Social proof is an excellent way to improve conversion rates on your website, whether you’re running an ecommerce company or offering a variety of services to clients. Testimonials from past customers can often be the most effective, provided that you use them correctly and place them on all the right pages.
Quick Links
Let’s take a look at six crucial places to add customer testimonials and how they will impact your conversion rates.
Your Homepage
Perhaps the most obvious spot to add customer testimonials is your homepage. Your homepage is often the first point of contact leads have with your brand, so it should inspire them to keep clicking and keep researching your offer.
Don’t put your testimonials too front-and-center unless you’re showcasing dozens of different choices. For example, PrepCenter needs the number of testimonials they have because they each refer to a different prep center.
Source: prepcenter.com
On the other hand, the WooCommerce homepage features only two testimonials. This is enough for visitors to understand what types of customers they work with and what they can expect from the service.
Individual Service Pages
Your service pages can also significantly benefit from customer testimonials. When adding testimonials here, make sure that they speak specifically about each offer.
Don’t add overly general testimonials to service pages. Ask customers how that specific service has helped them achieve a certain goal or why they would recommend it to others. You don’t have to focus on keyword stuffing — make sure the testimonial is natural and that it comes from genuine experience.
This Hootsuite page is a good example. It features one testimonial that explains why social customer care was important for the brand and how Hootsuite has helped them promote it.
Product Category Pages
Product pages are naturally the first place you’d think to put customer reviews and testimonials. But what about your product category pages?
They will be seen just as often, as customers try to decide which category of product they need. Plus, they’re a really valuable asset, so you don’t want to miss the opportunity to add testimonials to them.
Take a look at the Kuru Footwear orthopedic shoes page. It explains the craftsmanship behind the product in this category and talks more deeply about the benefits of wearing this type of shoe. Adding all of this information to an individual product page would have been quite overwhelming.
Source: kurufootwear.com
The testimonials at the bottom serve to highlight the key points and testify to the benefits of investing in this product. This adds further value to the entire narrative.
Testimonials Page
Creating a dedicated testimonials page can also help you improve your conversion rates. True, not all of your leads will venture there — but those who will can be swayed effectively. Even the mere existence of this page, which browsers will notice in your menu or footer, can speak volumes.
Campaign Monitor has a good example you can take a look at, as does Basecamp. Each has chosen to organize theirs differently, but the principle is the same: highlight the main pain points of your user base and show how your solutions have helped customers overcome them.
Your Careers Page
A lot of prospective clients will check out your careers page before they decide to work with you. They will want to know what you are looking for and what kind of people they can expect to work with. A lot of them will also refuse to do business with brands they feel are not treating their staff kindly.
Thus, your careers page becomes another great place to add some testimonials as well — from your employees this time, and not your customers. The people who work for you can be your best and loudest ambassadors. If they love the brand, your customers will love it too. Check out Bizzabo and their careers page to see how you can achieve the same effect.
Source: bizzabo.com
The Signup Page
It may seem a bit counterintuitive, but you can also add a testimonial or two to your signup page. While it’s the last step of the conversion process, it can still add another reassuring touch to your overall online presence.
Customers are not likely to bail at this point; that’s true. But by using another example from a satisfied customer, you’ll get them even more excited about working with you. Many Pixels does this simply but effectively. Note that this should never be the only place you add testimonials to.
Source: manypixels.co
Wrapping Up
Customer testimonials can significantly increase your conversion rates — as long as you ensure they are honest and genuine and that they don’t sound like promotional messaging. Don’t write them yourself. Ask for feedback from your customers, and rather than just sticking it onto your website, make sure to also use it to improve your business.