In today's digital marketplace, G2 reviews have become a crucial resource for businesses and consumers alike. These customer-driven evaluations offer valuable insights into software products and services, helping companies make informed decisions about their technology investments.

G2, a leading platform for business software reviews, has revolutionized the way people assess and choose tools for their organizations. G2 reviews encompass a wide range of software categories, from project management to marketing automation.

They provide detailed feedback on user experience, product features, and overall satisfaction. By analyzing G2 product reviews, businesses can gain a deeper understanding of how different solutions perform in real-world scenarios.

This comprehensive guide will explore the intricacies of G2 customer reviews, delve into the review process, and shed light on G2's rating system, giving readers the knowledge they need to navigate this valuable resource effectively.

What are G2 Reviews?

Definition and purpose

G2 reviews are authentic peer evaluations of software products and services on the G2 platform. These reviews serve as a valuable resource for businesses and consumers seeking to make informed decisions about technology investments.

G2, the largest and most trusted software marketplace, provides a platform where millions of people annually—including employees from all Fortune 500 companies—can access genuine feedback to guide their software choices.

The primary purpose of G2 reviews is to deliver the authentic voice of the customer. These evaluations offer detailed insights into user experiences, product features, and overall satisfaction levels. By providing clear market positioning and benchmarking, G2 reviews help inform buyer decisions and inspire confidence in potential customers.

How G2 collects reviews

G2 employs various methods to collect reviews, ensuring a comprehensive and diverse range of feedback. Some of the key approaches include:

1. User authentication: G2 requires users to validate themselves before submitting a review. Only users from eligible gated sources, such as LinkedIn or business email addresses, can provide feedback.
2. Specific questioning: Reviewers are asked targeted questions about their experience to confirm the validity of their review and ensure it reflects the correct use case.
3. Review campaigns: G2 offers managed review campaigns that companies can request to gather feedback from their customers.
4. In-app prompts: G2 integrations, such as those with Delighted and Pendo, allow for review collection directly within software applications.
5. Organic submissions: Users can navigate to a product's G2 profile and leave a review without an invitation.
6. Event-based collection: G2 provides services to collect reviews at in-person events, setting up review booths with ambassadors to assist in the process.

To maintain the integrity of reviews, G2 implements a "Review Safety Toolkit" that includes strict approval guidelines, user authentication measures, and a queue-based moderation system. This toolkit also incorporates review content analysis, anti-spam tools, and AI content detection scanning to prevent fake or inauthentic reviews.

Types of reviews on G2

G2 hosts various types of reviews to provide a comprehensive view of software products and services:

1. Verified user reviews: These are reviews from legitimate business users of the software or service, including administrators, internal consultants, executive sponsors, and industry analysts.
2. Business partner reviews: While allowed, these reviews from resellers or other business partners are flagged and do not impact the product's star rating or G2 Score.
3. Guest user reviews: Feedback from users invited to use the software outside their organization or for one-time purposes is accepted but does not influence the product's overall ratings or rankings.
4. Incentivized reviews: If a review is incentivized, G2 clearly labels it as such to maintain transparency.
5. Updated reviews: To prevent review decay, G2 sends automated emails to reviewers every six months, requesting updated opinions on the product.

G2 treats all reviews equally, regardless of their tone or quality level. The platform never suppresses or hides negative reviews, ensuring a balanced and honest representation of user experiences. This commitment to authenticity and transparency has established G2 as a trusted source for software buyers and sellers alike.

By providing a platform for these diverse types of reviews, G2 enables businesses to gather valuable customer intelligence, identify areas for improvement, and showcase their products' strengths to potential buyers. The comprehensive nature of G2 reviews has made them an essential tool in the modern B2B software marketplace.

The G2 Review Process

The G2 review process is designed to ensure authenticity, quality, and transparency in software evaluations. This multi-step procedure helps maintain the integrity of G2 reviews, making them a trusted resource for businesses seeking reliable software solutions.

Submitting a review

To submit a G2 review, users must first validate their identity. This step is crucial in maintaining the credibility of the platform. G2 accepts reviews from users who have a LinkedIn account or a valid business email address. This authentication process helps prevent employees or competitors from submitting biased reviews.

When writing a review, users are asked specific questions about their experience with the software. These targeted inquiries help confirm the validity of the review and ensure that it reflects the correct use case. G2 encourages reviewers to be as specific as possible, providing detailed insights into the product's features, functionality, and overall performance.

G2 also offers managed review campaigns, allowing companies to request feedback from their customers. Additionally, some software applications have G2 integrations, enabling users to submit reviews directly within the app.

Review verification

Once a review is submitted, it undergoes a rigorous verification process. G2 employs a "Review Safety Toolkit" to prevent fake reviewers from engaging with the platform. This toolkit includes several measures to ensure the authenticity of reviews:

1. Strict review approval guidelines
2. User authentication implementation measures
3. Queue-based moderation system with customized filtering
4. Review content analysis
5. Anti-spam tools
6. Plagiarism proofing
7. AI content detection scanning

Each review is manually moderated by a real person on G2's Moderation team. This human touch helps identify and filter out reviews that may not meet G2's quality standards. The moderation process can take up to three business days, during which time the review remains in an "Awaiting Moderation" status and is not visible on the G2 site.

