How To Show Reviews First Rather Than Description Woocommerce

How to Prioritize Reviews Over Product Descriptions in WooCommerce (SEO-Friendly Guide)

Introduction:

In the competitive world of e-commerce, social proof is paramount. Potential customers often rely on reviews to make informed purchasing decisions. Therefore, strategically showcasing product reviews before the product description in WooCommerce can significantly boost conversion rates and improve the overall user experience. This article will guide you through the steps to achieve this, explaining why it’s beneficial and highlighting potential downsides to consider. We’ll cover several methods, from simple code snippets to plugin solutions.

Main Part: Strategies for Displaying WooCommerce Reviews First

The primary goal is to change the default order of WooCommerce tabs, positioning the “Reviews” tab before the “Description” tab. Here are several methods you can use:

1. Using Custom Code (PHP)

This is a common and generally preferred method for experienced WordPress users. It involves adding a code snippet to your theme’s `functions.php` file or using a code snippets plugin (recommended for safety and organization).

<?php
/**
Reorder WooCommerce product tabs, displaying reviews first.
*/
add_filter( 'woocommerce_product_tabs', 'woo_reorder_tabs', 98 );
function woo_reorder_tabs( $tabs ) {

global $product;

if ( !isset( $tabs[‘reviews’] ) ) return $tabs; //check reviews exist

$reviews_tab = $tabs[‘reviews’];

unset( $tabs[‘reviews’] );

$tabs = array_merge( array( ‘reviews’ => $reviews_tab ), $tabs );

return $tabs;

}

?>

Explanation:

• `add_filter( ‘woocommerce_product_tabs’, ‘woo_reorder_tabs’, 98 );`: This line hooks into the `woocommerce_product_tabs` filter, which allows us to modify the order of the tabs. The priority `98` ensures that our function is executed before most other plugins that might also be modifying the tabs.
• `woo_reorder_tabs( $tabs )`: This is our custom function that reorders the tabs.
• `global $product; if ( !isset( $tabs[‘reviews’] ) ) return $tabs;`: This line ensures that the code only runs if the product has reviews. If there are no reviews, we return the tabs as they are.
• `$reviews_tab = $tabs[‘reviews’];`: This stores the data of the Reviews Tab to a variable.
• `unset( $tabs[‘reviews’] );`: This removes the Reviews Tab from the array.
• `$tabs = array_merge( array( ‘reviews’ => $reviews_tab ), $tabs );`: This inserts the stored Reviews tab at the beginning of the tabs array.
• `return $tabs;`: This returns the modified tabs array.

Important Considerations for Code Insertion:

• Child Theme: Always use a child theme when modifying your theme’s `functions.php` file. This prevents your changes from being overwritten when the main theme is updated.
• Code Snippets Plugin: A code snippets plugin like “Code Snippets” (from Code Snippets Pro) allows you to add and manage code snippets without directly editing your theme files, minimizing risk.
• Backup: Before making any code changes, back up your website!

2. Using a Plugin

For users who are less comfortable with code, several plugins can achieve the same result:

• WooCommerce Tab Manager: This premium plugin offers a user-friendly interface to reorder, rename, and even disable WooCommerce tabs.
• Custom Product Tabs for WooCommerce: While primarily designed for adding custom tabs, some versions may allow reordering existing ones.

Plugin Pros & Cons:

• Pros: Easier to use, no coding required, often includes additional features.
• Cons: Can add bloat if the plugin has many features you don’t need, potential compatibility issues with other plugins or themes, often requires a paid license for advanced features.

3. Optimizing Reviews for SEO

Just changing the tab order is not enough, you also need to make the reviews section more visible to search engines. Here are some tips:

• Encourage More Reviews: Actively solicit reviews from your customers. Sending follow-up emails after purchase is an effective strategy.
• Respond to Reviews: Address both positive and negative reviews. This demonstrates that you value customer feedback and are committed to resolving issues.
• Use Schema Markup: Implement review schema markup to enhance how your product ratings appear in search results (rich snippets). Plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math can help with this. Schema markup helps search engines understand the content of your reviews and display them more prominently.
• Mobile-Friendly Design: Ensure that your review section is properly displayed on mobile devices. Mobile-first indexing is critical for SEO.

Example of review schema markup (JSON-LD format):

{

“@context”: “https://schema.org/”,

“@type”: “Product”,

“name”: “Your Product Name”,

“image”: “URL to your product image”,

“description”: “A brief description of your product.”,

“aggregateRating”: {

“@type”: “AggregateRating”,

“ratingValue”: “4.5”,

“reviewCount”: “100”

},

“offers”: {

“@type”: “Offer”,

“url”: “URL to your product page”,

“priceCurrency”: “USD”,

“price”: “29.99”,

“availability”: “https://schema.org/InStock”

},

“review”: [

{

“@type”: “Review”,

“author”: {

“@type”: “Person”,

“name”: “John Doe”

},

“reviewRating”: {

“@type”: “Rating”,

“ratingValue”: “5”,

“bestRating”: “5”

},

“reviewBody”: “This product is amazing! I highly recommend it.”,

“datePublished”: “2023-10-27”

}

// Add more review objects here

]

}

This code snippet needs to be added to the page, within the product details for it to properly work.

Considerations & Potential Drawbacks:

While prioritizing reviews can be beneficial, consider these potential drawbacks:

• Products with No Reviews: If a product has no reviews, the “Reviews” tab will be empty, potentially creating a negative first impression. Ensure you have a strategy for handling products with no reviews (e.g., hiding the tab, displaying a message encouraging reviews). The code we provided above does have a check to prevent this.
• Long Reviews: If reviews are very long, they might push the product description further down the page, making it less accessible for some users. Consider limiting the number of reviews initially displayed or implementing a “read more” button.
• Design Considerations: Make sure the reordered tabs fit well with your website’s overall design. The visual hierarchy should still be clear and intuitive.

Conclusion:

Displaying WooCommerce reviews before product descriptions can be a powerful strategy to increase sales and build trust. By implementing the methods outlined in this article, you can effectively leverage social proof to influence purchasing decisions. Remember to choose the method that best suits your technical skills and website requirements. Most importantly, monitor your conversion rates and adjust your approach as needed to achieve optimal results. Don’t forget to regularly optimize your review strategy for SEO to maximize visibility and drive more traffic to your product pages.