Table of Contents
- What Are Testimonials And Why Are They Important?
- Why Are Testimonials Important?
- Studies Reveal That Testimonials Increase Conversions
- Edelman Trust Barometer
- BigCommerce
- Wyzowl
- Related Reading
- How To Display Testimonials On Website For Maximum Impact
- Different Types of Testimonials to Display on a Website
- Text Testimonials
- Video Testimonials
- Case Studies
- Social Media Mentions
- Leverage User-Generated Content to Boost Authenticity
- Encouraging Customers to Share
- Showcasing Social Media Reviews
- Integrate Social Proof
- Design and Format for Maximum Impact
- Visual Appeal
- Highlighting Key Phrases
- Authenticity and Relatability
- Categorize Testimonials
- Placement Matters
- Above the Fold
- On Conversion Pages
- Highlight Specific Results
- Using Rotating Carousels vs. Static Display
- How To Collect Testimonials For Your Website?
- Email Requests for Testimonials
- Text Messages (SMS) for Collecting Reviews
- Use Existing Review Platforms for Testimonial Collection
- Social Media for Collecting Testimonials
- Ask for Testimonials in Person
- Provide Great Customer Support and Experience
- How Testimonials Drive Trust and Conversions Across Industries: From eCommerce to SaaS
- 7 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Displaying Testimonials On Website
- 1. Stop Using Generic Testimonials. Get Specific!
- 2. Don’t Hide the Customer! Include Names and Faces.
- 3. Showcase a Variety of Testimonials. Avoid Relying on Just One Type.
- 4. Failing to Update Testimonials. Outdated Testimonials Can Hurt.
- 5. Overloading the Page with Testimonials. Less is More.
- 6. Ignoring Design and Placement. Get Testimonials Top Billing.
- 7. Not Linking Testimonials to Real Experiences. Build Trust with Backups.
- Related Reading
- 5 Examples Of Great Testimonials On Website
- 1. Testimonial's Wall of Love: Collecting Reviews with a Purpose
- 2. 99designs, Sortable Reviews for Easy Navigation
- 3. Slack - Using Customer Stories as Testimonials
- 4. Dribbble, The Simple Design with Honest User Reviews
- 5. BioClarity - Visually Appealing Before and Afters
- Related Reading
- Build a Wall of Love for Free Today with Testimonial
Title
How To Display Testimonials On Website For Maximum Impact
Date
Oct 21, 2024
Description
How to display testimonials on website. Maximize the impact of testimonials with tips for strategic placement and design.
Status
Current Column
Person
Writer
Customer testimonials are powerful marketing tools. They build trust with your audience, helping potential customers feel more at ease with your business. However, not all testimonials are created equal. If you want to get the most value from your testimonials, it pays to display them on your website. This process is easier said than done. If you want to get the most value from your testimonials, it pays to display them on your website. This process is easier said than done. How do you display testimonials on website? Where should they go? How can I make them visually appealing? In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about how to display testimonials on a website for maximum impact.
First, we'll discuss why displaying testimonials on your website is important. Then, we’ll discuss different ways to display testimonials and show you how to use testimonial software to make the process easier.
What Are Testimonials And Why Are They Important?
Testimonials are positive and genuine statements, reviews, endorsements, or recommendations of a product, service, or brand provided by a customer or a client. Well-known personalities sometimes give them:
- Celebrities
- Influencers
Testimonials help build credibility and a positive reputation and add value to the brand image in an authentic and unsponsored way. Testimonials on websites and social media can be obtained and displayed in various formats, such as:
- Images
- Text
- Videos
Testimonial evolved from the word ‘testimony,’ first used in the 15th century to refer to a demonstration of facts or evidence. Testimonials were earlier given verbally, with customers talking about a product or service positively and inspiring others to use the same. With the advent of marketing, testimonials, in the form of written and spoken statements, have been adopted to grow and expand a business. They serve as organic product or service promotions by reflecting users’ experiences and feedback. A testimonial essentially highlights the benefits and advantages of a brand or its offerings and how they deliver a positive outcome.
