You’ve always heard that testimonials are a good thing and you should use them on your website, but there are a few times when you shouldn’t.  Using a testimonial page might not be the best choice.

Why Not Use a Testimonial Page

Testimonials are all about building trust and getting your prospective customers excited about what you’re offering. But despite federal laws against them, many websites are using fake testimonials to build their trust factor. There aren’t any studies that show specific numbers of how many fake testimonials there are, however, Yelp is already filtering out 20% of their reviews as “suspicious.”

Are Testimonials Fake?

One poll did find that about 90% of people assume that the testimonials that are found in online marketing are made up. Customers might trust reviews on an independent site, like Amazon, but they’re less likely to trust them on your landing page.

When your site includes a page that is nothing but testimonials, your customers are going to believe that at least some of them are made up, even if they aren’t. After all, with all the fake testimonial pages you’ve probably seen online, wouldn’t you?

What is the Solution for Testimonials?

So, the question becomes, how do you share testimonials in a way that they’re believable?

Be Selective

You want to share enough testimonials that people will want to work with you, but not so many that they’ll believe them to be fake. A few in various places on your website is more believable than an entire page.

Be Specific

Use testimonials that are specific to your product or service, not generic. “Bob was great to work with” is not as good as “Bob listened to my needs and helped me find the perfect solution for _______.”

Use in Different Places

Instead of a full page dedicated to testimonials, put them in various places on your website where they’re sure to be seen as your visitors click around your site. Include them in the sidebar, you can even have them scroll if there are more to share than what will fit. Add a few to your contact page. Place testimonials about specific products or services on the appropriate sales pages.

Share on Social Media

Once you have a few strategically placed on your website, share them on your social media sites. You can also incorporate them into your email newsletters by highlighting one customer review each time you send it out. Include some testimonials in blog posts, eBooks, videos, and online ads.

Sharing a few testimonials here and there throughout your marketing will be more believable and build more trust than a full page of testimonials. And sharing them in more places will give you a wider reach with your audience.

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