Testimonials on your website are powerful. They elevate your brand and business perception, clearly convey what you do for your clients, and demonstrate what sets you apart from your competitors. They also offer real, tangible insight into the experience of what it looks like to work with you.
So, let’s talk about the importance of including testimonials on your website and how to use customer testimonials on your website.
The Importance of Testimonials on Your Website
One of the must-haves for your website is testimonials. To build trust with your customers, you need to incorporate social proof on your website to establish your credibility and authority. This includes testimonials, case studies, and reviews. Testimonials support everything your business stands for and are also third-party proof of the transformation you offer.
Alternative options if you don’t have any testimonials yet
Just because you don’t have testimonials yet doesn’t mean you should not hit publish or promote your website.
If your business (and website) are brand new and you don’t have testimonials yet, you need to become your own proof of why someone should choose to work with you.
What you can do to supplement the lack of testimonials is create high-converting content that positions you as an expert in your industry. You can address problems your audience faces and how your service/offer helps solve them, or give an inside look into how your processes work.
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You can also start building a portfolio with sample case studies and solutions for dream clients in your industry. For example, if you’re just starting as a web designer and don’t have any clients yet, build up some mock websites, either for clients/brands you’d love to work with. You can also build a website for your own “dream client.”
The bottom line – there are other ways to sell your content, services, and products when you first start, without needing to rely on case studies and testimonials. With that in mind, as soon as you do have testimonials, be sure to add them to your website!
Tips on How to Use Testimonials on Your Website
A quick blurb from a client about your work, with their business name, is great to have, but there are ways to make your testimonials even more impactful and effective. Great testimonials can tell a potential client everything they need to know about your business and help them make a buying decision much faster.
Here are some tips on how to effectively use testimonials on your website:
Make any testimonials you use relevant to the website page you put them on
For example, if you have a service page for a wedding photographer in San Diego, be sure to categorize the San Diego couple testimonials on that page, if possible. Also, keep your testimonials relevant to the services themselves. For example, if you have two services, keep each service’s testimonials on its own page rather than lumping them together.
Testimonials on your portfolio page
If you have a portfolio, including an ‘in their own words’ section on the portfolio subpage is a great way to add another testimonial. You can see what this looks like here!
Video testimonials are awesome!
If your client is willing to send you a video testimonial, be sure to include it on your website (don’t just promote it on social media). For any video testimonials, make sure that the video formatting is optimized for both desktop and mobile.
Use before and after testimonials
A powerful way to present testimonials is as a before-and-after. You can use pictures to demonstrate this (if applicable) or, if written, share what the client was struggling with before choosing to work with you, what you worked on together, and what the result was. Want to know the perfect questions to ask for client feedback for your testimonials? Go here!
You can pull a header from the testimonials; this way, it’s a header, then a paragraph, and easier to scan
Pulling out and enlarging text for testimonials makes them much more engaging. A lengthy testimonial paragraph is much easier to skip over.
Link to third-party sites with testimonials to boost credibility
Your audience is much more likely to trust the testimonials on your site when you also have Google reviews. You should also hyperlink to the client who gave you a testimonial website (if applicable).
Include case studies
There’s a lot of different advice out there on how to write case studies. When we add case studies to our website, we include the business name, their brand promise, who they are, and what the client said about their experience working with us. We’ve found this method for writing case studies to be effective.
What Other Elements Does Your Website Need to Have?
A high-converting website doesn’t skip over including testimonials. As you’re building your website, make sure you have all of these elements along with your testimonials:
RESULTS THAT SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES
Download our case studies + client experiences to review the impact our website design and brand strategy services have beyond the stunning deliverables you’ll find in our portfolio.
User-friendly design
Your website needs to be accessible on both desktop and mobile. User navigation should be effortless. Your website should have a clear, well-organized structure that is easy to follow. Avoid overloading your website with options, CTAs, and dropdowns.
One main website goal
For most business owners, your website’s goal is going to be to either a) get users to fill out your contact form, b) book your services, or c) buy your product.
Guide your website visitors to your contact or product purchase page. The journey from first click to contact or purchase is the most important.
Real photos (and copy) on your website
If you want to build trust and make sales for your small business, using real photos on your website is a non-negotiable. In this time of AI, when it seems everyone is using it everywhere, the reality is that AI images hurt your business’s credibility and make your business feel (and look) robotic. The same goes for your website copy – don’t have AI write your website copy. When in doubt, I always recommend working with a copywriter.
Brand strategy + brand design
Branding matters because it helps you attract ideal clients (and deters the wrong ones). It is also what enables you to stand out in a noisy, competitive market and makes you and your small business memorable. “Branding design” is the visual and strategic framework that defines how your business appears and feels to the world. Branding doesn’t stop at logos and colors, although they are important.
Strong brand identity design weaves together multiple layers, such as your brand story, mission, brand values, visual identity, and the emotions you want to evoke in your target audience.
When developing your brand strategy, focus on:
- Brand positioning and unique value proposition
- Target audience research
- Brand voice and messaging guidelines
- Visual identity (logo, colors, fonts, imagery style)
- Core values
- Customer experience
- Brand application guidelines across all platforms
Unearth Your Brand® and Website with Bethany Works®
At Bethany Works®, we specialize in psychology-backed brand strategies and website design for fierce visionaries and tenacious creatives on a mission to elevate their brand. Our branding process uncovers your unique positioning to express your brand in a way that actually means something to your audience.
If you’re ready to stop leaving money and impact on the table and craft a unique identity and website, learn more about our brand and website design services here, or get in touch with us here!