Why Are Testimonials Important?
Customer testimonials play a crucial role in marketing. They allow past and current customers to share their experiences and highlight how a business met and exceeded their expectations. These testimonials also serve as social proof, the psychological concept of influencing people to follow the actions and opinions of others. When potential customers see positive feedback and success stories from real individuals, it gives them confidence that your business is truly loved.
By showcasing these success stories in your marketing materials or on your website, you can attract prospective customers and ultimately increase your conversion rate. After all, nothing convinces new customers more than genuine evidence that others adore your business.
Studies Reveal That Testimonials Increase Conversions
Edelman Trust Barometer
Research studies show that the 2022 Edelman Trust Barometer reported that trust in a brand is a top business driver. Almost two-thirds (64%) of millennials and 60% of Gen Z consumers agree that a good brand reputation may get them to try a product, but if they can’t trust a company, they will soon stop buying from them.
The Edelman study also showed that trusted brands benefit from customers’ loyalty. Indeed, 67% of people are more likely to stay loyal to—and advocate for—a brand if they trust it.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce shared that when consumers interact with your review, they are 58% more likely to convert, generate 62% more revenue per site visitor, and spend 3% more per order.
Wyzowl
Research from Wyzowl revealed that 77% of those who watched a brand’s testimonial said it helped convince them to buy their product or service. These stats highlight the importance of online reviews and testimonials. Good testimonials help you build (online) credibility, and customers will get the social proof they need to trust you.
Related Reading
How To Display Testimonials On Website For Maximum Impact
Adding a testimonials page to your website collects all of your customer feedback in one place, making it easy for potential customers to find the reviews they need to make a purchase decision. A testimonials page also means you don’t have to crowd other parts of your site to fit every review. Instead, you can add a few reviews to your product pages and then link to the complete testimonials page.
For instance, our testimonial page (Wall of Love) displays all of our testimonials, both text and videos, on a single page. Our Wall of Love tells stories of how businesses use our tool to gather website testimonials and build social proof. You can also easily do this by using Testimonial.to.
Different Types of Testimonials to Display on a Website
Adding just text won’t cut it. Visitors must pay attention to your testimonials, so you must go into multimedia mode.
Text Testimonials
Despite their simplicity, text testimonials can be compelling when paired with a customer’s photo and title. They offer a concise yet impactful endorsement of your product or service.
Video Testimonials
Videos can effectively demonstrate how a product is used or the emotions associated with a positive outcome. The key to successful video testimonials is keeping them concise and conveying a clear, powerful message.
Case Studies
Case studies are efficient for B2B audiences or high-value products and services, where potential customers need more convincing through detailed evidence of success. They are more complex to create than standard testimonials. They often include:
- Data
- Detailed narratives
- Visual elements like:
- Charts
- Before-and-after photos
Social Media Mentions
Social media platforms are rich with organic endorsements through:
- Mentions
- Reviews
- Shoutouts
Integrating these into your website as testimonials adds an extra layer of authenticity, as they are often unsolicited and come from genuine customers. Tools like social media widgets can help you seamlessly display these mentions, showing potential customers the buzz your brand generates online.
Leverage User-Generated Content to Boost Authenticity
If your users are giving you kind words, you should wear it like a badge (or a testimonial on your website, in this case).
Encouraging Customers to Share
To keep a steady flow of fresh testimonials, it’s essential to encourage your customers to share their experiences actively. This can be done through:
- Follow-up emails
- Surveys
- Offering incentives like:
- Discounts
- Entry into a giveaway
Provide simple, user-friendly forms or offer to conduct brief interviews to make it easy for customers to submit their testimonials. You can also use testimonials by embedding them on your website so customers can leave reviews quickly.
