Ever heard the phrase that happy customers are your biggest advocates?
Happy customers are gold for your business, not just because they buy but also because they add value to your marketing strategy.
Understandably, most consumers won’t trust your business right off the bat. They’ll first need to sniff around for proof that your company is credible and that your product will resolve their problems or satisfy their needs.
But after reading the words of satisfied customers, they might just be convinced to buy. Glowing customer reviews provide your audience with social proof - the idea that if so many people are loving your product, it must actually be good.
To boost the credibility of your business and the desirability of your brand online, create a website that not only describes your services, but that also highlights positive customer reviews. These reviews, which can take the form of quotes, short videos, and more, are known as testimonials.
This article will guide you through what a testimonial is and the best practices for getting testimonials from your customers, complete with 15 inspirational examples.
What is a testimonial?
A testimonial is a third-party statement that comments on how good someone or something is. By strategically placing website testimonials on a dedicated ‘Testimonials’ page, as well as on your ‘About Us’ page, product pages, and more, you can convince interested users that you’re worth their trust. You could also consider including them in your professional bio. In fact, reaffirming your product or business's worth is one of the key techniques in the psychology of selling. So whether you're launching an eCommerce store, promoting an event, or even creating a construction website (as examples), testimonials can make a powerful statement.
There are several different types of testimonials:
Customer quotes
Case studies and success stories
Short videos
Customer interviews
Social media posts
High profile reviews
Press reviews
Customer quotes are the most common form of website testimonials, since they’re easy to obtain and feel the most relatable for your audience.
How to get testimonials
There are two main ways to get testimonials on your small business website:
You can ask for testimonials by contacting returning customers.
You can look for testimonials on social media, in email messages, and more.
When it comes to asking for customer testimonials, start by sending an email to your biggest fans. The email should be considerate and polite, short enough for them to read quickly, and easy for them to respond to. Here’s an example:
Hi Janet,
How are you? I’m writing to ask if you’d be comfortable providing us with a brief testimonial for our new website. We’d love to feature your experience with our product, and we’d include a link to your website to help your company’s SEO effort.
If you’d prefer not to be featured, no worries at all - just let us know.
Otherwise, feel free to send us a quick 1-2 sentence blurb about your experience working with us.
Thanks so much for your business throughout the past few years. We want you to know that we are truly grateful to our customers.
All the best,
Robert
The second way to get customer testimonials is to simply keep your eyes open for them. Scroll your social media pages and your email messages for notes of thanks from customers, and listen for in-person praise. Any words of kindness can be turned into website testimonials. Just keep in mind that you should ask customers for permission to use the testimonials on your website before publishing them.
Whichever option you choose, be sure to avoid these common email mistakes when writing to your clients, like using a misleading tone or reaching out at an inappropriate hour. Also, make sure to add an email subject line that will guarantee engagement and a positive response from your valuable customers.
15 inspirational testimonial examples
Below, we’ve gathered 15 of the best business websites built on Wix featuring some of the most effective testimonials. As you create your own website testimonials as you scale or start your business, feel free to use these for inspiration.
01. The Tea Story
This floral testimonial box by The Tea Story is one of the most beautiful we’ve seen. While testimonials don’t always need to be ornate, we love how this particular testimonial draws us in with its eye-catching design and evokes the brand’s identity overall. The testimonial section is located toward the top of the homepage so that website visitors are guaranteed not to miss out on the positive reviews.
The Tea Story, like most websites, has chosen to use customer quotes as its primary testimonial format. They’ve also wisely selected descriptive words that make our mouth water, like “Peach Paradise” and “subtle yet rich in flavors,” making the purchase of the tea hard to resist.
Like The Tea Story, consider including testimonials as part of your homepage design so that prospective customers take note of your popularity from the beginning.
02. Robyn Kurdas
Digital designer and marketer Robyn Kurdas also places customer testimonials on her website in the form of quotes. Rather than creating a testimonial page, Robyn Kurdas puts them at the bottom of her “About” section, just below her list of featured clients. This is a logical choice, since it allows users seeking further detail to hone in on the clients’ perspectives.
Robyn Kurdas’ site is definitely one of the best website designs we’ve seen in a while. We specifically love the wacky, dynamic aesthetic of her ‘Testimonials’ section. A series of customer quotes, each with a different brightly colored background, reveal themselves in slideshow format. The whimsical images framing the quotes support exactly what is being said about Robyn Kurdas - namely, that she is creative, innovative, and full of fresh ideas.
03. Be Love Farm
Website videos tend to be highly effective in engaging users. This testimonial for Be Love Farm takes the form of a video interview. To persuade others to join their organization, the volunteer in the video discusses just how much he’s enjoying working on the farm.
