How to Start a Reviews Website

A reviews website provides a platform where various users can offer their thoughts and reviews on specific products and services. This provides a helpful service to your local community in helping residents determine where to spend their hard-earned money.

You may also be interested in additional online business ideas.

Ready to turn your business idea into a reality? Tailor Brands is our top recommendation because it guides you through every step of the process with hands-on support.

Tailor Brands ($0 + State Fees)

Start a reviews website by following these 10 steps:

  1. Plan your Reviews Website
  2. Form your Reviews Website into a Legal Entity
  3. Register your Reviews Website for Taxes
  4. Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
  5. Set up Accounting for your Reviews Website
  6. Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Reviews Website
  7. Get Reviews Website Insurance
  8. Define your Reviews Website Brand
  9. Create your Reviews Website Website
  10. Set up your Business Phone System

We have put together this simple guide to starting your reviews website. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.

Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.

STEP 1: Plan your business

A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:

Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.

What will you name your business?

Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Reviews Website Name Generator

If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.

When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:

  • Your state’s business records
  • Federal and state trademark records
  • Social media platforms
  • Web domain availability

It’s very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.

What are the costs involved in opening a reviews website?

Because it does not require an expensive business lease or even other employees, a reviews website can be started for a relatively cheap price. In fact, you may be able to launch a small business with about $5,000. Of this money, $300 goes towards purchasing the WordPress Pro Product Review Plugin for an unlimited number of sites. If you are familiar with WordPress, you can create the page yourself from the ground up, and even if you end up buying other plugins, the total cost of site creation should be $1,000 or lower. The remaining $4000 should be invested in web hosting and advertising, with an emphasis on a diverse array of online advertisements to maximize the amount of potential readers you may reach. For instance, you may advertise via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media venues, and you may advertise directly on websites designed for others who enjoy the niche you are working in.

What are the ongoing expenses for a reviews website?

If you are able to design the website yourself, the ongoing expenses for the site are minimal: you will likely be paying $200 or less per year for website hosting, and you will pay however much you desire per month on advertising (typically $500 or less after your initial advertising push at the beginning). Depending on the deals you are able to reach with sellers and/or manufacturers, you may be spending varying amounts of your own money on the products that you review.

Who is the target market?

While using online reviews is popular for many demographics, your primary market is millennials.

How does a reviews website make money?

Primarily, a reviews website makes money from advertisers who pay a particular portion based on the number of unique views that particular pages receive. There is also the ability to make money via affiliate links, but depending on your particular market, it may be worth it to avoid doing so as it can make your business look impartial.

How much can you charge customers?

This business model doesn’t charge customers directly. Rather, you will reach an agreement with advertisers that pays you based on how many views the pages with their advertisements receive. You may also consider creating an affiliate link model in which you receive a small portion of the sale when a customer follows a link on your site and buys the advertised product. In both cases, the exact amount that you receive will be negotiated and may vary from advertiser to advertiser and seller to seller.

How much profit can a reviews website make?

The exact amount of profit you can make with this business varies and depends on how many advertisers you have and how many clicks you receive. Some people do reviews merely part-time and are able to easily get $1000 a month. A successful reviews website may eventually become a six-figure business, but it will take time for your site to grow enough in both depth and reputation to make that happen.

How can you make your business more profitable?

Make sure you understand your specific niche and target audience and tailor reviews to what they want to know. Make sure you stay on the cutting edge and review the latest and greatest products rather than something without much buzz. Finally, never stop learning SEO and adapting your websites in order to maximize traffic and increase your views.

Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC’s free Small Business Startup Guide – a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!

STEP 2: Form a legal entity

One crucial aspect that cannot be overlooked when starting your reviews website is the importance of establishing a solid business foundation. While sole proprietorships and partnerships are the most common entity types for small businesses, they’re a far less stable and advantageous option than LLCs.

This is because unincorporated business structures (i.e., sole proprietorships and partnerships) expose you as an owner to personal liability for your business’s debts and legal actions, while LLCs protect you by keeping your personal assets separate from your business’s liabilities.

In practice, this means that if your reviews website were to face a lawsuit or incur any debts, your savings, home, and other personal assets could not be used to cover these costs. On top of this, forming your business as an LLC also helps it to appear more legitimate and trustworthy.

Ready to Turn Your Business Idea Into a Reality?

Tailor Brands is our top recommendation because it guides you through every step of the formation process with hands-on support — from paperwork and compliance to devising a detailed plan to help you achieve your business goals.

