Are reviews automatically published, or do I need to approve them?
Introduction
In Roadmap, you have full control over how reviews are published. You can either manually approve every review or enable auto-publish with a minimum star rating threshold so positive reviews appear instantly while lower ratings are held for moderation.
Auto-Publish with Minimum Star Rating
- You can configure Roadmap to automatically publish reviews that meet or exceed a minimum star rating.
- Example:
- Set auto-publish to 4★ and above → all 4 & 5-star reviews are published immediately.
- Reviews rated 3★ or lower will be held in moderation until you approve them.
- This ensures your storefront shows trusted, positive reviews quickly, while you retain control over lower ratings.
👉 Best for: Stores that want to highlight positive feedback without delay and have the ability to respond to critical or negative reviews before publishing.
Manual Moderation (Auto-Publish Disabled)
- When auto-publish is turned off, all new reviews must be manually approved before they appear on your store.
- This gives you maximum control but may delay how fast reviews appear publicly.
👉 Best for: Stores in regulated industries, or those wanting to carefully manage customer-facing content. Also best for stores just starting to collect reviews and want to build a foundation prior to making them visible online.
How to Configure Review Publishing
- Go to Roadmap → Reviews → Settings.
- Under Auto Publish Option, select:
- Disabled → Review all submissions before publishing.
- Enabled → Publish reviews that meet or exceed your chosen minimum star rating.
Common Questions
- Can I still publish low-star reviews if auto-publish is enabled?
- Yes! Reviews below your threshold will appear in the admin, where you can choose to publish or reject them manually.
- Can I change the star threshold later?
- Yes! you can adjust it at any time in your review settings.
- Do imported reviews follow these rules?
- No, imported reviews must be approved within the CSV file before uploading.
Summary
- Manual mode → You approve all reviews before they appear.
- Auto-publish mode → Reviews at or above your chosen star threshold (e.g. 4★+) publish instantly, while others wait for moderation.