Using Kudo on your Shopify store
Kudo is a Shopify app. You install it from Shopify, it opens your Kudo page for you, and one switch in your theme editor puts your reviews and star ratings on your product pages. You do not paste code and you do not edit your theme files.
What happens when you install Kudo
Installing Kudo on a Shopify store opens a Kudo account for that store with a page ready to use. There is no password to choose. Your reviews, your page and your settings all live in that one account, and you open it from your Shopify admin.
Kudo also keeps your store's product ratings up to date. For every product that has published reviews it writes the standard rating fields that your theme can read.
How do I turn on reviews and stars on my product pages?
You switch on the Kudo app embed. It is one toggle.
- Open Kudo from your Shopify admin. Under Where your reviews show, press Turn on Kudo in your theme. This opens your theme editor with the embed switched on.
- If you would rather go there yourself, open your theme editor, choose Theme settings, then App embeds, and switch on Kudo reviews on product pages.
- Press Save in the theme editor. The embed does nothing until the theme is saved.
On every product page the embed then adds the reviews under the product and a star rating next to the product title. On collection pages, search results and your homepage it adds a small star row under each product card. In the embed's settings you can switch the reviews, the star rating and the card stars on or off, and you can let shoppers write a review on the product page.
Can I place the reviews myself instead?
Yes. In the theme editor you can add Kudo's blocks where you want them:
- Product reviews: the reviews for one product, on a product page.
- Reviews: all of your store's reviews, for a homepage or any other page.
- Star badge: the rating on one line, for example beside the price.
- Floating review badge: a score in the corner of every page. It needs Pro or AI Pro, and on a store's Free plan it shows nothing.
If you place a Kudo block on a product page yourself, the app embed does not add a second one there.
Reviews are not showing on my Shopify store
Work through these in order. Each one is a separate cause.
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Nothing from Kudo on any page | The app embed is off | Theme editor → Theme settings → App embeds, switch on Kudo reviews on product pages |
| The embed is on but the page is unchanged | The theme editor was not saved | Press Save in the theme editor, then reload your store |
| The reviews area is empty or says there are no reviews | Your Kudo page has no published reviews | Open Reviews → Results in Kudo and publish some, or import your reviews |
| A review you wrote is missing | It is still waiting for approval, or you hid it | Check the review in Reviews → Results; hidden and waiting reviews never appear on your store |
| You see your store's reviews under a product, not that product's | That product has no reviews yet, so the embed shows the store's own | Collect reviews through the product's own review link, or untick Show your store's reviews when a product has none in the block |
| The floating badge is missing | The floating badge needs Pro or AI Pro | Upgrade, or use the star badge, which is on every plan |
| The reviews show on product pages only | The app embed only places reviews on product pages | Add the Reviews block to your homepage or another page in the theme editor |
Using Kudo inside the Shopify admin
You manage Kudo from your Shopify admin: open Apps, then Kudo. It is the same Kudo you would open at getkudo.co, with the same menu, running inside the admin. If it cannot sign you in there, it shows a short screen with an Open Kudo button that opens Kudo signed in, in a new tab.
Who bills me for Kudo on Shopify?
Shopify does. A Kudo plan bought on a Shopify store is charged and managed by Shopify, not by Kudo. To upgrade, downgrade or cancel it, open Settings in Kudo and press Manage or cancel your plan in Shopify, or use the plan page for the app in your Shopify admin. Kudo does not send you to a different checkout.
What this does not do
- Kudo does not edit your theme files, and there is no code to paste.
- The app embed does not show reviews on pages other than product pages. Use the Reviews block for those.
- Reviews waiting for approval and hidden reviews do not appear on your store.
- The floating badge does not appear on a Shopify or ikas store's Free plan.
- Uninstalling Kudo from Shopify does not delete your Kudo page or your reviews.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kudo free on Shopify?
Yes, to start. Shopify's Free plan shows your reviews on product pages with the star badge and a small Kudo credit line (Reviews by Kudo, earlier called Powered by Kudo). Pro and AI Pro add the other layouts and remove the credit line. A paid plan on Shopify is billed through Shopify.
Do I need to know how to edit my theme?
No. You switch on one toggle in the theme editor and save.
Will the stars slow my store down?
No. The widget loads after your page has drawn, and the stars on product cards come with the page Shopify already sends.
Can I use Kudo without a Shopify store?
Yes. A Kudo page and review link work on their own. The Shopify app adds your product reviews and stars to your store.
What happens to my reviews if I uninstall Kudo?
They stay on your Kudo page. They disappear from your Shopify store because the app is no longer there to draw them.
Still stuck? Write to support@getkudo.co with your store address and which page is missing the reviews.