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Short answer: not by copying them. Zillow's Terms of Use forbid reproducing reviews of agents on any other website unless Zillow has explicitly allowed it, and a screenshot counts. Link to your Zillow profile instead, show Google reviews only through Google's own tools with the reviewer credited, and ask your happiest clients for a testimonial you can publish yourself.
What do Zillow's terms actually say?
Zillow's Terms of Use list things you agree not to do. One of them is to "reproduce, publicly display, or otherwise make accessible on or through any other website" any reviews, ratings or profile information about real estate professionals. The only exception is where Zillow has explicitly permitted it for a particular part of its service.
That covers the review text, the star rating and the review count. It does not matter that the review is about you, or that the client would happily say the same thing again. On Zillow, the review sits under Zillow's terms, and you agreed to those terms when you set up your agent profile.
- Not allowed: pasting review text onto your site, a screenshot of your profile, a "4.9 stars on Zillow" badge you made yourself.
- Allowed: a plain link that says "Read my reviews on Zillow" and goes to your profile.
- Allowed if you are approved: Zillow's own route. Zillow Group publishes an Agent Reviews API, applied for through its Bridge Interactive platform, and access means agreeing to Zillow's data terms and branding requirements. It is built for developers and brokerages, not for an agent with a one-page site.
Can I screenshot a Zillow review and post it?
No. A screenshot is still reproducing and publicly displaying the review on another website, which is exactly what the terms rule out. If a client's Zillow review is the one you love most, ask them for permission to use the same words as a direct testimonial (see below). Then it comes from them, not from Zillow.
Can I link to my Zillow profile from my website?
Yes. A link is not a copy: the visitor reads the reviews on Zillow, under Zillow's terms. Put it in your "About" section or next to your testimonials. The trade-off is that a visitor who clicks away lands on a page full of other agents, so do not make it your only proof.
What about my Google reviews?
Google allows reviews to be shown outside Google when they come through its Places API, the source most review widgets use. Its Places API policies attach conditions:
- Credit the author every time: their avatar, name and profile link where space allows, and at minimum the avatar.
- Say how the reviews are ordered and filtered, in a clear notice next to them.
- Do not change the disclosure text the API supplies.
Copying the text of a Google review by hand into your page skips all of that. Use a widget that pulls from Google's API, or ask the reviewer for a testimonial, as below.
What is the better option than copying reviews?
Ask for a testimonial directly. A short message from a past client, sent to you, with their permission to publish it, is something you can use on your website, your listing presentations and your social posts without any platform's terms in the way.
- Ask soon after closing, while the experience is fresh.
- Ask for two or three sentences about something specific: how you handled the inspection, the counteroffer, the move from out of state.
- Ask how they want to be named: full name, first name and neighborhood ("Maria, Kendall"), or initials.
- Keep the email or text where they said yes. That is your record of permission.
- Ask them to post a review on Google as well. The testimonial is for your site; the Google review helps your profile on the map.
Can I translate a Spanish testimonial into English?
Yes, as long as the meaning stays theirs. On a bilingual site the simplest approach is to show the original Spanish and put a translation underneath, marked as a translation. Readers who speak Spanish see the client's own words, and nobody can say you put words in their mouth.
What do the FTC rules say about reviews on my site?
Two sets of federal rules apply to testimonials in advertising, and your website is advertising.
The FTC's Consumer Reviews and Testimonials rule took effect on October 21, 2024. According to the FTC's own Q&A, it bans:
- Fake reviews, including testimonials from someone who does not exist or did not have the experience.
- Paying for a review that has to be positive. Google's review policy goes further and bans any incentive at all, so do not offer one for a Google review.
- Insider reviews without disclosure, such as a review from your spouse or your team member that does not say who they are.
- Getting reviews taken down through threats or false accusations.
The FTC's Endorsement Guides add that a testimonial has to reflect the person's honest opinion, and that any connection a reader would not expect, such as a family relationship or a payment, should be disclosed.
Can I show only my five-star reviews?
You can choose which genuine testimonials to show; the FTC says organizing reviews is not suppressing them. But it also warns that using reviews that are not representative of what clients actually think can be deceptive under Section 5 of the FTC Act. In practice: picking your best five out of forty good ones is normal marketing. Hiding a pattern of complaints behind three glowing quotes is the thing to avoid.
Can I edit a client's testimonial?
Lightly. Fixing a typo or trimming a long message is fine as long as the meaning is unchanged. The Endorsement Guides say an endorsement may not be reworded or taken out of context in a way that distorts the person's opinion. If you put it in quotation marks, readers will assume those are their words, so if you cut more than a few words, send the shortened version back and ask "OK to use this?"
Swift Agent Sites builds agents a site on their own domain for $89 a month, or $890 a year, with no setup fee - hosting and https included, usually live the same day, in English, Spanish or both, with a testimonials section and a contact form that sends leads straight to you.
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