Frequently asked questions

The questions that come up before purchase, and the ones that come up in week one.

Before you buy

Do I need a Google API key?

No. Proofloop is fully functional with no Google credentials at all, including sending review requests and dropping customers directly into your Google review form. A Places API key is optional and instant; Business Profile API access is optional and requires an application to Google. See the Google API guide.

Why do other products claim unlimited Google reviews?

Google’s Places API returns a maximum of five reviews and has done for a decade. A product showing more is either using the Business Profile API — in which case its buyers also have to apply and wait — or it is scraping, which breaks Google’s terms and stops working without notice. We would rather tell you the ceiling before you buy than after.

Is this a SaaS subscription?

No. You buy it once, install it on your own hosting, and it is yours. There is no per-month fee to us and no usage metering. You pay your own email and SMS providers directly at their rates.

Can I run it for multiple clients?

Yes. That is what the workspace layer is for: separate data, separate branding, separate reports per client, and client users who can see only their own workspace. White-label PDF reports are included.

Do I need ffmpeg or a VPS for video testimonials?

No. Video is compressed in the customer’s browser as they record, so shared hosting is enough. If your server happens to have ffmpeg, Proofloop uses it for an extra normalisation pass; if it never does, nothing is unavailable to you.

Does it work without JavaScript?

The text testimonial path does, completely. Video and audio recording need JavaScript because the browser APIs that capture them are JavaScript — but the page never becomes a dead end, and a customer whose camera is blocked is offered the text path instead.

What about right-to-left languages?

Supported from the first release, not retrofitted. Collection pages render right-to-left when the workspace language is Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Urdu and the other RTL languages.

Installing and running it

Do I need SSH or Composer?

No. The archive ships with everything installed and built. Upload it, open /install, answer five screens.

What if my host has no cron?

Proofloop still installs and runs. Collection pages, widgets, routing and review links all work. What stops is anything scheduled: campaign sends, follow-ups, Google sync and automatic reports. Almost every shared host does offer cron — check for “Cron Jobs” in your panel before assuming otherwise.

Can I move it to another domain later?

Yes. Copy the files including .env and storage/, move the database, update APP_URL and the DB_* values, and recreate the cron entry. Keep the same APP_KEY or your stored credentials become unreadable.

How do I re-run the installer?

Delete storage/app/proofloop/installed.json over SFTP. There is deliberately no button for this: the installer creates administrator accounts without authentication, so reopening it should require file access to the server.

Something is broken and I need the error

storage/logs/laravel.log, opened in your panel’s File Manager. The last entry is nearly always the answer. Credentials are redacted from it, so it is safe to paste into a support message.

Sending

Why will it not let me start a campaign?

Because no test send has succeeded yet. Send one to your own address or phone first. This gate exists because a first campaign from an unverified domain lands in spam and damages the domain for everything else you send.

My emails go to spam

Almost always missing SPF, DKIM or DMARC records, or sending from a free email domain. Run Settings → Sending → Check domain; it looks each record up and tells you which is missing. The messaging page has the detail.

Can I send WhatsApp messages?

Yes, through Twilio, using a Meta-approved template. Review requests are utility templates, not marketing ones — getting that category wrong is the most common rejection.

Why did my message not go out at the time I scheduled?

Quiet hours. Proofloop will not send between 21:00 and 08:00 in the recipient’s local time. The message is held until the window opens. You can change the window per organisation.

Reviews and testimonials

Can I edit a testimonial?

No, and this is intentional. A testimonial body cannot be changed once submitted. You can hide it, feature it, or delete it on request. If it could be edited it would not be proof, and that distinction is the entire point of the product.

Can I hide bad reviews from my widget?

You can choose which first-party testimonials to publish — you own them and publication is consent-based. What you cannot do is stop an unhappy customer from reaching the public review route on Google, because that is review gating. See Compliance.

Can I offer a discount for a Google review?

No, and Proofloop will not let you attach one to an external destination. Google prohibits incentivised reviews. Coupons can be attached to the first-party testimonial path only.

A customer wants their testimonial removed

Delete it from the library. The testimonial and its media are removed and the deletion is written to the audit log, which is what you produce if you are later asked to evidence that you acted.

Widgets

The widget does not appear on my WordPress site

Usually a caching plugin that minified the script tag away, or a security plugin blocking third-party scripts. Clear the cache, then allow-list your Proofloop domain. The iframe embed avoids both.

Can I restyle it?

Colours, radius, layout, star style and type scale are all in the widget builder, and it checks contrast as you choose. Beyond that, every element has a plw- class you can target from your own CSS. The widget does not ship a font; it inherits yours.

Will it slow my site down?

The script is under 15 KB gzipped, loads asynchronously, fetches its content only when it scrolls into view, and makes no third-party requests at all. Those budgets are enforced by the build, not asserted in marketing copy.