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What Is Sitejabber?
As one of the most popular feedback platforms online, Sitejabber is beloved by Google and other search engines. But is it really good for businesses and consumers alike? Are Sitejabber reviews real? Is it worth your time? Let's make sense of this site together.
Who Owns Sitejabber?
Sitejabber is a privately owned company founded in 2008 in California by Michael Lai, Jeremy Gin, and Rodney Gin as an alternative to Yelp for online shoppers, retailers, and businesses. Aside from seed funding, the founders relied on grant money from the National Science Foundation to get the idea off the ground.
According to the website, Sitejabber was initially created to promote online transparency and reduce fraud. Over a decade later, the mission seems to remain the same, though the platform's business model raises some questions.
How Does It Work?
If you only want to read feedback, use the search bar to find the site you're interested in and enjoy the posts. But if you want to write a review, you need to create an account for Sitejabber login. The platform's team will read and analyze your review before accepting and publishing it, so it may take some time.
If you're a business owner, you can browse reviews or create a free account. There's a 30-day trial and a premium option, though the platform does not disclose the pricing. I guess the price will depend on the feature set and the number of domains. Either way, the businesses pay to access marketing and sales tools. However, I bet they can also flag negative reviews to get them removed from the platform to improve their overall rating.
Sitejabber Pricing
As I've mentioned, Sitejabber is surprisingly unclear about the pricing options, considering the platform's purported transparency efforts. I couldn't find any recent accounts by business owners. But according to Capterra, the pricing starts at $199 per month, which adds up to around $2,400 per year. As usual, customers like you and me end up paying the cost as it's added to the prices of the products and services.
Is Sitejabber.com Reliable?
After a deeper look into the platform's business model, I'm on the fence. I wouldn't call Sitejabber scam, but some of its practices are questionable. For example, I've stumbled upon business owners complaining about only getting negative reviews until they signed up for a premium plan. On the other hand, the customers are sometimes wary of uploading screenshots of their purchase information to verify their orders, as the company may use (or sell) their shopping habits information.
On the bright side, despite complaints intermingled with praise, I haven't seen any mention of a Sitejabber lawsuit, be it against a reviewer, a business, or the platform. So it looks like Sitejabber dodged most of the scandals that shook Trustpilot in 2021.
Is Sitejabber Worth Your Time?
I won't say you can trust all Sitejabber reviews, negative or positive. Instead, I will recommend you use common sense. Pay attention to phrasing, customer profiles, and overall company rating. Look for feedback elsewhere to get a full picture. Ideally, you want three independent sources of feedback before trusting an online business, so make sure to check out other feedback platforms, social media, etc.
FAQ
Is it possible to buy Sitejabber.com reviews?
The platform does not offer reviews for sale, though it does give businesses control over negative posts. On the other hand, freelance writers are more than willing to write and post a fake Sitejabber review.
Are Siteiabber's reviews fake?
Some are, others aren't. It takes time, but you can learn to tell genuine reviews from fakes.
