Do testimonials on a website have any impact?

When working on a website, I often ask the owners for testimonials and quite often, I get a lukewarm response to my request.  The usual comments are “everyone knows you just made those up” or “you just picked people who said nice things.”  While part of that might be true, studies have shown otherwise.

This is where I remind our client that not everyone thinks like they do.  While some people may agree with them, others are looking for testimonials and will wonder why they are absent from the website.  Recent studies have shown that testimonials and online reviews did sway people’s decisions about buying a product or service.

Positive reviews and testimonials influenced their decision as well as negative reviews and testimonials.  In fact, more and more people actively search for testimonials and reviews before making a decision.  Remember, they want a company that’s going to solve their problem.

Testimonials make an impression

Now, companies who provide a service (as opposed to a product) are not actually selling anything online though they still need to convince people to call and schedule a service with them.  How do testimonials help here?  In this situation, they are looking for someone to provide a solution to their problem and you never know what is going to be the tipping point-that 1 thing that convinces them to call.

It may be that you offer free estimates or that they like the looks of your website though most often, it’s a combination of several things, such as the following.

• If your website makes a positive impact on them.
• If they feel you are credible and trustworthy (at least judging by your website).
• If they see you offer the services they need.
• If you have free estimates or same day service so they don’t have to wait.
• If they have read testimonials from clients who had the same problem (they have) and you fixed it for them.

All these things work together to give prospects a favorable impression of your business.  While 1 thing alone may not be enough to get them to call, when you add them all together, it makes a difference.  Even though people may take a testimonial with a grain of salt, it still makes an impression and sometimes, that is all that’s needed.