You collected great reviews. You moderated them. Now you embed a display widget on your site — and the layout decides whether visitors skim one quote or scroll past a wall of identical cards. PraiseEngine ships four display layouts so you can fit social proof to each page instead of forcing every URL into the same template.
This guide walks through Standard, Grid, Carousel, and Marquee — when each works, what sorting pairs well with it, and how to set up widgets in the dashboard. If you want the full changelog, see our August 2026 product update.
Why review widget layout matters
Reviews influence conversion, but presentation influences whether anyone reads them. A dense grid of short quotes works on a wide marketing page; the same grid on a narrow mobile checkout feels cramped. A marquee draws the eye on a hero section; below the fold it can distract from your primary CTA.
Layout also interacts with sort order. PraiseEngine defaults to highest-rated everywhere — dashboard, SEO review profile, and widgets — so your strongest proof leads. Changing sort per widget lets you tell different stories: newest reviews on a launch page, highest rated on pricing, oldest first only when you are building a chronological case-study narrative.
PraiseEngine launched August 2, 2026 from Salestrics Inc. Display layouts shipped in the first major update — you can try all four on the Free plan forever, no credit card required.
Standard layout
Standard is the classic stacked review card: star rating, quote, reviewer name, and date in a vertical list. It is the default mental model for testimonials — visitors know how to scan it.
Best for:
- Dedicated “What customers say” sections mid-page
- B2B sites where buyers read full paragraphs before booking a demo
- SEO review profiles and long-form landing pages
- Sidebars with limited width where one column reads cleanly
Pair with sorting: Highest rated (default) puts your best proof on top. Newest works when you just shipped a major release and want fresh quotes visible immediately.
Standard uses vertical space. On mobile that is fine — users expect to scroll. On desktop homepages above the fold, consider Carousel or Marquee instead if you need compact proof without pushing your headline down.
Grid layout
Grid arranges reviews in multiple columns — a denser grid review embed that shows more social proof per viewport. Shorter quotes shine; long testimonials may truncate or wrap depending on your theme width.
Best for:
- Wide sections (full-bleed bands, 1200px+ containers)
- Agency and SaaS homepages with many one- to two-sentence blurbs
- Comparison pages where you want volume without endless scrolling
- Footer-adjacent proof blocks that need to feel substantial but not dominant
Pair with sorting: Highest rated fills the grid with your strongest scores first. If you have dozens of five-star reviews, Grid avoids the “infinite scroll of sameness” problem Standard can create.
Tip: moderate for quote length before publishing. Grid rewards punchy, specific lines (“Cut onboarding time in half”) over rambling paragraphs.
Carousel layout
Carousel shows one or a few reviews at a time with swipe or arrow navigation — the familiar carousel review widget pattern from product galleries and hero sliders.
Best for:
- Homepage heroes where vertical space is expensive
- Pricing pages — one strong quote beside your plan table
- Product pages with limited room below features
- Mobile-first layouts where horizontal interaction feels natural
Pair with sorting: Highest rated ensures the first slide is your best review — critical because many visitors never click next. Newest can work for launch-week campaigns when slide one must be yesterday’s customer story.
Accessibility note: carousels should not be the only place critical proof lives. Repeat your strongest quote in Standard or Grid lower on the page for visitors who do not interact with sliders.
Marquee layout
Marquee scrolls reviews continuously in a horizontal band — continuous motion for marquee testimonials without user interaction. It signals volume and momentum at a glance.
Best for:
- High-traffic homepages and conference landing pages
- Social-proof strips between sections (“Trusted by 500+ teams” bands)
- Event or launch pages where energy matters more than deep reading
- Agency sites showcasing client logos plus rotating quote snippets
Pair with sorting: Highest rated keeps the stream visually consistent (mostly fours and fives). Avoid lowest-rated sort in Marquee — negative quotes flying past undermine the effect.
Use Marquee sparingly: one per page is usually enough. Multiple marquees compete for attention and can feel gimmicky on B2B sites. Paid plans let you match marquee colors to your brand and remove the PraiseEngine badge so the band feels native.
Sorting options
Every PraiseEngine display widget supports four sort orders. You set sort when creating or editing the widget; it applies only to that embed — your dashboard and public profile can use different defaults.
- Highest rated (default) — Best proof first everywhere. Use this unless you have a specific reason not to.
- Lowest rated — Rare for marketing embeds; occasionally useful for internal test widgets or transparency experiments. Most teams keep this off public pages.
- Newest — Fresh reviews after launches, seasonal campaigns, or post-event follow-up.
- Oldest — Chronological storytelling (“With us since 2024”) or heritage brands emphasizing longevity.
Visitors can also change sort order on your public SEO review profile — not just your team in the dashboard. Widget sort and profile sort are independent; align them when you want a consistent story across embeds and indexable pages.
Setup tips
1. Create one widget per page purpose
Homepage Marquee + pricing Carousel + dedicated Standard section is a common trio. Each embed gets its own sort and layout without compromise.
2. Start from the dashboard
In app.praiseengine.com, go to Widgets → Create display widget → choose layout and sort → copy the embed code. You can delete widgets you no longer need directly from the dashboard.
3. Match branding on paid plans
Starter ($29/mo), Growth ($79/mo), and Agency ($199/mo) remove the “Powered by PraiseEngine” badge and unlock custom accent, background, and text colors on widgets and profiles. Free plan includes all layouts; paid plans make them look fully on-brand. See pricing for tier details.
4. Moderate before you embed
Layout cannot fix a weak review library. Customers complete AI-guided three-question interviews or manual entry, approve an AI draft built only from their words, and submit. Your team approves, rejects, or marks spam before anything publishes — so what appears in your widget is proof you trust.
5. Test on mobile first
Grid columns collapse; Carousel swipe matters; Marquee speed can feel fast on small screens. Preview each layout on the devices your buyers actually use.
Ready to embed? Get started free — no credit card — or leave us feedback on our public review page. PraiseEngine is a product of Salestrics Inc, launched August 2, 2026.