What is Strong Testimonials plugin?
Strong Testimonials is a popular WordPress testimonials plugin (80,000+ active installations) that handles both the collection and display of customer testimonials. Unlike simple testimonial slider plugins, Strong Testimonials provides a complete testimonials workflow: a front-end collection form where customers submit testimonials, an admin approval queue, flexible display templates (grid, slider, masonry, list), and multiple testimonial collection forms with custom fields. This two-sided approach — collection and display — makes it more comprehensive than plugins that only display manually-entered testimonials.
Strong Testimonials Free provides the core functionality: unlimited testimonials, collection forms, and display views with basic templates. Strong Testimonials Pro ($29/year) adds custom form fields for richer testimonial collection, advanced views with more layouts, importation from third-party platforms (Google Business, Facebook, Yelp), and WooCommerce integration for gathering reviews after purchase. The third-party import feature is a meaningful differentiator — it pulls existing reviews from platforms where customers already leave feedback.
The plugin is well-suited for service businesses, agencies, coaches, and consultants who want to actively collect and prominently display customer feedback. The approval workflow ensures only positive, appropriate testimonials appear publicly, and the display view system provides professional testimonial presentation without requiring a page builder.
Need Help With Strong Testimonials Setup, Troubleshooting, or Customization?
Need help with Strong Testimonials? Whether you are dealing with errors, broken functionality, styling problems, plugin conflicts, or advanced customization, we can help you fix the issue and get the plugin working properly on your WordPress site.
Get Strong Testimonials Expert HelpKey Features
- Testimonial submission forms (front-end collection)
- Admin approval workflow before testimonials go public
- Multiple display views: grid, slider, masonry, list, alternating
- Shortcode and widget embedding
- Star rating field support
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Complete testimonial workflow — collection AND display in one plugin
- Approval workflow provides quality control over public testimonials
- Third-party import (Pro) brings existing Google/Facebook reviews into WordPress
Cons
- Pro required for third-party platform imports — the most compelling feature
- Display templates less visually polished than Elementor-native testimonial blocks
Free vs Premium
Free: testimonial collection form, approval, display views, star ratings. Pro ($29/year): custom fields, third-party imports, WooCommerce integration, advanced views.
Common Problems & Fixes
Strong Testimonials slider is not auto-playing — the slider shows testimonials but does not advance automatically. How do I enable auto-play?
In the Strong Testimonials view configuration for the slider display, find the Slider Settings section. Enable “Auto Play” and configure the slide interval (milliseconds between slides, e.g., 4000 for 4 seconds). Save the view. If auto-play is enabled but still not working: (1) a JavaScript conflict with another slider library (Slick, Swiper) on the same page may be overriding Strong Testimonials’ slider initialization; (2) check browser DevTools Console for JavaScript errors; (3) clear all caches and test in an incognito browser.
Testimonial form submissions are showing as spam — all submitted testimonials go to the spam queue despite being legitimate. How do I reduce false positives?
Strong Testimonials uses Akismet and optional honeypot for spam detection. If legitimate testimonials are marked as spam: (1) in Strong Testimonials → Settings → Spam, adjust the Akismet configuration or disable Akismet spam detection temporarily to test; (2) the submission IP address may be flagged in Akismet’s database — try from a different network; (3) certain testimonial content patterns (links, specific words) trigger spam filters; (4) if using honeypot protection, verify the honeypot field is not visible to real users (CSS should hide it) but is being filled by bots.
Strong Testimonials shortcode is rendering as raw text instead of testimonials in the Gutenberg editor. How do I display testimonials in Gutenberg?
Strong Testimonials provides both shortcodes and Gutenberg blocks. In the Gutenberg editor, search for “Strong Testimonials” in the block inserter and add the Testimonials block directly — no shortcode needed. For shortcodes: use them within a Shortcode block (not a Paragraph block). Raw shortcode text in paragraph blocks indicates the shortcode is not being processed — it must be in a Shortcode block type specifically.
Customization & Developer Notes
How do I display testimonials from a specific category on a services page?
Create testimonial categories in Strong Testimonials → Categories. Assign testimonials to relevant categories (e.g., “Web Design,” “SEO,” “Consulting”). Create a display view filtered by category. In the view settings, under Filter, select “Category” and choose the specific category. Use the view’s shortcode on the services page. Only testimonials in the filtered category appear, making the testimonials contextually relevant to the service described on that page.
How do I import Google Business reviews into Strong Testimonials Pro?
Strong Testimonials Pro’s import feature (Sources) connects to the Google Places API. In Strong Testimonials → Sources → Add New, select Google Business and enter your Google Place ID (find via the Google Place ID Finder tool). Enter a Google API key with Places API enabled. Configure import frequency (daily, weekly). Strong Testimonials fetches existing reviews and new reviews from Google Business and imports them as WordPress testimonials — they enter the approval queue for moderation before going public.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Strong Testimonials better than WP Testimonials for collecting customer feedback?
Strong Testimonials is generally more feature-complete for both collection (front-end forms, approval workflow) and display (multiple view types, slider, grid) compared to simpler alternatives. For basic testimonial display from manually entered content, any testimonial plugin is adequate. Strong Testimonials is the better choice when automated collection from customers (front-end forms) and multi-source aggregation (third-party imports in Pro) are requirements. For sites needing only a static testimonial display section, simpler solutions may add less plugin overhead.
Can Strong Testimonials output review schema markup for Google search rich snippets?
Yes — Strong Testimonials can output Schema.org review markup when configured to do so in the view settings. Enable schema markup in the display view configuration. The schema type can be set to LocalBusiness, Product, or Review depending on the testimonial context. Well-configured schema markup can enable Google to display star ratings in search results for the pages containing Strong Testimonials. Use Google’s Rich Results Test to verify the schema is correctly output after enabling.
Can Strong Testimonials break after updates?
Yes, that can happen, especially on older sites with many plugins. This usually happens when the plugin, theme, and add-ons are updated out of sequence. In most cases, testing on staging catches the issue before it reaches the live site. From experience, backups and changelog reviews save a lot of cleanup time.
What should I check before installing Strong Testimonials?
Start by checking whether another plugin already does the same job. In most cases, overlap is what creates avoidable conflicts and performance issues. A common issue is installing a plugin because it looks convenient without checking the stack first. From experience, a short compatibility review avoids most of the pain later.