Publishing and moderation

After the verification process, reviews that meet G2's standards are published on the platform. However, there are several reasons why a review might be rejected:

1. Inability to confirm the reviewer's professional background
2. Suspicious activity on the reviewer's G2 user profile
3. The reviewer is an employee or competitor of the product being reviewed
4. Paraphrased or copied content detected in the review
5. Review content lacks detail or clarity
6. The review is written with a generative AI tool
7. The reviewer has used only a trial version of the product
8. The reviewer used the product more than two years ago

If a review is rejected, the user receives an email explaining the reason for rejection. They can then log into their G2 account to learn more about why the review was not accepted.

G2 treats all reviews equally, regardless of their tone or quality level. The platform never suppresses or hides negative reviews, ensuring a balanced and honest representation of user experiences. If a review is incentivized, G2 clearly labels it as such to maintain transparency.

To further ensure the quality and relevance of reviews, G2 sends automated emails to reviewers every six months, requesting updated opinions on the product. This practice helps prevent review decay and keeps the information current.

G2's commitment to authenticity extends to its treatment of business partner reviews. While these reviews are allowed, they are flagged and do not impact the product's star rating or G2 Score. Similarly, guest user reviews are accepted but do not influence the product's overall ratings or rankings.

By implementing this comprehensive review process, G2 has established itself as a trusted source for software buyers and sellers alike. The platform's dedication to authenticity and transparency has made G2 reviews an essential tool in the modern B2B software marketplace.

Understanding G2 Ratings and Rankings

G2 reviews play a crucial role in helping businesses make informed decisions about software products. To provide a comprehensive evaluation, G2 employs a sophisticated rating and ranking system that considers various factors. This system helps users understand the relative strengths and weaknesses of different software solutions.

G2 Score calculation

The G2 Score is a standardized metric used to compare products within the same category. It is calculated using a proprietary algorithm that takes into account two main components: Market Satisfaction and Market Presence.

Market Satisfaction is derived from several factors, including:

• Customer satisfaction with end-user and administration-specific product attributes
• Popularity and statistical significance based on the number of reviews
• Quality and age of reviews
• Overall customer satisfaction and Net Promoter Score (NPS)

Market Presence, on the other hand, considers metrics from G2 reviews, publicly available information, and third-party sources. These include:

• Number of employees

• Web and social presence

• Growth (in terms of employees and digital presence)

• Reviews

The G2 Score is updated daily, ensuring that the ratings reflect the most current user experiences and market conditions. It's important to note that a product's score may differ between categories due to G2's scoring normalization process.

Grid Reports and quadrants

One of the most valuable tools G2 offers is the Grid® Report, which visually represents the competitive landscape in a given software category. The Grid® plots products against their Satisfaction and Market Presence scores, dividing them into four quadrants:

1. Leaders: Products with high market presence and customer satisfaction
2. High Performers: Products with high customer satisfaction but lower market presence
3. Contenders: Products with high market presence but lower customer satisfaction
4. Niche: Products with lower market presence and customer satisfaction

For a category to be eligible for a Grid® report, it must have at least six products with 10 or more reviews each, and 150 or more reviews overall. This ensures that the Grid® provides a meaningful representation of the market.

G2 also offers segment-specific Grids® that only include reviews from users within particular market segments, such as small businesses, mid-market companies, or enterprises. This allows buyers to focus on solutions that are most relevant to their specific needs.

Comparison features

G2 provides powerful comparison tools to help users evaluate different software products side by side. These features allow buyers to:

• Select their current product and receive recommendations for top alternatives
• Compare up to four products side-by-side, examining detailed feature comparisons
• Access in-depth scores calculated from real-time data from verified user reviews

The comparison features take into account various aspects of the software, including:

• Data lifecycle management capabilities
• Ability to outline and implement data governance
• Enforcement of data standards and compliance requirements
• Recommendations to improve governance processes

G2's trending products are identified using a proprietary algorithm that considers signals from product pages, reviews, and comparison data. This helps users discover popular and up-and-coming solutions in their category of interest.

By leveraging these comprehensive rating, ranking, and comparison features, G2 empowers businesses to make well-informed decisions when selecting software products. The platform's commitment to transparency and continuous improvement ensures that users have access to the most accurate and up-to-date information available in the B2B software marketplace.

FAQs

1. Does G2 compensate users for submitting reviews?

‍Yes, G2 offers compensation for reviews primarily to encourage a higher volume of feedback. Reviewers are rewarded with a $10.00 gift card to Amazon or Starbucks for each review they submit. This approach helps to mitigate issues related to review polarization by incentivizing a broader range of responses.

2. How do G2 reviews function?

‍G2 employs a proprietary algorithm to rank products by analyzing reviews from its user community, along with data from online sources and social networks. This algorithm calculates the G2 Score, a standardized metric used to compare products within the same category on G2.

3. What methods does G2 use to verify review authenticity?

‍To ensure the authenticity of its reviews, G2 requires reviewers to verify their identity through a LinkedIn™ account or a verified business email address. Additionally, G2 collaborates with sellers and organizations to authenticate users via select platforms, further ensuring the reliability of its review process.

4. What causes G2 to reject reviews?

‍G2 will reject or remove a review if it appears to be inauthentic. Users can report suspicious reviews by clicking the “Report a Concern” button located at the top-right corner of the review page. This helps maintain the integrity and accuracy of the reviews on the platform.