PraiseEngine went live today, August 2, 2026. If you have been waiting to replace blank review forms with guided questions, grounded AI interviews, and reviews you can actually publish — this is your starting point.
You do not need to read every help doc first. This guide covers the eight steps that matter on day one. Each step builds on the last. Skip ahead only if you have already finished earlier steps.
Want to see the customer experience before you set anything up? Try the review interview yourself — it takes about two minutes.
Step 1: Create your account
Go to app.praiseengine.com/auth/sign-up and create your account. Use a work email if you are setting this up for a business.
On the sign-up screen you will:
- Enter your name and email address
- Choose a password
- Confirm your email (check your inbox for a verification link)
After verification, you land in the PraiseEngine dashboard. That is your home base for widgets, review requests, moderation, and your public profile.
PraiseEngine offers a free trial so you can run through this whole guide without entering a credit card. See pricing when you are ready to pick a plan.
Time check: about 3 minutes.
Step 2: Configure your business context
Before you build widgets, tell PraiseEngine who you are. Business context powers guided questions, AI interview follow-ups, and how your public review profile looks in search.
In your dashboard, open Settings or Business profile and fill in:
- Business name — the name customers know you by
- Website URL — your main site (used for backlinks on your review profile)
- What you sell — a short description of your product or service
- Industry or category — helps shape interview questions
- Logo (optional) — appears on your review profile and widgets
Be specific. "We help B2B SaaS teams cut onboarding time with guided setup" gives better interview questions than "software company." The AI uses this context to ask follow-ups that pull out real details — not generic praise.
You can update this anytime. Get the basics in now so your first widget and profile look right from the start.
Time check: about 5 minutes.
Step 3: Set up the gathering widget
The gathering widget is how customers leave reviews. It replaces the blank text box with guided questions or a short AI interview. Every submission goes to your moderation queue — nothing publishes automatically.
In the dashboard, go to Widgets → Gathering and:
- Choose a collection mode. Pick guided questions, AI interview, or both. Guided questions work well for simple products. AI interviews ask follow-ups based on what the customer says.
- Review your questions. PraiseEngine suggests defaults based on your business context. Edit them to match your language. Two to four questions is enough. See our guide on collecting reviews without blank forms for question ideas.
- Set branding. Match colors and fonts to your site if you want. The widget can also run with PraiseEngine defaults on day one.
- Copy the gathering link or embed code. You will use the link for review requests in Step 6. Save the embed code if you want the form on a dedicated page on your site.
Important: the gathering widget collects reviews. It does not show them. That is what the display widget is for (Step 4).
Time check: about 5 minutes.
Step 4: Set up the display widget
The display widget shows approved reviews on your website — homepage, pricing page, or a testimonials section. Only reviews you approve in moderation appear here.
In the dashboard, go to Widgets → Display and:
- Pick a layout. Carousel, grid, or list. Start with whatever fits your site best. You can change it later.
- Choose what to show. Star rating, review text, customer name, company, and date. More context builds more trust.
- Set how many reviews to show. On launch day you may have zero approved reviews — that is fine. The widget will fill in as you moderate submissions.
- Copy the embed code. You will paste this on your site in Step 8.
Keep gathering and display separate. Mixing them means visitors might see unapproved content or get confused about where to leave a review.
Time check: about 3 minutes.
Step 5: Publish your SEO review profile
Your SEO review profile is a public page on PraiseEngine's domain with its own URL. It is built for search engines and AI answer tools — not just for embedding on your site.
Why it matters:
- Indexable HTML — search engines can crawl full review text, not just JavaScript-loaded widgets
- Review JSON-LD — structured data that labels ratings, reviewers, and review body text
- DoFollow backlink — a link from your profile page back to your main website
- GEO value — AI search tools can cite real customer quotes from a page they can read
In the dashboard, go to Review profile → Publish.
Choose a profile URL slug (for example, your-company-reviews), preview
the page, and click publish.
Your profile will look empty until you approve reviews in Step 7. Publish it now so the URL is live and ready. For a deeper dive, read our SEO review profiles and structured data guide.
Time check: about 3 minutes.
Step 6: Send your first review request
Setup is only useful if someone actually leaves a review. Send your first request to a customer you know had a good experience — a recent win makes the best test.
From the dashboard, open Review requests and:
- Add the customer's email (or copy the gathering link to send yourself via email, Slack, or SMS)
- Write a short personal note. Example: "We'd love a quick review about your onboarding experience. Takes about 2 minutes."
- Send the request. The customer gets a link to your gathering widget
Tips for a higher response rate on launch day:
- Ask right after a positive moment — delivery, onboarding done, support win
- Tell them how long it takes ("about 2 minutes")
- Keep the email short and personal, not a mass blast
- Send yourself a test request first so you see the full customer flow
The customer answers guided questions or does a short AI interview, reviews a draft built from their own words, and approves it before it hits your queue. Nothing goes live without their sign-off.
Time check: about 5 minutes (plus waiting for the customer).
Step 7: Moderate submissions
When a review comes in, it lands in your Moderation queue — not on your site, not on your public profile. You decide what goes live.
For each submission, you can:
- Approve — the review appears in your display widget and on your SEO profile
- Reject — spam, off-topic, or content you do not want public
- Flag for follow-up — something needs a quick check before you approve
What to look for during moderation:
- Does the review match what the customer actually experienced?
- Any personal data that should not be public (phone numbers, private details)?
- Claims that need verification before you stand behind them?
- Duplicate submissions from the same person?
Moderation is a quality gate, not a way to hide honest criticism. If a customer had a rough experience and says so clearly, that is useful signal. Block garbage and bots — not real feedback.
On launch day, approve your test review (or your first real one) so your display widget and profile are not empty when you embed them.
Time check: about 2 minutes per review.
Step 8: Embed reviews on your site
You copied embed codes in Steps 3 and 4. Now put the display widget where buyers will see it.
Common placements:
- Homepage — near your main value proposition
- Pricing page — right before the buy button
- Product or service pages — next to feature lists
- A dedicated testimonials page
To embed:
- Open your site editor (WordPress, Webflow, Squarespace, Shopify, or raw HTML)
- Add a custom HTML block or embed section
- Paste the display widget embed code from Step 4
- Save and preview the page
You do not need a developer for most site builders. If you use a custom app or template system, hand the embed code to whoever manages your front end.
Optional: add the gathering widget to a dedicated "Leave a review" page on your site, or just use the direct link from review requests. Many teams skip an on-site gathering embed and only send links by email.
Link to your public SEO review profile from your site footer or testimonials section. That gives visitors another path to read reviews and helps search engines find the profile faster.
Time check: about 5 minutes.
Launch day checklist
Before you close the laptop, confirm these are done:
- Account created and email verified
- Business name, website, and product description saved
- Gathering widget configured with questions you like
- Display widget configured and embed code copied
- SEO review profile published (even if empty for now)
- At least one review request sent
- At least one review approved in moderation
- Display widget embedded on at least one page
That is a working review system — collection, approval, moderation, on-site display, and search-ready public profile — in one session.
PraiseEngine handles the full workflow so you do not have to stitch together forms, spreadsheets, and manual publishing. If you have not started yet, create your free account and run through this guide today.