Testimonials – Does your website need them?

As a website content writer, clients often ask if they should include testimonials on their website. Ultimately, this is a business decision only they can make but here’s what I tell my clients.

Understand the difference between a Testimonial and a Review

While the words “testimonial” and “review” are used interchangeably, from a marketing theory perspective, they are very different.

Testimonials are collected, filtered and shared by the business itself which means they choose the most flattering ones for their website. Personally, when I’m looking for a new product or service, I tend to ignore them because I don’t believe they are a balanced representation of a business.

Reviews, on the other hand, are collected by Third Party sites (like Google, Facebook, TripAdvisor etc.). As a result, these review platforms share both positive and negative reviews, giving a more realistic insight on the business. Sure, there may be some adverse comments but they can be evaluated by the reader and it’s always reassuring if the business responds by offering an off-line solution.

Banking on a good word…

The 2018 Sensis Social Media Report found that 68% of Australians rely on online reviews before making a buying decision. I believe this trend will continue to grow because no matter how much information your website provides, potential customers want to do their own research for important purchases.

So, should you include testimonials in your website? Perhaps. It’s up to the individual business to decide.

Should you regularly ask your happy clients to provide a review on a third party site like Google? Absolutely!

If you’re not sure what to say when asking for a review, get in touch. We’ll write an email that you can send to all of your clients asking for a review. If you like, we can also help you create a short survey to send to your customers so you can discover what you could do better.

To discuss your options, call Karen on 1300 780 642 or contact us here.