What Are G2 Badges and How Do I Get One?
Once earned, you can access your G2 Badge assets through the my.G2 Marketing Content interface to copy embed codes or download vector images. However, recent policy changes have shifted how companies can use these assets. This guide covers the technical requirements, the 2026 display policies, and the strategies needed to secure these awards.
What Are G2 Trust Badges?
G2 trust badges are visual awards that signal product quality and customer satisfaction to in-market buyers. Unlike paid endorsements, these badges rely on authentic peer reviews. Data shows that displaying trust signals like G2 badges can significantly improve conversion rates on landing pages.
Types of G2 Badges
G2 categorises badges based on specific performance metrics and market segments:
- Grid Badges: These are generated automatically if your product ranks in a specific quadrant of a G2 Market Report.
- Leader: High Satisfaction + High Market Presence.
- High Performer: High Satisfaction + Low Market Presence.
- Contender: Low Satisfaction + High Market Presence.
- Niche: Low Satisfaction + Low Market Presence.
- Users Love Us Badge: An "always-on" reward earned after collecting 20 reviews with an average rating of 4.0+ stars. This is currently the only badge available for public use without a paid subscription.
- Momentum Badges: Awarded to products that show the highest growth trajectory and positive movement over the last 12 months.
- Index Badges: These highlight success in specific areas of the software purchase process. Index reports aggregate data points to score factors like Usability, Implementation, Relationship, or Results.
How to Earn G2 Badges: The Requirements
Earning a badge requires meeting strict data thresholds. You cannot buy a badge; you must earn the requisite score through user feedback.
1. Meeting the Review Count Thresholds
To qualify for inclusion in a G2 Grid Report, a product must meet the following criteria:
- Grid Eligibility: The product needs 10 or more verified reviews in a specific category.
- Category Eligibility: The category itself must be mature, meaning it contains at least six products with 10+ reviews and has over 150 reviews total across the category.
- Users Love Us Eligibility: The product needs 20 reviews with an average star rating of 4.0 or higher.
2. Understanding Grid Scoring
G2 plots products on the Grid based on two primary axes:
- Satisfaction Score: Derived from verified user reviews. This includes data points like "Likelihood to Recommend" and "Product Direction."
- Market Presence Score: A combination of 15 metrics, including user reviews, publicly available information (like social following and web presence), and third-party data.
Note: G2 weights product-specific metrics more heavily than vendor-level metrics.
3. The Impact of Review Recency
G2 uses a decay algorithm. Reviews lose value over time to ensure the grid reflects the current state of the software.
- Recency Weight: Newer reviews impact your score more than older ones.
- Decay Timeline: Reviews decay significantly after 18 months.
- Strategy: You cannot rest on past success. You must maintain a continuous stream of new feedback to hold your position.
The 2026 Badge Policy: Earn vs. Display
It is critical to understand the distinction between earning a badge and displaying it. As of the Summer 2025 reporting season, G2 updated its licensing model.
Free Profiles (The "Earn" Phase)
Vendors with a free G2 profile can still earn badges. If you meet the review criteria, your product will appear on the G2 Grid, and you will receive the award notification.
- Restriction: You cannot publicly display, embed, or use Grid Report badges (e.g., "Leader Spring 2026") in your marketing materials.
- Exception: The "Users Love Us" badge remains free to display for all vendors who meet the criteria (20 reviews, 4.0+ avg).
Paid Profiles (The "Display" Phase)
To use the "Leader," "High Performer," or "Momentum" badges in your email signatures, website, or ads, you must purchase a G2 marketing subscription (starting at roughly $2,999/year). This grants you the license to use the intellectual property of the badge.
Step-by-Step: How to Get and Use Your Badges
If you have met the criteria and have the necessary licensing, here is how to deploy your badges.
1. Accessing Your Badges
- Log in to my.G2.
- Navigate to Marketing Content > G2 Badges.
- Badges for the current season will appear automatically.
- Use the dropdown filters to sort by Category or Reporting Season.
2. Downloading Badge Assets
You can download badges in multiple languages (English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese).
- Select your filters.
- Click Download All to get a ZIP file.
- Files are provided in SVG format, which is ideal for high-resolution web and print use.
3. Embedding Badges (The Widget)
Embedding the badge directly links your site to your G2 profile, which can help with SEO and verification.
- In Marketing Content > G2 Badges, find the specific badge you want.
- Click Select Category.
- Click Copy embed.
- Paste this HTML code into your website's footer, sidebar, or a dedicated "Reviews" page.
4. Enabling Star Ratings in Search (Rich Snippets)
You can use the badge widget to potentially display star ratings in Google search results (SERPs).
- Go to Marketing Content > G2 Badges.
- Toggle the Include star rating on Google search results slider to ON.
- Embed the badge on your product page. Note: Search engines typically take 2 to 12 weeks to index this change and display the stars.
Strategy: How to Secure Badges in 2026
Earning badges requires a proactive review management strategy. Here is the workflow to ensure you qualify for the next quarterly report.
Key G2 Badge Deadlines in 2026
You must submit reviews by the quarterly submission deadline to impact the next report.
- Spring 2026 Reports: Deadline is February 17, 2026.
- Summer 2026 Reports: Deadline is April 28, 2026.
The Collection Workflow
- Claim Your Profile: Ensure you have admin access to your product on G2.
- Run Email Campaigns: Segment your user base. Send review requests to your most active users (check your Daily Active Users or DAU metrics).
- Use In-App Prompts: Ask for a review right after a user achieves a "success moment" in your software.
- Incentivise (Legally): G2 allows nominal incentives (like gift cards) for honest reviews, provided they are disclosed. This can increase response rates.
- Target the "Users Love Us" First: Focus on getting your first 20 reviews to unlock the free badge.
- Monitor the Grid: If you are close to the "Leader" quadrant, a sprint of 5–10 new reviews can often move the needle before the deadline.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many reviews do I need to earn a G2 badge?
To qualify for a Grid Report, you need at least 10 verified reviews. To earn the "Users Love Us" badge, you need 20 reviews with a 4.0+ average rating. To reach "Leader" status, you generally need significantly more reviews than your competitors to boost your Market Presence score.
Can I use G2 badges for free?
You can use the "Users Love Us" badge for free if you meet the criteria. However, displaying Grid Report badges (like "Spring 2026 Leader") requires a paid G2 subscription. Free profiles can still earn the placement on the grid but cannot use the badge image in marketing.
How often are G2 badges updated?
Badges are released quarterly (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter). When a new report is released, your G2 profile automatically updates to show the most recent badges.
Why did my badge disappear?
Badges are tied to specific quarters. If your review volume dropped, or if your competitors gained more reviews than you, you may have fallen from the "Leader" quadrant to "High Performer" or "Contender." Additionally, review decay reduces the weight of older reviews, lowering your score over time.
Conclusion
Getting G2 badges is a standard part of B2B SaaS marketing, but it requires consistent effort. You must combine a steady stream of new reviews with a clear understanding of G2's technical requirements and deadlines.
Summary G2 Badge Checklist:
- Collect 10+ reviews to qualify for the Grid.
- Collect 20+ reviews (4.0+ avg) for the free "Users Love Us" badge.
- Plan campaigns around the quarterly deadlines (e.g., Feb 17, April 28).
- Embed your badges via my.G2 to boost SEO and trust.
- Upgrade to a paid plan if you wish to display "Leader" or "High Performer" badges in your ad creatives.
By keeping your reviews fresh and monitoring your Market Presence, you can ensure your product stands out in the competitive SaaS landscape.
