Customer Testimonials - Worth adding?

[Deleted member 71556]

One of the new additions to our web site I've been considering is the addition of customer Testimonials. We get a lot of positive feedback but I've always dsmissed them on other peoples sites as being either made up or way too cheesy. Any views?

 

[MH1]

Made a huge difference to myself when I added testimonials, no worries as long as they are genuine, and in their words.

 

[deadgoodundies]

I think they are a good idea and if someone leaves one where you initially made a mistake and then rectified it promptly then they are worth more than just a glowing testimonial as it shows mistakes can be made (we are all human) but you can correct them quickly.

 

[smo]

We dont have them on ours, but as long as it suits your products and can be intergrated neatly then go for it, i certainly know i read them when i go to buy product as you can always rely on a customer to air their views if there is something wrong!! (and occasionally right)

 

[Chunky Beagle]

Yes. Definatly a good idea. Don't just stick 100 onto a page. Make it look smart and give it a purpose. So highlight maybe a medium purchase which will stand out to the average buyer. Not a £0000 rolex testimonial.

 

[SusanBryant]

I would always include testimonials. A picture and a quote is good, a short video even better. I always look at testimonials when looking to buy something from a new place for the first time.

Good Luck!

Susan

 

[smo]

I'm not sure pictures are nessecary as you should have them in the product info anyway.

As for video, most people wouldnt watch it, i personally dont and cant think of anyone who would!

 

[SusanBryant]

A picture of the person who has made the testimonial adds a face to the name and adds a personality to the product and the people who buy it. People buy from people )

And as for videos, in my experience some people do watch them. And even if they don't if they are there they add to the genuine effect and add a face to the person giving the testimonial, making it easier for a potential customer to relate to.

Obviously it totally depends on the product, and these are possibly more suited if you are selling a service rather than a tangible product.

Susan

 

[Chunky Beagle]

I agree with the pictures if you only have a handful of testimonials, however if you have more than 4 or 5 don't include pictures.

 

[FBtips]

I once got some facebook testimonials and asked if the could be used on the website - simply take a screenshot & crop it up nicely

 

[almahye]

i think it is important,our website has a customer Testimonials too

 

[zigojacko]

Testimonials are definitely proven to increase conversion rate, would certainly look to include them on any ecommerce website if possible.

I wrote a ton of excellent ecommerce tips the other day if you want to have a look through them - http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=152361 (testimonials being one of the tips 38)

 

[Deleted member 71556]

Thanks for the great replies, I'm going to spend some time looking getting testimonials on the site.

 

[rshosting]

Testimonials always help... You can add them to your website under reviews section or something similar.. Alternatively if you use services such as ratepoint.com that would help you further to display those testimonials as genuine testimonials to your visitors.

 

[Abbey Business Centres]

we have got at least 50 testimonials on rotation on our homepage and many customers, and competitors, have made positive comments about them

i personally don't like it when testimonials are listed on one dedicated page as i am not going to waste my time reading all of them

James

 

[Rhyl Lightworks]

I agree that testimonials are good for a website, and I would say the more the better. As a potential shopper, I wouldn't read a 100 or more testimonials, but I would be more impressed by a business displaying these than only a few. A few could be doctored, but who would go to the trouble of doctoring a large number?

Barrie

 

Ling has 1513 testimonials on the car lease site.

May be a bit over the top,but then so is she.

Earl

 

[NetwiseHosting]

Hi there,

I have to agree with what the majority are saying. We have a testimonials page here alongside a homepage feature that rotates the four most recent and this has definetly seen an improvement in conversions.

I don't believe hundreds are needed, only a few decent and honest paragrahs would be best. Too many can look fake and unnecessary. You can find loads of javascript and HTML/PHP tutorials that will help you integrate such features and by all means PM me if you would like more advice. Hope this helps.
Kind regards,

Matthew

 

[MartCactus]

One of the new additions to our web site I've been considering is the addition of customer Testimonials. We get a lot of positive feedback but I've always dsmissed them on other peoples sites as being either made up or way too cheesy. Any views?

Testimonials are great so long as people believe them. People are quite cynical these days.

We've used real genuine ones from people who've purchased our web software in most cases we're (with the contributor's permission) able to include a link to their site - so anyone reading the testimonial can see that its real, and even contact the purchaser via their website if they really want to check.

I'm not so sure

"Your service is top class" - Mrs G S, Leeds

Is very persuasive to me - those types of things look a bit cheesy I think, since it could easily be made up. I tend to see them in that form on get rich quick schemes and weight loss products.

Also very short testimonials tend to remind me of the things you see outside theatres eg

"best play of the decade" - Daily Mail

where the original full review said, "not the best play of the decade", etc.

But real convincing testimonials are very useful.

 

[deniser]

We have hundreds on our site. I just started adding them when we started up and got into the habit of doing it so just carried on. They are all genuine, spelling mistakes included, and copied and pasted from unsolicited customer emails.

I know people do read them - not all of them of course - but dip into them as they have mentioned it to me when I have seen them come to the shop.

But now I am thinking of removing them, the reason being that we are well established now and people tend to think we are a bigger company than we are. For our product we are compared to the large stores now so I think they may seem a bit amateurish (obviously completely different for a service or a start up) as you wouldn't see them on NEXT or M&S website.

Not sure what to do ......

 

[Tomred]

One of the biggest benefits of Testimonials is the content they provide. Lets say you are a plumber with a website. You have the following testimonial:

"Barry the plumber did a great job installing my new bathroom"
From Tom in Salford.

Now anybody searching for a "plumber in salford", just might get to Barrys site