Showcasing Social Media Reviews
Social media reviews from platforms like Google, Yelp, and Facebook are valuable sources of social proof. These reviews often appear in search results and can be integrated into your website using widgets or plugins. Displaying these reviews on your site provides additional testimonials and reinforces their credibility since they are hosted on third-party platforms. This transparency can further build trust with your audience.
Integrate Social Proof
Include real-time social proof, such as a feed of recent reviews or customer tweets. This keeps your testimonials up-to-date and relevant while showcasing that people actively engage with your product or service.
Design and Format for Maximum Impact
How testimonials are presented matters. Here are a couple of vital tips.
Visual Appeal
The visual presentation of testimonials can significantly impact their effectiveness. Adding images like customer photos or company logos can make the testimonial more relatable and trustworthy. Videos are even more powerful, conveying emotion and authenticity that text alone can’t capture. Consistency in design ensures that testimonials blend seamlessly with your overall site aesthetic while standing out enough to catch attention. Elements, such as:
- Font
- Color
- Layout
Highlighting Key Phrases
Highlighting key phrases or sentences can draw the reader’s eye to the most compelling parts of the testimonial, such as those that mention:
- Specific benefits
- Outcomes
- Emotions
To set these phrases apart, use:
- Quotation marks
Authenticity and Relatability
For testimonials to be effective, they must feel authentic. Including the customer’s full name, photo, job title, and company (when relevant) adds credibility and makes the testimonial more relatable. People are likelier to trust feedback from someone they perceive as a natural, identifiable person rather than an anonymous review.
Categorize Testimonials
If your website serves different industries or customer types, categorize your testimonials accordingly. This helps potential customers easily find testimonials from others like them. For example, you could organize testimonials by:
- Industry
- Use case
- Product type
Placement Matters
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to placing testimonials, but that still doesn’t mean you should put them randomly. Here are some of the most common practices regarding where the testimonials section should be located.
Above the Fold
The above the fold area of your website is visible to users without needing to scroll. This space is prime real estate for your most compelling testimonials because it’s the first thing visitors see when they land on your site.
Placing testimonials above the fold reassures visitors that others have had successful experiences with your brand, which can significantly reduce bounce rates and encourage them to explore further.
On Conversion Pages
Conversion pages are where potential customers make critical decisions like:
- Product
- Pricing
- Contact pages
Placing testimonials on these pages serves as a persuasive nudge, addressing any last-minute doubts and reinforcing the value of your offering.
For example, a testimonial from a customer who found your service worth every penny on a pricing page can help justify the cost.
Highlight Specific Results
Effective testimonials should focus on specific, measurable results that the customer achieved. Instead of vague statements like "Great service!", go for testimonials like "Our sales increased by 25% after using this software." This adds weight and gives potential buyers a clearer idea of what they can expect.
Using Rotating Carousels vs. Static Display
Another placement issue is this: it’s not where but how the testimonials are displayed. So far, the two most popular options have proved to be rotating carousels and static testimonials.
Rotating carousels allow you to display multiple testimonials in a single space, keeping the page clean and uncluttered. Essential messages might get missed, especially if the rotation is too fast or slow. A static display ensures that all critical testimonials are visible simultaneously, giving them equal weight and ensuring nothing is overlooked. Static displays can take up more space on the page, potentially leading to a cluttered design if not managed carefully.
How To Collect Testimonials For Your Website?
Gathering testimonials manually, such as through email requests, can be slow and labor-intensive. You must draft messages and follow up with customers; you often need more time to respond. This can lead to missed opportunities to showcase positive feedback that could help potential customers make informed decisions.
Tools like Testimonial streamline collecting and displaying customer feedback, making it faster and more efficient. With platforms like this, you can:
- Send automated requests
- Capture testimonials in various formats
- Text
- Video
- Import reviews from third-party sources.