Be Love Farm doesn’t include a testimonial page on their website. Instead, they link to the video on their homepage, as one of two call-to-action buttons (CTAs) under the “Apprentice” section. Rather than being featured prominently on their site for the general public to view, the video is intended to target a very specific group of people - those interested in becoming farm volunteers.
04. Hearts and Tears
Motorcycle tour agency Hearts and Tears uses a short customer quote in promoting an upcoming tour. Paired with a large image from the trip, it helps give a sense of what the ride is all about. The quote, “Adventure riding on steroids,” uses edgy, casual language to directly appeal to their motorcycle-riding audience.
Rather than ask for customer reviews, the company lifted the quote directly from TripAdvisor. Taking advantage of positive reviews on recommendation platforms and social media sites is a great strategy for finding customer testimonials. You can take reviews from Facebook, LinkedIn, TripAdvisor, Yelp, or any other relevant platform. Just be sure to give the appropriate credit by writing the site’s name in the testimonial.
05. Autofleet
While some testimonials build trust by making themselves relatable, others build trust by appealing to authority. That’s exactly what Autofleet does by highlighting high profile business partners like Zipcar, Suzuki, and Avis in its testimonials. This instantly makes Autofleet appear to be an industry leader with a competitive solution, even to those unfamiliar with the company.
The testimonials are placed on the homepage, with a simple but clever design. Autofleet strategically accompanies each quote with a prominent company logo, drawing emphasis to the partner company rather than the spokesperson. At the same time, each testimonial includes a photograph and the job title of each customer to humanize the review and make it more believable.
06. Ravin
AI startup Ravin includes testimonials on its website in the form of press reviews. Their testimonial page is titled “What people are saying,” implying that everyone is talking about their company. Rather than quoting customers, the page quotes the press, accompanying each quotation with the relevant publication’s logo and the link to the quoted article.
Highlighting positive media coverage is a great way for companies to generate buzz around their business while building their authority in the industry. This is particularly effective for upcoming companies who may not have many clients yet, but who can nonetheless establish their credibility with press reviews on their website.
Sage College Advice, a college admissions counseling business, strategically places their customer testimonials on a page titled “Acceptances.” The page has a full list of nearly every four-year university in the US, revealing that Anne, the counselor, is successful in getting her clients accepted to top schools. In this way, the testimonials page helps Anne build her personal brand.
The client testimonials also serve to reinforce the list of acceptances, making the list more believable. The testimonials appear to be written by students and their parents, and they focus not only on the counselor’s expertise but also on the emotional benefits of working with her. The college application process is a grueling time for high school students, but Anne’s support has greatly reduced their stress. These details forge an emotional connection between the counselor and her audience, which, in turn, convinces people to use her service.
08. Shuttlerock
A testimonial often takes the form of a short quote, but it can also be a longer, more involved case study. Mobile creative company Shuttlerock has a separate “Case Studies” page on the website menu which, when clicked, reveals nine different case studies. Each article highlights a client in a different industry, which reveals Shuttlerock’s versatility and wide range of expertise. The featured image in the posts depict the company’s logo, giving the page a sense of professionalism, credibility, and authority.
The case studies feature four parts: a quote from a happy customer, a story about that customer’s challenge before working with Shuttlerock, a design portfolio of Shuttlerock’s work, and data showing the project’s success. By delving deep into the customers’ success stories and backing them up with hard data, Shuttlerock creates a powerful, persuasive series of website testimonials.
The Highland Kitchen features customer quotes in a testimonial page titled “Client Reviews.” While the website design here is simple, it begins with a huge, beautiful photograph of the outdoors, instantly catching the reader’s eye.
Below the photograph is a series of testimonials whose strength lies in their descriptive detail. They also specifically highlight the challenges their situation presented and the way the chef, Greig, was able to overcome those challenges.
One review tells that the clients were dining in a barn with no water or electricity, and that Greig was able to create outstanding food nonetheless. Another explains that Greig provided food for the children in the group. Rather than directly describe Greig’s character, the testimonials use anecdotes to reveal his creativity, thoughtfulness, and attention to detail.
10. Puffin Packaging
Sometimes, pictures speak louder than words. Rather than feature customer quotes, Puffin Packaging uses the Wix Pro Gallery to show adorable pictures of their customers’ pets enjoying their product. Apparently, dogs and cats love sitting in Puffin’s eco-friendly boxes, many of which are used to transport pet food. The company demonstrates the way humans are enjoying the boxes, too, with photographs displaying the wide array of food freshly removed from the boxes and placed on the customers’ tables.