FORM YOUR LLC

Note: If you’re interested in more information before getting started, we recommend having a look at our How to Start a Business guide (DIY) or our in-depth Best Business Formation Services review (for those opting for a professional service).

STEP 3: Register for taxes

You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.

In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It’s really easy and free!

You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?

There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.

STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card

Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.

When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.

Open a business bank account

Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:

  • Separates your personal assets from your company’s assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
  • Makes accounting and tax filing easier.

Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.

Get a business credit card

Getting a business credit card helps you:

Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.

STEP 5: Set up business accounting

Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.

Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.

STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses

Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.

State & Local Business Licensing Requirements

Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a reviews business. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits.

Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.

Trademark & Copyright Protection

If you are developing a unique product, concept, brand, or design, it is prudent to protect your rights by registering for the appropriate trademarks and copyrights.

Learn more about trademark and copyright protection

The nature of legal requirements in distance education is ever changing, especially in regards to copyright laws. Here is a frequently updated resource, which can help keep you aware of the legal requirements.

STEP 7: Get business insurance

Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.

There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.

Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers’ Compensation Coverage.

Find out what types of insurance your Reviews Website needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Reviews Website.

STEP 8: Define your brand

Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.

If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.

How to promote & market a reviews website

There are many different ways to advertise your business. You may purchase Facebook ads to help bring in customers via social media. You may want to do guest blogs on popular blogs related to your niche as a way of building your reputation. Make sure that your websites are designed with maximum SEO effectiveness in mind. You can create your own Youtube videos and Facebook pages, too as an additional way to reach customers without much additional investment.

How to keep customers coming back

In addition to the advertising techniques above, make sure that your reviews are detailed and relevant. People use review websites to inform their major buying decisions, so if you are very detailed and very useful, they’ll keep coming back. Consider setting up an email marketing list so you can let people know when new reviews are added and other major info. Finally, consider creating retargeting ads to help bring customers back again and again.

STEP 9: Create your business website

After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.

While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.

Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:

  • All legitimate businesses have websites – full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
  • Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
  • Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.

Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.

Other popular website builders are: WordPressWIXWeeblySquarespace, and Shopify.

STEP 10: Set up your business phone system

Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.

There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2024 to find the best phone service for your small business.

Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com

Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it’s fair pricing.

Is this Business Right For You?

This business is good for those who are web-savvy, as creating an attractive and usable interface is a large part of the learning curve. It is also good for avid consumers, particularly of any kind of niche market that the product caters to. Finally, it’s good for those who have used similar services (such as Yelp) extensively, as this lets you determine how you will both structure and differentiate your own site.

Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?

Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!

Entrepreneurship Quiz

What happens during a typical day at a reviews website?

The nature of this business means that you are primarily working from home. Any given day, you may be editing or posting user reviews, negotiating with advertisers, tweaking your website, and developing new marketing to raise brand awareness.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful reviews website?

Previous experience designing commercial websites is invaluable when you are first starting your business. Networking skills are also crucial, as this can help you find advertisers and grow your business in a shorter amount of time. Finally, any prior experience working with another reviews website in any capacity helps provide valuable information about what you should (and should not) do with your own business.

What is the growth potential for a reviews website?

The growth potential for this business is steady, and may be even stronger if you choose a particular niche that is underserved. The number of review websites has steadily grown over the past ten years, and this directly correlates to consumer trust: one study by BrightLocal found that up to 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as they do personal recommendations, creating a great potential market for your new venture.

Not sure if a reviews website is right for you? Try our free Business Idea Generator and find your perfect idea.

Take the Next Step

Find a business mentor

One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.

Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.

Learn from other business owners

Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.

Resources to Help Women in Business

There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:

  • Funding
  • Events
  • Guides
  • Support

If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.

What are some insider tips for jump starting a reviews website?

Do not underestimate the importance of finding a niche. While there are major review sites for general products, it’s relatively easy to find a niche without much competition. This lets you quickly establish yourself as an authority with these products. Be sure to determine if you are trying to do affiliate marketing or not early on, as this changes the entire structure of your business. Finally, as long as the niche is viable, try to choose something you are already familiar with: it will make writing about products easier, and you may be able to start by providing reviews of things you already own.

How and when to build a team

The nature of most review websites means that you’ll likely start the site by yourself. However, because everything can be done from home, you may consider building a small team of reviewers early on to help you quickly produce content so that you can compete with other sites.

Useful Links

Industry Opportunities

Real World Examples

Further Reading