Testimonial also provides features like an embeddable “wall of love” widget, allowing you to showcase customer experiences directly on your site without hassle. This simplifies the collection and presentation, making building trust and credibility with new visitors easier. A tool like Testimonial even lets you import testimonials from review platforms like:
- G2
- From social media sites like:
- Twitter (X)
Some even have built-in invite systems so you can automatically invite people and track the status of their testimonials.
Email Requests for Testimonials
Email requests remain one of the most effective channels for collecting customer testimonials because it's a straightforward and scalable approach. You can ask for positive feedback in bulk by emailing your email list, or you can send an individual testimonial request by sending a direct message to your customer's email address. You can even set up automation so happy clients receive an automatic email when they complete an action, for example, two days after buying my product, ask for a testimonial.
Ask for a testimonial after a positive customer service interaction. Your customer success team will only need to remember to do this occasionally.
Text Messages (SMS) for Collecting Reviews
Text messages (or SMS) offer an intriguingly direct and personal channel for requesting customer reviews. Customers receive dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of emails per day. In an age where inboxes are cluttered, a text message can gracefully cut through the noise. Because text messages are so direct, they carry a higher risk of intrusion or annoyance if not done thoughtfully.
Make your request ideally integrating it as a seamless part of an already positive customer experience. Make your request:
- Respectful
- Clear
- To the point
Use Existing Review Platforms for Testimonial Collection
Utilizing third-party platforms can be your secret weapon for unlocking positive reviews and boosting your business’s credibility. Imagine this: a streamlined system where happy customers can quickly leave feedback on a neutral platform, complete with star ratings and detailed narratives. Platforms provide this trusted space, encouraging authenticity and making testimonials feel less like “a favor” and more like “celebrating a good experience” like:
- Trustpilot
- Google My Business
- Capterra
Plus, their search engine optimization magic can land your business in front of even more potential customers seeking social proof.
Social Media for Collecting Testimonials
If you've already built a social media following, you're sitting on a gold mine for collecting testimonials. Your audience is engaged, they know your brand, and they're likely to have positive experiences they're willing to share.
A single well-crafted post asking for reviews can generate immediate and numerous client testimonials and, sometimes, even traffic via public social media posts.
Ask for Testimonials in Person
If you’re new to this and don’t have an established email list of customers, asking in person can also be effective. Whenever your customers come to your shop, you can kindly ask them for a written or video testimonial. This way of asking is convenient for business owners who nurture face-to-face relationships.
Provide Great Customer Support and Experience
Want a surefire way to ignite a chorus of positive reviews for your business? Prioritize stellar customer support! Happy customers don’t just return for more. They become your most persuasive marketing team, eager to share their positive experiences with the world.
From anticipating needs to resolving issues promptly and professionally, exceptional support fosters trust and appreciation, paving the way for glowing testimonials.
How Testimonials Drive Trust and Conversions Across Industries: From eCommerce to SaaS
Testimonial simplifies the process of building trust and credibility for businesses. Our testimonial software allows an accessible collection and display of authentic client testimonials featuring:
- Video and text options
- An embeddable wall of love widget
- A clever Email Assistant
- Third-party review imports
Testimonial helps boost your credibility and conversion rates by showcasing real customer experiences. This is ideal for:
- Content creators
- Agencies
- eCommerce
- SaaS companies
Build a wall of love for free today with Testimonial.
7 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Displaying Testimonials On Website
1. Stop Using Generic Testimonials. Get Specific!
Generic testimonials like "Great service!" or "I loved it!" don’t offer much substance. To be effective, testimonials should be specific and detailed, detailing what made the product or service excellent. Clear examples of how your business helped solve a problem or created a positive experience are far more convincing.
2. Don’t Hide the Customer! Include Names and Faces.
Anonymous testimonials without names or photos tend to feel fake. People want to see that real individuals had a good experience with your product, which adds authenticity and builds trust:
- Customer’s name
- Image
- Their position or company name
3. Showcase a Variety of Testimonials. Avoid Relying on Just One Type.
Relying on just one type of testimonial can make the feedback seem less credible. It’s essential to showcase a range of testimonials that address different aspects of your business, whether it's:
- Customer service
- Product quality
- Ease of use
4. Failing to Update Testimonials. Outdated Testimonials Can Hurt.
Using outdated testimonials can make your business seem stagnant or unreliable. As your business grows, update testimonials to reflect recent experiences and new products or services.
