> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bellabooking.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Review settings

> Understand how client reviews work on your online booking page

## Overview

Reviews let your clients leave feedback after completing an appointment. Published reviews appear on your online booking page, helping prospective clients choose your business with confidence.

Reviews are available on the **Professional** plan. During your trial, reviews are enabled so you can explore the feature.

***

## How Reviews Work

When your plan includes reviews, the reviews section appears automatically on your online booking page once at least one review is published. There is no manual toggle to enable or disable reviews - availability is determined by your subscription plan.

To view and respond to reviews, go to **Reviews** in the main sidebar navigation.

Reviews from another platform are imported by the Bella team, not from your dashboard. To ask about an import, message us in chat. Imported reviews show in your Reviews list with the platform they came from, for example **Fresha import** or **CSV import**.

> [!TIP]
>
> When you first start collecting reviews, consider sending review requests to recent clients who had great experiences. Use the "Send review request" action from the appointment details menu, or configure the automated review request message.

***

## Controlling Visibility on Your Booking Page

The reviews section on your online booking page is controlled by your plan:

* **Professional plan**: Reviews section appears automatically
* **Solo and Starter plans**: Reviews section is not shown. Reviews imported during a trial are not shown anywhere public after you convert to a plan that does not include reviews - not on the booking page, the directory, the reviews page, or the website embed.

You can reorder where the reviews section appears relative to other sections (team, gallery, etc.) on the **Page sections** card in **Settings > Booking page**. Drag the grip, or use Move up / Move down, to move reviews higher or lower on the page. To take the section off your booking page, set its row to **Hidden** and apply the change: the section leaves your landing page with its links in the menu and the footer, and your star rating leaves the top of the page. Your reviews stay published, and their page at `yourbookinglink/reviews` still opens.

Published reviews also have a public page at `yourbookinglink/reviews`. Search engines and AI assistants can read your booking profile and that reviews page.

***

## Review Request Automation

Review requests are managed through **Settings > Automated messages > Review request**. See the [Automated messages](https://docs.bellabooking.com/messages/automated-messages.md) documentation for full details on configuring the review request message template, timing, and delivery channels.

***

## Getting Notified of New Reviews

When a client's new review is published, your business is notified automatically:

* It appears in the **notification bell** in the dashboard, which links straight to the Reviews page
* You can also receive it by **email** (on by default) and **SMS** (off by default) at your business location, along with the team member(s) on the reviewed appointment

A review held for platform review notifies you when it's published: once it's approved, or once the client edits it so it passes moderation, or down to a rating alone. A review the platform hid is published only once it's approved, however the client edits it. Each review notifies you once, so editing a published review doesn't notify you again.

Configure the channels under **Settings > Automated messages > Review received**. See [Automated messages](https://docs.bellabooking.com/messages/automated-messages.md) for details.

***

## Review Permissions

Two permission keys control review access for your team:

| Permission | Description | Default Roles |
| - | - | - |
| `reviews:view` | View reviews in the dashboard | Owner, Admin, Receptionist, Team Member |
| `reviews:respond` | Add, edit, or remove responses to reviews | Owner, Admin, Receptionist |

Manage these permissions in **Settings > Team permissions**. See [Team permissions](https://docs.bellabooking.com/teams/permissions.md) for details.

***

## Review Moderation

Review moderation is handled automatically by the platform:

* **AI moderation** checks every review with text before publishing
* **Clean reviews** are published immediately
* **Flagged reviews** are held for platform review
* **Reviews the automatic check can't read** are also held for platform review
* **Businesses cannot hide or delete reviews** - this ensures review integrity

For more details on what gets flagged, see [Reviews](https://docs.bellabooking.com/reviews.md).

***

## FAQs

**Q: How do I enable reviews for my business?**
A: Reviews are available on the Professional plan. If your plan includes reviews, the section appears on your online booking page automatically once you have at least one published review. There's nothing to switch on.

**Q: Can I hide the reviews section from my booking page?**
A: Yes. In **Settings > Booking page**, open **Page sections**, set **Reviews** to **Hidden** and apply the change. The section leaves your landing page with its links in the menu and the footer, and your star rating leaves the top of the page. Your reviews stay published, and their page at `yourbookinglink/reviews` still opens. The same card moves the section higher or lower on the page.

**Q: Do I need to do anything else after upgrading to a plan with reviews?**
A: Configure the "Review request" automated message in **Settings > Automated messages** to start collecting reviews automatically after checkout. You can also send review requests manually from the appointment actions menu.

**Q: Can I choose which reviews are shown?**
A: No. All published reviews are shown. Businesses cannot selectively hide reviews. Only the platform can hide reviews that violate content guidelines.

**Q: Reviews were imported during my trial - why don't they show on my booking page?**
A: Reviews are included on the Professional plan (and during trial). After you convert to a plan that does not include reviews, they are not shown anywhere public - including reviews imported during trial. Upgrade to a plan that includes reviews to show them again.


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