Puffin doesn’t show the humans, but pictures of animals and food seem enough to win us over. After all, if pets are loving the product, surely their owners are, too.
11. Nutrime
Thanks to persuasive customer testimonials, nutrition and fitness websites have the power to convince all of us to adopt healthier lifestyles. Nutritional medicine business NutriMe instantly appeals to site visitors, thanks to the customer testimonials on its homepage.
While the website explains the importance of nutritional medicine in objective, scientific terms, the testimonials directly below make the service feel more personal and relatable. The website doesn’t aggressively explain why we need nutritional medicine; instead, it uses more subtle written website content that highlights the success stories of people just like us.
The testimonial box also grabs the user’s attention with its illustrated vector art. The images feel hand-drawn, making the brand feel wholesome and homemade. The beautiful illustrations, revealed using a parallax scrolling effect, frame the text and help draw more attention to it.
Mr. Holmes Bakehouse uses a testimonial that is far from traditional. The testimonial highlights high profile celebrities, but these celebrities have probably never been to the bakery in their lives. The testimonial is false, but the joke is worthwhile. This is a bold choice that we don’t necessarily recommend, but the quirky bakery chain uses humor to pull it off.
So, how exactly do they do it? The fake testimonials are embedded in a hot pink, supposedly “classified” document with most of the words crossed out. They’re subtle, but funny: “A lot has changed since that first call from Sir Sean Connery,” they begin, continuing with “We’re here to make sure Princess Diana walks away going ‘Damn...I gotta tell my mom about this.’” Somehow, their bold claims to authority makes us trust them, even though the claims are blatantly untrue. As readers, we’re drawn to the brand’s daring, irreverent voice.
We love restaurant websites that make our mouths water. Seven Grams Caffe in New York City puts quotes from satisfied customers directly on their homepage, maximizing the chances that site visitors will read them. They label their testimonial section “The Buzz,” marketing themselves as both popular and trendy.
The accompanying images make the testimonial even more powerful. While many website testimonials depict photographs of customers, the cafe focuses exclusively on food photography, particularly coffee and pastries. This is a great example of how customer testimonials on a website can bolster product images. When placed side-by-side customer reviews, the enticing images of cappuccinos, muffins, and banana bread make us want to hop on the next flight to New York.
14. Les Maux Bleus
As we’ve seen, some website testimonials take the form of images, without any words at all. Tattoo studio Les Maux Bleus lets their Instagram account do all the talking. In lieu of written customer reviews, the studio shows pictures of its work. The photo library on their website is synced with the business’s Instagram page, making the photos dynamic and ever-changing.
Most customer testimonials would benefit from the inclusion of quotes. However, in the case of a tattoo studio, words don’t mean much without images to prove it. The featured customers appear happy with their new ink, and the number of likes each Instagram photo receives further communicates customers’ praise and approval.
15. Dara Caroline
Testimonials that feature customer quotes are essential for businesses that offer services rather than products. Someone can claim to offer a service, but no one will know that service is good without customer reviews to back it up. In counselor Dara Caroline’s case, her featured testimonials directly support the stipulated mission on her homepage: her commitment to her patients’ self-love and empowerment.
The customer testimonials, which are placed on a designated page, move the reader with their emotional detail. Dara also specifies each reviewers’ country of origin, boosting her credibility as a successful counselor for people around the globe.
The featured images of soothing nature scenes depict neither Dara’s customers nor her services, yet they’re highly effective. Thanks to the visuals and soothing website color scheme, users immediately de-stress and feel a sense of relaxation, which is precisely what Dara’s counseling service aims to achieve.
Website testimonial best practices and tips
Taking advantage of positive customer reviews is a popular marketing strategy for small businesses. As you start placing testimonials on your website, make sure to keep in mind the following best practices:
Combine text with visuals
Including photographs and other visuals makes your testimonials more credible. Photos of your customers, as well as videos that show your customers using the product, are particularly powerful.
Use concrete numbers
Specificity is key for creating testimonials that are both believable and encourage conversion. Ask customers to provide statistics in their testimonials, such as percentages and concrete numbers that represent their growth and success as a result of using your product.
Show your product in action
Use your website testimonials to highlight specific use cases of your product. It’s also helpful to place testimonials side-by-side product pages so that customers can connect the dots between the positive review and the actual product.
Mix and match formats
Experiment with different testimonial formats to see which are most effective in converting website visitors into customers. Feel free to use a combination of customer quotes, videos, case studies, social media screenshots, and more, and A/B test different types. There are plenty of ready-made testimonial features you can use on your site.