Fresh testimonials give the impression that your business is active and continuously delivering value.
5. Overloading the Page with Testimonials. Less is More.
While it’s great to have positive feedback, too many testimonials on a page can overwhelm visitors. Aim for quality over quantity. Choose a few strong, detailed testimonials that resonate with your target audience and strategically place them on your page.
6. Ignoring Design and Placement. Get Testimonials Top Billing.
Testimonials hidden at the bottom of a page or in hard-to-read text aren’t doing your business any favors. Ensure testimonials are easy to find and designed to complement your site's layout. Use bold text, highlight key phrases, and place them in prominent areas, such as near calls-to-action or product pages.
7. Not Linking Testimonials to Real Experiences. Build Trust with Backups.
Link testimonials whenever possible to specific:
- Case studies
- Reviews
- Social media posts
This provides an extra validation layer, showing potential customers that these positive experiences are part of a more significant, verified trend.
Related Reading
5 Examples Of Great Testimonials On Website
1. Testimonial's Wall of Love: Collecting Reviews with a Purpose
Testimonial is a tool that streamlines collecting and displaying customer feedback. With Testimonial, you can send:
- Automated requests
- Capture testimonials in various formats
- Text
- Video
- Import reviews from third-party sources
Testimonial also provides features like an embeddable wall of love widget, allowing you to showcase customer experiences directly on your site without hassle. This simplifies the collection and presentation, making building trust and credibility with new visitors easier. Testimonial's wall of love showcases glowing reviews from users, including video testimonials.
2. 99designs, Sortable Reviews for Easy Navigation
99designs takes an unconventional approach to its testimonial page. Using a star-rating system not usually seen in the B2B sector, the page is headlined with an eye-catching video with customer reviews below it. The page allows users to sort through customer reviews by category so they can read the ones most relevant to them.
3. Slack - Using Customer Stories as Testimonials
Slack‘s customer testimonials are under “Customer Stories,” highlighting an individual company per post. Slack uses individual testimonials to highlight key product features and how the customer used them — a genius way to give a product tour while letting happy customers sing your praises.
Each review features a quote summarizing how Slack helped the customer’s business. Visitors can click on each blurb to learn more about the specifics of that customer case study and gain even more insights.
4. Dribbble, The Simple Design with Honest User Reviews
Dribbble's wall of love is clean and straightforward, with highlighted:
- Quotes
- Names
- Photos
What we love about this page is how honest and straightforward the user reviews are. It‘s quickly clear to a reader that these testimonials haven’t been altered or edited — which lends the site a degree of authenticity and trustworthiness that might convince someone to start using the product.
Pro tip: Avoid over-editing your customer‘s testimonials. Otherwise, it’ll sound like you wrote them even though you didn't.
5. BioClarity - Visually Appealing Before and Afters
BioClarity's cruelty-free, plant-derived skincare line is about one thing: being green. Green is all over the website, and its Instagram is filled with images of people applying green serums to their faces. In this case, pictures are better testimonials than words, but BioClarity still uses both.
On its results page, visitors can see photo collages of customers before and after using the product, as well as enthusiastic videos and words of recommendation, all in a soothing green theme. Visitors can click on the reviews page to read in-depth product reviews from real customers from the results page.
Related Reading
Build a Wall of Love for Free Today with Testimonial
Testimonials help build trust. When potential customers see that other real people have purchased your product or used your services and had a positive experience, they feel more comfortable making a purchase themselves.
Testimonials and reviews help reduce anxiety by making your business seem more familiar, and they provide valuable information about what to expect from your offering.
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