Boost Your Reviews: How to Add External Links to BigCommerce Product Review Request Emails

In the competitive landscape of e-commerce, customer reviews are powerful social proof, trust builders, and conversion drivers. BigCommerce provides automated product review request emails – a crucial tool for gathering these insights. However, many merchants seek to extend their utility by directing customers to external review platforms like Google. This common customization can present a unique technical hurdle within BigCommerce’s email template system.

The BigCommerce Review Request Email System & The Challenge

BigCommerce’s email templates are designed for flexibility, especially through its 'phrase system,' which manages common text strings for easy localization and updates. When you access the Product Review Request email template, you'll see sections pulling content from these phrases, like {{lang 'review_request.instruction'}}.

A recent community forum query from Cynthia Snyder highlighted a common friction point: embedding a direct hyperlink to her Google review page within the 'instruction' field. Her attempts to insert standard HTML tags () directly into the phrase value in code view proved unsuccessful. This is due to a fundamental design choice.

As expert Solomon Lite explained, phrase values are treated as plain text, not HTML, for security and stability. Any HTML tags inserted directly into a phrase value will be stripped or escaped, rendering them ineffective. Merchants cannot directly inject HTML into these phrase-driven fields, even in raw code view.

The Big Migration Solution: Bypassing Phrase Limitations with Direct HTML Insertion

Fortunately, there’s an elegant and effective workaround that leverages the BigCommerce template's ability to render raw HTML while keeping your dynamic phrase content separate. The solution involves adding your desired hyperlink directly into the surrounding template HTML, outside the phrase variable itself. This method ensures your link is rendered correctly without being stripped or escaped.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to implement this solution and supercharge your review requests:

Step-by-Step Guide: Adding External Links to Your Review Request Email

1. Access Your Email Templates: From your BigCommerce control panel, navigate to Storefront > Email Templates.
2. Select the Product Review Request Template: Locate and click on the 'Product Review Request' template to open its editing interface.
3. Switch to Code View: Click the 'Code' button (usually located in the top right or bottom left of the editor) to access the raw HTML/Handlebars editor for the email template. This is where you’ll make your precise modifications.
4. Locate the Phrase Variable: Within the code, search for where the instruction phrase variable is rendered. It will typically look something like {{lang 'review_request.instruction'}}. This is your anchor point.
5. Insert Your Custom HTML Block: Immediately after the line where the instruction phrase variable is rendered, insert your own hard-coded HTML block. This block will contain your external hyperlink. For example, to add a Google review link, you would insert something similar to this:

Loved your purchase? We'd be thrilled if you could leave us a review on Google!

• Important Considerations for Your Link:
  • Replace YOUR_GOOGLE_REVIEW_LINK_HERE: Make sure to replace this placeholder with your actual, full Google review link. You can usually find this by searching for your business on Google, clicking 'Write a review,' and then copying the URL from the address bar.
  • target="_blank": This attribute ensures the link opens in a new tab or window, preventing customers from leaving your store's context entirely.
  • rel="noopener": This is a security best practice, especially when using target="_blank", to prevent 'tabnabbing' attacks.
• Save Your Changes: After inserting your HTML, click 'Save' to apply the modifications to your template.
• Send a Test Email: This is a critical step. Always send yourself a test email to confirm that the link renders correctly across various email clients (e.g., Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail). Some older or stricter email clients might strip certain unrecognized markup, so thorough testing is essential.

This method keeps your Google review link visually integrated with the instruction text but structurally separate from the phrase field, successfully accomplishing your goal without running into BigCommerce's plain-text phrase limitations.

Maximizing Impact: Best Practices for External Review Links

To significantly boost your review conversion rates, consider these strategic implementation tips:

• Clear Call to Action (CTA): Use compelling text like 'Leave us a review on Google' to clearly state the desired action.
• Strategic Placement: Ensure the link is easily visible and stands out without being intrusive, often best right after the main instruction.
• Concise Messaging: Email recipients have short attention spans; get straight to the point.
• Thorough Testing: Beyond rendering, test the entire user journey – link accuracy, ease of review process.
• Branding Consistency: Align the tone and language of your added text with your overall brand voice.
• Focus on Key Platforms: While multiple links are possible, prioritize the most impactful platform (e.g., Google for local SEO) to avoid overwhelming customers.

The 'Bigger Lift': When a Dedicated Reviews App Makes Sense

While the direct HTML method is excellent for quick, targeted additions, it's worth noting Solomon Lite's alternative suggestion: integrating a dedicated reviews app. Solutions like Judge.me, Yotpo, or Stamped.io offer a more comprehensive approach to review management and can sidestep the phrase limitation entirely.

Advantages of a Dedicated Reviews App:

• Enhanced Editors: Robust WYSIWYG or full-HTML editors for email templates, offering greater design freedom.
• Advanced Features: Photo/video reviews, Q&A, review syndication, Google Shopping integration, rich snippets, and detailed analytics.
• Automated Sequences: More sophisticated follow-ups and reminders.
• A/B Testing: Optimize email subject lines, content, and CTAs.
• Marketing Integrations: Seamlessly connect review data with email marketing, loyalty programs, and other tools.
• Migration & Data Portability: Simplifies porting review data if considering future platform migrations.

Disadvantages:

• Cost: Typically paid subscriptions.
• Implementation Effort: Significant time investment for integration and configuration.
• Potential Overlap: May duplicate some native BigCommerce features.

For merchants with high review volume, complex marketing strategies, or those planning a BigCommerce migration where review data portability is key, a dedicated reviews app might be a more scalable, feature-rich long-term solution. However, for a targeted addition like a Google review link, the direct HTML method is a perfectly viable and cost-effective approach.

Expanding Your Review Strategy

While Google reviews are crucial for local SEO and general visibility, don't forget other platforms relevant to your niche. Depending on your industry, reviews on sites like Yelp, Facebook, Trustpilot, or even specialized industry directories can significantly impact your brand's reputation and customer acquisition. The same direct HTML insertion method can be adapted to include links to these platforms as well, always prioritizing the platforms where your target audience is most active.

Conclusion

Customer reviews are the lifeblood of modern e-commerce. While BigCommerce's phrase system presents a minor hurdle for direct HTML insertion, the workaround of adding external links directly into the template's HTML provides a powerful, flexible, and cost-effective solution. By following these steps, you can enhance your BigCommerce product review request emails, drive more traffic to your external review profiles, and strengthen your brand's online reputation.

At Big Migration, we specialize in BigCommerce customization and optimization. Whether fine-tuning email templates or planning a comprehensive platform migration, our expertise ensures your e-commerce operations run smoothly. Don't let technical nuances hold back your growth – leverage BigCommerce's power to its fullest!