How important are testimonials for online success?

If you’re struggling to get your online business off the ground, it may be due to a lack of testimonials. You may have had several very happy clients, but how can you prove this to others? Without testimonials, it’s almost as if previous customers never existed. As a result, every sale is as hard as the first one, since 97% of customers check reviews before making a major purchase.

Why not let your customers do some of the work? It’s always going to be much more convincing to see positive comments from a genuine customer than from the business’ own messaging.

So what are testimonials, how can they help your business, and how can you get more of them?

What are testimonials?

A testimonial is essentially a review from a satisfied customer, shared in a creative fashion. They can be displayed prominently on your website so that potential customers can quickly see that you’re a company which is to be trusted to deliver what they are seeking. Testimonials come from your most loyal clients who are happy to share their experiences to help your business to gain new customers.

Importance of testimonials for SEO

Google reads your reviews! When scanning a website, Google will check for any evidence that you are a trustworthy source of information. If it finds many positive reviews then this is a good indicator of your authority and your website will be rewarded with higher rankings in search results.

Make sure that when a customer provides a testimonial, they also post the review on Google Reviews. This is the quickest way to ensure Google finds the review and marks your website down as being trustworthy and authoritative.

Building trustworthiness

It’s not just Google who is concerned with trustworthiness. Potential customers will also want confirmation that they can trust you. The internet is full of scammers and dodgy companies which appear genuine and legitimate. Online users are savvy to this fact, so you need to calm any doubts they may have. Few people will give away their hard-earned cash without complete confidence in the reliability of a business.

Place your testimonials prominently on your homepage to initially build trust. You should also use big, clear buttons linking to independent review sites. The most trusted include Google Reviews, Yelp, and Trustpilot. If your business has many positive reviews here, then your authority is confirmed.

How to get more testimonials

Now you know how important testimonials are to the success of your online business, how can you secure more of them? Firstly, try searching social media. The chances are that a happy customer has already Tweeted or posted about your business! If so, this can be used as a testimonial. You can also take quotes directly from customers (with their permission of course) and comments on your website.

You can also offer a small prize or competition entry to anyone who leaves a review. However, this isn’t always necessary. Simply asking people is often enough. If they really love your business, then just a gentle reminder via a social media posts normally encourages plenty of new testimonials.

If you have a great company, then acquiring testimonials isn’t difficult. But doing so is the key to growth and success. The more testimonials you gain, the less time future customers will spend considering their purchase and you’ll see a rapid boost in profits.