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Zero reviews: remove the section, don't leave it empty

You'll know exactly what to do today with the reviews section when you don't have a single real one: remove it or hide it, and what to put there instead in the meantime.

By Yodai · Published September 6, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026

4 min read

A lot of website templates come with a built-in "What Our Customers Say" block, complete with star ratings and sample reviews or placeholder text. And you don't have a single real review yet. It's tempting to leave it as is, "for when they come in," because removing the whole section feels like admitting out loud that you're starting from scratch.

That's the wrong call. An empty section doesn't say "this is new," it says "something was supposed to go here and nobody finished setting it up." The difference matters: the first is honest, the second looks careless.

The same thing happens with the gap where your company history would go, or with a past-tense verb that promises years you don't have yet. Reviews are the same problem wearing a different face: there's nothing to show, and an empty gap gives it away just as much as the wrong verb tense does.

The review you make up, or the one your brother-in-law writes for you
The most expensive shortcut is filling the gap with something fake: a generic line signed "Satisfied Customer," or a review from someone who never actually paid for the service. People notice. Anyone shopping online is wary of a review with no name, no date, and no concrete detail about what you did and when. And if it comes out that it's made up, the reader doesn't just distrust the review, they distrust you. That costs more than having no reviews at all. On top of that, it's against the law: the FTC's rule against fake reviews bans publishing or paying for fake reviews, or claiming your reviews come from real customers without verifying it. The sample reviews a template ships with, once published, are fake reviews.
Remove the section entirely, or keep it built but hidden
Remove it, completely, today
  • The page doesn't mention reviews anywhere
  • Nothing gives away that they're missing
  • The day your first real review comes in, you build the block again from scratch
Hide it without deleting it
  • The block stays saved, just hidden, not published
  • When the first real review comes in, you turn it back on and write the text in two minutes
  • Nobody visiting the site today knows that block exists

Which one to pick: If the tool you use to edit your website lets you hide a block without deleting it, hide it: you'll save the work of rebuilding it the day you need it. If it only lets you show it or remove it, just remove it: you'd rather lose two minutes of work later than show an empty gap today.

Don't leave the gap dead: fill it with what you do have

Removing the reviews section doesn't mean leaving a blank space where something used to be. It means putting there what you can actually share today, something that builds the same trust without needing a track record: how you work, what's included in the service, and what happens step by step from the moment someone reaches out to the moment they get what they ordered.

You can write this on day one, without having had a single customer, because it describes your process, not your results. A clear process reassures people just as much as someone else's opinion, and it doesn't depend on anyone having said it before you.

What to write instead of "what our customers say"
How I work 1. Message me on WhatsApp or fill out the form and tell me what you need. 2. I'll get back to you the same day with a firm price and an available date. 3. You confirm, and I block off that slot on my calendar: I don't share it with anyone else. 4. On the agreed date, I do the work and hand it over fully reviewed.
What to do today on your website
  1. 1Remove or hide the reviews block
    If your tool lets you hide without deleting, hide it. If not, delete it: you can rebuild it in two minutes when you need to.
  2. 2Don't leave the headline dangling
    If the block disappears, make sure any line announcing it elsewhere disappears too, like "see what our customers say" in the menu. A link to a gap that no longer exists is worse than the gap itself.
  3. 3Put your process there instead of a promise
    Use the open space to explain how you work, step by step. It's real information you have from day one, unlike a review that doesn't exist yet.
  4. 4Decide what brings the section back
    It's not a date on the calendar. It's the first time a real customer tells you something good over WhatsApp or email and you ask their permission to publish it with their name.
What you take away
  • The reviews section is gone from your site, not sitting there half-empty
  • In its place is a "how I work" block written with what you do have today
  • You know what brings the section back: the first real review with a name, not the passing of time
  • If your tool lets you hide blocks without deleting them, the reviews block stays saved and ready to bring back
  • Up next: the guarantee you put your name on so you don't need the track record you don't have yet

Yodai builds the site from what you tell it, with a store, bookings or quote requests depending on what you do. See what the website for your business looks like.

NextThe guarantee you put your name on so you don't need the track record you don't have