Privacy is a paramount consideration for many e-commerce stores, especially businesses operating in sensitive niches such as health and wellness, pharmaceuticals, personal care, luxury goods, financial consulting, or legal services. In these industries, customers are often hesitant to leave honest reviews if their full name will be publicly visible to search engines and visitors.
ReviewX includes robust privacy controls that allow store owners to completely hide reviewer names from the storefront widget or give customers the autonomy to submit anonymous reviews.
Hiding Names vs. Censoring Names
Hiding Reviewer Names: Completely removes the author line from the storefront widget, focusing visitor attention strictly on ratings, multi-criteria scores, photos, and testimonial copy.
Censoring Reviewer Names: Displays masked initials (e.g., J*** D***), preserving social proof while protecting individual identities.
Step-by-Step Guide: Hiding Reviewer Names Globally
Step 1: Open Review Settings
From your WordPress dashboard, navigate to ReviewX → Reviews and select the Review settings tab.
Step 2: Toggle Off Display Reviewer Name
Locate the setting titled Display reviewer’s name (marked with Badge 1 in the screenshot above):
- Click the toggle switch (Badge 2) to turn it off (gray/inactive).
- When disabled, ReviewX will omit the customer’s name from all public review cards on single product pages and custom post type templates.
Step 3: Save Settings
Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click Save. ReviewX will immediately update your storefront presentation.
Alternative: Allowing Voluntary Anonymous Reviews
If you prefer not to hide author names globally, you can allow individual customers to decide whether they wish to remain anonymous:
- Keep Display reviewer’s name toggled ON.
- Locate the option titled Allow anonymous review (marked with Badge 2 in the censor screenshot above) and switch it ON.
- A new checkbox labeled “Post review anonymously” will appear on the storefront review submission form.
- When selected by the customer, their review will be published without their name or avatar, while customers who do not check the box will have their names displayed normally.
Impact on Google Rich Snippets & Schema SEO
A common concern when hiding reviewer names is whether Google will reject your product structured data schema. ReviewX handles this gracefully:
Valid Schema Without Author Identity
ReviewX structures your JSON-LD Product Schema according to Google Search Central guidelines. If reviewer names are hidden, ReviewX populates the schema author property with a generic compliant string (such as "Verified Customer") or falls back to your store’s organization name, ensuring 100% compliance with Google Rich Results without structured data errors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can store administrators still view the customer’s real name?
Yes. Hiding reviewer names only affects the public storefront. In your WordPress admin dashboard (ReviewX → Reviews), store managers and administrators can always view the customer’s real name, email address, order details, and verified purchase status.
Can I hide reviewer names only for specific products?
Under ReviewX → Custom Post Reviews, you can configure unique review settings per post type. For granular per-product overrides, you can use the Live Customizer or apply a simple CSS selector to hide author names on specific product categories.
Do verified badges still show if names are hidden?
Yes. If Show “Verified owner” label is active, the verified checkmark badge will still appear on the review card to confirm purchase authenticity even when the author name is hidden.