Keep it authentic
Anyone can write their own testimonials, so it’s important your audience knows they’re from real customers. Make sure your testimonials are written in a believable customer voice. Also provide the customers’ full name, their business’ website and logo if applicable, and photos of them using the product to add authenticity and credibility.
Good reviews are an important part of online reputation management. Website testimonials have enormous power in converting prospective customers, so it’s important you harness their full potential by implementing them thoughtfully and strategically.
Different types of testimonials
There are many different types of testimonials, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Here are a few of the most common types:
Quote testimonials: These are short, pithy quotes from satisfied customers. They are often used on websites and in marketing materials to quickly convey the positive feedback that customers have about a product or service.
Video testimonials: These are testimonials that are recorded on video. They can be more engaging than written testimonials, and they can also show potential customers the personality and credibility of the person providing the testimonial.
Case studies: These are detailed accounts of how a product or service has helped a particular customer. They can be more persuasive than testimonials, as they provide specific examples of how the product or service has been used to achieve results.
Social media testimonials: These are testimonials that are left on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. They can be a good way to get real-time feedback from customers, and they can also help to build social proof for your brand.
Customer stories: These are longer, more in-depth testimonials that tell the story of a customer's experience with a product or service. They can be more relatable than other types of testimonials, and they can give potential customers a better understanding of the value that a product or service can offer.
The best type of testimonial for your business will depend on your specific needs and goals. If you are looking for a quick and easy way to get positive feedback from customers, then quote testimonials may be a good option. If you want to create a more engaging and persuasive testimonial, then video or case studies may be a better choice. And if you want to build social proof and authenticity for your brand, then social media testimonials or customer stories may be the most effective.
What elements make a good testimonial page?
A good testimonial page can be a powerful tool for building trust and credibility with potential customers. It can also help to increase conversions and sales. Here are some of the key elements of a good testimonial page:
Compelling headlines: Start with a strong headline that grabs attention and entices visitors to read on. Use language that highlights the benefits of using your product or service, and emphasize the positive impact it has had on your customers.
Variety of testimonials: Include a mix of different testimonial types, such as quotes, videos and case studies. This will provide visitors with a more comprehensive understanding of how your product or service has benefited others.
Customer credibility: Showcase testimonials from credible and relatable customers. Include their names, titles and affiliations to establish their authority and make their feedback more impactful.
Visual appeal: Use high-quality images and videos to make your testimonial page visually appealing and engaging. This will help to break up the text and make the content more digestible.
Clear calls to action: Include clear calls to action (CTAs) throughout the page to encourage visitors to take the next step, such as signing up for a free trial or making a purchase.
Social proof: Incorporate social media testimonials and reviews to demonstrate the widespread positive sentiment surrounding your product or service. This will further enhance trust and credibility.
Mobile optimization: Ensure your testimonial page is optimized for mobile devices, as a significant portion of your visitors will likely be accessing it from their smartphones.
Regular updates: Keep your testimonial page fresh and engaging by regularly adding new testimonials. This demonstrates that your business is active and continues to receive positive feedback from customers.
Strategic placement: Place your testimonial page in a prominent location on your website, such as the homepage or a dedicated testimonials section. Make it easy for visitors to find and engage with the positive feedback.
Authenticity and transparency: Avoid using staged or fabricated testimonials. Strive for authenticity and transparency in your testimonials to build genuine trust with potential customers.
How do you use testimonials on your website?
Now that you’ve seen some creative testimonial examples, you’re probably wondering where to place them on your website. As you may have noticed, some people place them on a testimonial page, while others place them elsewhere on their site.
It’s a smart idea to have a dedicated testimonial page that users can easily navigate to if they want to learn more about your business. You can call the page “Testimonials,” “Reviews,” “Our Customers,” or something more creative.
Even more important than a testimonial page, though, is the strategic placement of customer testimonials in various places on your site. This maximizes the chances that users will read them, even if they don’t actually navigate to the testimonial page.
Here are some places you can put testimonials on your website:
Put testimonials on your homepage. Nearly every user will see your website testimonials if you place them on your homepage. As the very first page on your site, it’s often users’ first impression of your business, and including positive words from customers can sway them in your favor from the beginning.
Put testimonials on your product pages. Placing customer testimonials side-by-side product pages helps put them in context, while portraying the products in a favorable light. This is particularly effective if the testimonial mentions any one product specifically.
Put testimonials on your most visited pages. Check Google Analytics or Wix Analytics for data on your most visited website pages. Placing testimonials on these pages will guarantee that users will see them, which, in turn, might persuade them to convert into customers.
Remember, including testimonials on your website shows users just how much people love your product. Thanks to your customers’ kind words, you can win the trust of prospective customers and get them onboard.