The best way to use customer testimonials on your website

When we visit a business website for the first time, there’s a checkbox in our brain called “trust.” We may not know it’s there, but either consciously or subconsciously, we are looking for content that ticks this box quickly.

Trust is a universal currency, and a website's content should be written to gain the trust of website visitors as fast as possible. Many websites contain chunks of self-promotional content right out of the gate as an attempt to check that box. But someone else’s endorsement of you holds more weight than your own in every scenario. Fact.

A more powerful approach is to let other people brag about your worth and value through customer testimonials. Third-party endorsements tell prospective customers that others trust you. Nobody wants to be the first to test a new product or service, although someone has to be. Knowing that others have trodden that path before you with success is a solid confirmation to tick that trust box.  

Getting customer testimonials is simply a question of asking. Satisfied customers are usually happy to offer a testimonial to anyone who has added value to their lives through a product or service they bought. It's okay to offer customers a future discount or similar incentive to write a testimonial for your website. You are not offering compensation for the testimonial, but for the time it takes to write it. Time has value.

CRAFT TESTIMONIALS HOW YOU NEED THEM

Alternatively, a great workaround is to request permission to create a draft version of a testimonial for them to edit and approve. This is less work on their end, and they may appreciate this time-saving gesture. The benefit for you is that you can craft the testimonial how you need it.

Ensure that each customer testimonial mentions a product or service and references the direct benefits that these have provided. If your customers wrote these, ask if you can edit them. Always ask permission to amend a customer testimonial because this is a direct quotation from them.

If your customers wish to keep their full name private, suggest they use a version of their name that offers them obscurity. This can be in formats such as “A. Name” or “Anita. N,” and includes the organization they own or work for along with their title. Include as much context as possible so that prospects can easily recognize authenticity. Do not include a star rating unless pulled directly from public review sites like Trustpilot or Google. Your own ratings, whether accurate or not, mean nothing because they are not verifiable in public forums.

There is a time and a place for self-promotion on your website—but in a different form. State facts about your business or yourself (if you are your business) that stand on their own merit without having to construct a narrative some may regard as self-congratulatory fluff. If you’ve won awards, say what they are. If you’ve done business with big brands, list these or add their logos towards the top of your homepage.

By ticking that trust box early on for your website visitors, you're increasing the odds that they’ll do business with you. This should motivate you to proactively seek and use customer testimonials, as they are a powerful tool for establishing trust.