AND Why They’re Important for Your Website

When you create a new website for your business, it is important to display social proof to potential customers and clients visiting your website.

You need to build trust with your audience by displaying social proof such as reviews or testimonials on your website.

Before we dive into the differences between reviews and testimonials, let’s discuss why they’re important.

What is Social Proof?

Social proof is evidence that someone found value in your product or service after they worked with you.

Think about any time you make a purchasing decision—you are more likely to purchase a product or service if you see that others recommend it.

Social proof comes in many forms, such as quantifiable data (like “400+ satisfied customers”), influencer endorsements on social media, responding to customer feedback, and—of course—reviews and testimonials.

Why Social Proof Is Important For Your Website

The driving force behind social proof is to build trust and authority with potential customers.

People often make decisions based on what other people are doing. When potential customers see the social proof on your website from other happy customers, they’ll be more likely to purchase from you.

Instead of just relying on what your company says about your product or service, people can hear from others on why they’d recommend you over the competition.

Reviews Vs Testimonials

Many people use these terms interchangeably, but they do have some key differences.

Reviews are short snippets of praise (or rebuke) posted to third-party websites such as Google, Facebook, Yelp, and more. Often, reviews have a star-rating system in addition to a place for people to type out their thoughts on the company or product.

Reviews are great to get a quick snapshot of customer thoughts on a product or service.

Testimonials, on the other hand, are a more in-depth review of a company’s offering. Testimonials are typically provided by the customer or client directly to the company instead of posting on a third-party platform. Companies will typically use these testimonials to showcase how a customer went from point A to point B.

In addition to written customer testimonials, many companies also collect video testimonials. These video testimonials can make a huge influence on your potential customers when they hear directly from another happy customer.

Reviews give an overall snapshot of the satisfaction of your clients, while testimonials explain the “why” behind their choice.

Should I Include Reviews or Testimonials On My Website?

Now that we’ve covered the differences, you’re probably wondering whether you should include reviews or testimonials on your website—or both.

The answer to this question depends on your objectives.

If you’re in the service industry, reviews can help establish your authority and show potential clients how other clients rated your services. We recommend adding reviews to your homepage so that as people browse what you offer, they can see how highly others recommend you.

Testimonials can be great when more depth is needed for a customer to explain how you helped them. If you have a product or service that’s difficult to explain, or if you want to showcase the journey of problem to solution, testimonials would be the way to go.

How to Gain More Reviews & Testimonials

You may now be wondering how to gain more reviews and testimonials to showcase on your website.

The simplest way to do this is to ask! When you finish performing a service or selling a product to a client, ask them to give you a 5-star review or ask if they would be comfortable sharing their story in the form of a testimonial. If you emphasize that reviews go a long way in supporting your small business, many people will want to help out.

Check out one of our recent blogs on “How to Get More Google Reviews” for a detailed breakdown on how to share the link to your Google My Business profile so that people can post reviews.

Get A New Website For Your Business (INCLUDING Social Proof!)

Ready to give your website a facelift? Work with the experts at Eldie. We’ll create a beautiful web design with professional content writing. We’ll also add reviews or testimonials to your site to build your credibility with potential customers and clients.

Schedule a free 15-minute discovery call with us to discuss your web project!