Using reviews to help inform your buying decisions allows you to shop smarter and savvier. Here are some tips that can help you to get the most out of Trustpilot and make your shopping experiences smoother than ever.

Find what you're looking for

Knowing your way around the platform is a good way to make sure you have all your bases covered and can find the exact businesses that you’re looking for. From Trustpilot.com, you can choose to use our search function, or explore categories to find an overview of many businesses that fit the criteria of what you’re trying to find.

Search and discover 

If you know the name of the business you’re looking for, type it directly into the search box and see if they’re on Trustpilot. If you’re shopping around and want to find businesses in a particular category, type the category into the search box and browse the options available.

Explore business categories

Another way you can find businesses is to use our category function. We have an extensive list of popular categories featured on our homepage. Find the one you're looking for and click through to explore the options. On the results page, you’ll be able to get even more precise by selecting subcategories.

Filter it down

If you want to narrow it down even more, we highly recommend using our filters to tailor your results and find the perfect match. Maybe you want to find something local - use the Location filter to see the businesses that match your criteria in a specific area. Using this tool is a great way to find and support local businesses that you might have never tried before.

You can also filter by Rating, businesses that have Claimed their Trustpilot profile, and businesses that have Verified additional details (e.g proof of identity). These filters can help to find businesses and reviews that are most relevant for your needs.

Read reviews 

Once you’ve found a business you want to learn more about, it’s time to read their reviews. Reviews on Trustpilot go beyond just the content written by the reviewer, so understanding the terminology and labels that we attach to reviews can help give you a better understanding of the background and story associated with the experience being described. You can read more about the labels we use here.

And when reading a review, try to look at all the factors. Star ratings can help you quickly gauge quality, but don’t just stop there. Here’s some things you can consider:

• Are there lots of reviews or just a few? Remember that if a business only has a few reviews and they’re on opposite sides of the ratings scale, it can skew the overall impression of the business. In these cases, it’s a good idea to really read and evaluate the content of the reviews to help build a picture of what the business is like.
• Don’t just read the 1- and 5-star reviews. Middle-of-the-road reviews can help you get a more general opinion of the place, and usually offer both the pros and cons.
• Consider the dates of the reviews. Maybe a business had bad reviews to begin with, but with time they’ve improved. Star ratings take time to build up, so it’s good to consider the overall history of the business when reading reviews.

Check out the pics

It’s been said many times, but it’s true - a picture speaks volumes. When writing a review on Trustpilot, users have the chance to add photos and videos to their product reviews. Photos are a great way to give you a visual first impression and can help sway a decision that's on the fence. If there are photos and videos attached to a review, make sure to check them out and use them to get an even more detailed view.