gain an edge over their competition. All of this information is available to the public and is not hidden behind any "black box".

CrowdReviews.com has been built and managed by a team of professionals with 13 years of experience in the review and ratings industry. A large part of the team comes from websites where rankings were determined based on internal procedures and methodologies on what makes a particular product or service better. With how the Internet has evolved, the crowd has been leveraged in a number of different ways to help bring products to life. The CrowdReviews team has come together to bring the crowd in to determine which products and services truly are the best based on their own experiences.

The learn more about our team, click here.

Buyers can confidently browse CrowdReviews.com confident in knowing that the products and services featured in the rankings are the best based on the feedback of the reviewers. The reviewers consist of customers, employees, and other vested parties which have an opinion covering the quality of products and services.

The direct benefit comes from knowing that a large number of parties agree on the overall quality of the product or service before a purchasing decision is made. In addition, we allow visitors to leave their own feedback through reviews on product and service profiles in order to document their experiences both positive and negative.

92% of buyers today turn to online reviews prior to making a purchasing decision. If a provider offers an exceptional customer experience and obtains positive reviews, they are more likely to be placed highly in the rankings by the algorithm. This results in an increase in relevant leads from those searching for the product or service they are offering and therefore providers experience additional revenue. Providers generally experience increased conversion rates as they are able to show and convince potential buyers that their products or services meet customer expectations. Finally, as an added benefit, providers also gain the opportunity for unsolicited feedback from the customers they normally may not have had the chance to listen to.

Having positive reviews means having a positive reputation on CrowdReviews.com. In addition, verified providers have an opportunity to make things right with their customers when they are not happy with a 7-day lead time on resolving negative reviews. To become a verified provider, click here.

If you’re interested in having your product or service on our website, you can register your business or claim an existing profile by clicking here. To protect your reputation and generate highly qualified leads, learn more about becoming a verified provider here.

After signing up to activate traffic to your website, you will receive an email with instruction to complete the verification process. Getting verified involves having an attorney or CPA verify key facts about your business. Learn more here.

Our rankings are determined based on a number of metrics that can be summed up in five different factors:

• Review Strength

  The algorithm takes into consideration the number of reviews a particular product or service has received, the number of reviews received specific to that category, the ratings which reviews have given to them, and the age of the reviews.

• Sentiment Strength

  The public's overall sentiment of the company's products or services as determined through third-party tools.

• Engagement Strength

  The algorithm also takes into consideration how much a company engages with our platform, i.e. uploads trendy content in the blog area, responds to negative reviews, answers questions left on their profile pages, uploads whitepapers in their content area, etc.

• Verified Status

  To ensure that providers are giving out accurate information to potential buyers we recommend that providers go through our verification process. This serves to ensure that providers are being honest with buyers about their key facts.

• Profile Strength

  It is also important for providers to ensure the profiles for their products and services are completed to the best of their ability. This includes having a description, management team, phone number, email address, and other applicable information.

These five points are what determine the placement of a product or a service within the rankings.

To view our complete algorithm, click here. In the spirit of complete transparency, providers can even forecast their placement based on new reviews and changes in performance by clicking here.

We are not a pay-to-play rankings platform. We do not accept money in exchange for a placement or position on the rankings. The algorithm considers whether a reviewer has confirmed their identity via LinkedIn or chosen to remain anonymous. Having reviews written by individuals which have proven their identity ensures that the reviews buyers are reading are left by individuals which have first-hand experience with a product or service.

The products and features listed on our rankings are not selected by a member of our team. Our transparent algorithm does the work of determining where a product or service is to be listed.

We do not claim to be experts within any given product or service industry. While there are thousands of websites which claim to be experts or insiders in various industries assisting buyers in making a purchase, we are experts in reviews and ratings. We give the control of determining which products and services are the best to the crowd.

