Review widgets add customer feedback to your website, and they also add content for the browser to load. How that content arrives matters: a page that waits for review data before it can be sent to the visitor behaves differently from one that loads the reviews separately.
AllForJoomla uses separate AJAX requests for data across its review, social feed and gallery widgets. This article uses reviews to explain that shared loading approach. The same principles apply to other AllForJoomla widgets, with a choice of JavaScript loading modes and optional GDPR-Friendly Media Loading for supported media.
🔎 Two Ways to Load a Review Widget
1. Prepare the Reviews Together with the Page
With this approach, the server prepares the reviews and includes them in the page's HTML before sending it to the browser. The review text arrives as part of the document, ready for the browser to display.
This can work well when the reviews are already available in a fast cache. If the server needs to fetch them from an external service while preparing the page, however, that request can add to the visitor's initial wait.
2. Load the Review Data Separately with AJAX
With AJAX loading, the review data is requested separately. The browser receives the main page, then the widget retrieves its data and adds the reviews to the designated area.
The main HTML response does not have to wait for that separate review request. This is useful on a business website where visitors also need the service description, contact details or product information.
| What happens? | Reviews prepared with the page | Separate AJAX loading |
|---|---|---|
| How the reviews arrive | Included in the initial HTML. | Added after a separate data request. |
| If obtaining review data takes longer | It can delay the HTML response if the server must wait for that data. | The widget appears later; its data request does not hold up the initial HTML response. |
| Main strength | Review content is available with the document, especially efficiently when cached. | Review data retrieval is separated from delivery of the main page. |
Both approaches can benefit from caching. For more on that topic, see Joomla Feed Caching for Faster Social Displays.
⚡ How AllForJoomla Loads Its Widgets
AllForJoomla widgets begin initializing when the page structure is ready. In jQuery, this is the $(document).ready() stage. The widget then requests its data through AJAX and displays the result.
This stage does not require every image on the page to finish downloading. It gives the widget a defined point at which the page structure is available and the review section can be populated.
For example, a Joomla service page can deliver its headline, description and contact information independently of the review data request. The reviews are then added to support the visitor's decision.
This separation is the key loading advantage. Scripts, images and rendering still contribute to the page's overall workload, which is why AllForJoomla also provides choices for script and media delivery.
⚙️ Choose How Widget JavaScript Is Included
A site with reviews throughout its pages has different needs from one with a single testimonials page. AllForJoomla provides two JavaScript loading modes to accommodate these setups.
Include Widget Scripts on All Pages
This mode makes the widget scripts available throughout the website. It is useful when a script optimizer combines the site's JavaScript into a shared file: a consistent set of scripts across pages fits that workflow.
Choose this mode when it suits your site's script optimization setup. Combining files is an option for managing delivery; the best configuration depends on the website.
Include Widget Scripts Only Where a Widget Appears
This mode includes the widget's JavaScript only on pages that contain a widget. Pages without one do not need to include that widget code.
For example, if you display reviews only on your homepage and a dedicated reviews page, this setting keeps the widget scripts off your other pages.
Both modes use the same AJAX approach to retrieving widget data. The choice concerns where the scripts are included.
Use the jQuery Library Available in Joomla
AllForJoomla's widget JavaScript uses jQuery, a library available in Joomla. Where jQuery is already loaded on the page, the widget can use that shared library without needing a separate copy.
🛡️ GDPR-Friendly Media Loading: Privacy with a Potential Speed Benefit
Review widgets may display media such as reviewer photos and business images. With GDPR-Friendly Media Loading (GDPR-FML), supported media is downloaded to your Joomla website and served from your own server.
The primary benefit is privacy: the visitor's browser does not need to contact the original media server to retrieve those locally stored files. You also gain control over where that media is delivered from.
There can be a loading benefit too. If your hosting server and most visitors are in the same region, serving already stored media locally may provide a faster route than retrieving it from the original media server. For example, a business serving a regional audience may benefit from nearby hosting.
The result depends on the hosting, network and original delivery service, so local media delivery is an opportunity for faster loading in suitable conditions. Its privacy benefit remains the main reason for choosing the mode.
GDPR-FML applies to the media supported by each extension. For an explanation of the technology and its privacy scope, read how GDPR-Friendly Media Loading works.
✅ Match the Settings to Your Website
You can make useful loading choices without turning the setup into a technical project:
- Reviews on selected pages: use the mode that includes widget JavaScript only where a widget appears.
- A site using combined JavaScript: consider the all-pages mode when your optimizer works with a shared set of scripts.
- Greater control over external media requests: enable GDPR-FML for supported media.
- A mostly regional audience: consider the possible delivery benefit of serving stored media from hosting close to your visitors.
After configuring the widget, view the page on desktop and mobile to check how the review section fits alongside your main content. Keep the display focused on the information visitors need to make a decision.
⭐ A Shared Loading Approach Across AllForJoomla Widgets
The loading approach described here is used across AllForJoomla's review, social feed and gallery widgets. Widget data is requested separately from the main page, while the script loading mode lets you adapt JavaScript delivery to your website.
Examples from the AllForJoomla range include:
- Customer reviews: Google Reviews Pro, Trustpilot Reviews Pro, Tripadvisor Reviews Pro and Facebook Page Reviews.
- Instagram feeds and galleries: InGallery.
- Facebook Page posts, photos and videos: Facebook Feed Pro.
These are examples from the wider collection of AllForJoomla extensions. Choose the extension for your content source, select the script loading mode that fits your website and use GDPR-Friendly Media Loading where you want local delivery of supported media.
If you are starting with reviews, our guides show how to add Google Reviews to Joomla and add Trustpilot reviews to Joomla.