While reviews hold a majority of the influence on where a company ranks, we do ask that companies provide us with accurate information and that their information is verified by a third-party source for the benefit of our visitors. The algorithm also takes into consideration the sentiment behind a company's outside presence through our Sentiment Strength metric. The algorithm also takes into consideration whether or not a company actively engages with buyers.

By offering free, unbiased and transparent rankings of the best software and services based on public opinion, visitors to our website are often conducting research in order to make a purchase decision. Businesses listed on CrowdReviews.com see this traffic is highly relevant because these visitors are potential customers. We offer a paid service allowing businesses to direct these visitors to their company websites. Businesses pay a monthly fee and a cost-per-click rate in order to experience these benefits.

While signed in, click Business Dashboard then Manage Profile. If you do not have login credentials, you can click Claim Now on an existing profile or Register Your Business from the homepage in order to set up your credentials. Should you require any assistance, please email [email protected].

The algorithms take into consideration the most recent information received when displaying the rankings on the website. As a result, the rankings are changing on a real-time basis.

There are a number of ways to improve your position in the rankings.

1. Reviews

   User reviews are the largest component of the rankings. If you obtain more legitimate positive reviews for your product or service, you're going to naturally improve your ranking position. It is important to invite your customers to leave reviews about their experience. With regard to your ranking position, detailed, insightful reviews have a greater impact than short, concise reviews. It is also important to ensure that your customers are leaving a review while connected to their LinkedIn to prove their identity.

   Additionally, it is also important for your employee to leave reviews about their experiences with your company.

2. Verification

   We offer vendors the opportunity to prove the legitimacy of their company by giving us the information we require to ensure that their statistics and information is accurate. A fee is charged to each vendor in order to pay for the costs associated with performing a background check on the company, ensuring that the statistics they have submitted are correct, and to verify the financial statistics offered to us if possible.

3. Engagement

   Vendors are able to improve their ranking position by becoming and remaining engaged with their customers and potential buyers. Engagement involves responding to reviews, answering questions, and implementing their review seal to invite their customers to leave a review regarding their product or service.

4. Profile Strength

   It is also important for companies to ensure they provide as much information as possible to allow potential buyers to make an educated decision on which product / service providers they contact or which they purchase. A completed profile ensures that our visitors are able to contact the vendor if there are any issues, have a solid understanding of what type of product or service is being offered, and can more accurately compare them to others within the list.

You can use the forecast tool found here to determine how you can improve your profile and reviews to gain a higher position.

We do not remove reviews from CrowdReviews.com except in circumstances of combating spam and automated review posting.

It is important to keep in mind that users are allowed to leave unattributed reviews, but reviews left by a real person are considered to be far more valuable. In addition, verified product and service providers are given a grace period to resolve issues found with negative reviews. We encourage providers to use our website as a means to help their less-than-satisfied buyers and reward them for taking action to address and correct the situation.

Once a review has been posted on our website, a negative review cannot be removed.

Verified providers receive the benefit of being given 7-days lead time to resolve any issues within a new negative review with the buyer. If the provider can resolve the issue with the buyer during this 7-day period, and only if the buyer can confirm that the issue has resolved, will the review not be displayed publically. Once the review has been posted, it cannot be removed. To learn more about becoming a verified provider, click here.

We are currently testing new features for both reviewers and vendors to give them a more valuable resource. We may test different ways for features to operate, UI changes, or even perform A/B testing on different pages to determine what the crowd prefers.

CrowdReviews.com is a resource for consumers to learn more about businesses and the products and services they offer. The information presented on CrowdReviews.com is obtained from public records and often times offered by companies themselves.

Consumers have a legal right to know about the businesses around them. As a result, we will not remove profiles from CrowdReviews.com.

Companies are encouraged to help CrowdReviews.com keep timely and accurate information about their company and the products and services being offered. If you wish to update information on your profile, simply click Manage Profile while logged in. If you have not yet created a login, click Claim Profile to set up access.