People buy from brands they trust and from websites they feel safe with. Whether it’s picking up our weekly veggies, finding a good plumber, or booking a holiday, success online really comes down to trust and reputation. The best way to build that trust? Through reviews, ratings, and stories from happy customers who had their expectations met – or even exceeded!
Whether we’re building a website, creating a landing page, or sending an email, social proof is a must-have in our web design process. It’s the one area where clients often know it’s important but aren’t sure how to “catch” those glowing reviews and testimonials from happy customers.
- Reviews and testimonials are one of the most powerful trust signals you have, and people are far more likely to choose a business with a strong, active review profile than one with little to no social proof, regardless of how polished the website looks.
- Quantity and quality both matter, so rather than chasing a big number all at once, focus on building a consistent flow of detailed, honest feedback that gives potential customers something real to connect with.
- Your review profile now has two audiences: the humans visiting your website and the AI tools increasingly being used to answer recommendation questions, and it needs to hold up for both.
- The best testimonials are authentic, benefit-focused, and written in the customer's own words, and while a gentle prompt or framework can help people get started, the most convincing feedback always sounds like a real person rather than a marketing brochure.
- Making it easy, along with the right timing, is everything, so ask when customers are still excited, and send them a direct link to your Google Business Profile.
Are testimonials really that important? 🤔
Here are six facts that are hard to ignore
#1: 97% of consumers say online reviews impact their purchase decisions, making social proof one of the most powerful forces in modern buying behaviour. (BrightLocal)
#2: 47% of consumers won’t use a business that has fewer than 20 reviews. (BrightLocal)
#3: Products with five or more reviews are 270% more likely to be purchased than those with none. (Spiegel Research Centre)
#4: 31% of consumers will only use a business with a 4.5-star rating or higher, nearly double the figure from 2025. (BrightLocal)
#5: 85% of consumers said they read up to 10 reviews before feeling they can trust a business. (Search Engine Land)
#6: Businesses recommended by ChatGPT average a 4.3-star rating, meaning AI is actively using your review quality as a filter for whether you get surfaced at all. (LocalFalcon)
With stats like that, I know you’re eager to find out how to get some testimonials for yourself. But before we delve into how to get testimonials, here are a few tips for what separates great testimonials from so-so ones.
Ten essential elements of a great testimonial ✨
1. Authenticity is everything 🙋♂️
It’s from a real person – 99.9% of you don’t need to be told this, but just in case someone’s thinking about writing a fake testimonial (because they heard it was okay on some forum), here’s a gentle reminder: It’s not okay.
2. Perfectly imperfect 🌟
It’s not perfect – The person giving the testimonial doesn’t need to sound like a walking advertisement or look like a model. They don’t have to perfectly align with your marketing message either. What matters most is real, honest feedback. Your production values don’t need to be Hollywood-level – keep it genuine to keep it believable.
3. Get specific, get real 🎯
It’s specific – “I got 20 more leads this month – all of them great opportunities” is way more valuable than “My business is booming.”
4. Keep it real and organic 🌱
It’s authentic – Don’t push people to give testimonials. Let them speak naturally without scripts or anything forced.
5. A little guidance goes a long way 💬
It’s comparative – While you shouldn’t make people say things, offering a little guidance can help. Asking them to describe what their experience was like before and after using your product can provide a solid framework for a meaningful testimonial.
6. Let it flow 📝
It hasn’t been edited – Just like you don’t want it to sound like an advertisement, you also don’t want to put words into people’s mouths. It’s the easiest way to lose the interest of a great client. Give them a guide and then let them go for it.
7. Always ask first ✅
It’s been given with permission. Want to turn a loyal customer into someone who’ll never trust your brand again? Use their words without asking first. Always get permission before sharing their testimonial.
8. Focus on benefits, not features 💡
It describes benefits, not features – Focus on the benefits, not just the features. If your testimonial starts leaning too much into the “how it works,” you may need to adjust your framing question to keep it centred on the customer’s experience.
9. Videos make all the difference 📹
Get video testimonials when you can – One video testimonial is worth ten text-based ones. Just seeing a real person share their experience creates an immediate emotional connection.
10. Place them where they matter 📍
Make sure you display your testimonials in the right place – Testimonial stories are powerful, so place them where they’ll have the most impact. Consider adding them throughout your site, especially where they align with the specific benefits of a product or service.
Reviews, testimonials, and LLMs, what’s the link? 🤖
LLMs (large language models) like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity learn from publicly available text on the web, and that includes your reviews. Authentic, detailed customer feedback helps these systems understand how to describe your business, your services, and your reputation.
And it goes a bit beyond training data. AI tools are increasingly being used as recommendation engines. When someone asks ChatGPT, “Who’s the best web designer in Brisbane?” or “find me a reliable plumber near me,” it pulls from structured signals across the web to decide who’s worth recommending.
Think of your Google reviews as your business’s resume for AI. The businesses that tend to surface in AI-generated recommendations share a few things in common:
- More reviews, which act as volume signals that a business is established and trusted
- Higher ratings, which lead to greater visibility, as AI platforms are selective and set a high bar
- Recent reviews, which signal that a business is still active and relevant
- Detailed reviews, including specific mentions of services, experiences, and outcomes, giving AI more to work with
- Complete and accurate business information, including hours, services, photos, and location
A business with a positive, active review profile across multiple platforms is simply far more likely to be recommended by AI than a competitor with a handful of outdated reviews, regardless of how good their website looks.
This makes getting great testimonials and reviews more important than ever. It’s no longer just about convincing human visitors. Your review profile now needs to work for AI audiences too.
Let’s nail those testimonials 💪
So now you can see what you are looking to achieve. Let’s get back to how to actually get great testimonials.
It’s all about the timing! This applies to any testimonial, but with video testimonials, it’s especially important. Catching people when they’re excited, energised, and still buzzing from their experience will really boost your chances. If you ask when they’re on a high, even less-than-perfect production values won’t matter much.
Have a publishing plan! Once you’ve got that perfect 20-second clip, make sure you know exactly where it’s going and how to get it published straight away. And while you’re at it, think ahead and prepare some nice thank-you gestures to show your brand advocates you appreciate them.
Look for the early signs of a potential testimonial. Any positive feedback from a customer should be a signal that it could turn into a great testimonial. There’s no harm in asking sincerely and in a way that feels on-brand for you.
Give people a choice about how you will reference them. Whether it’s full name and employer, first name and suburb, or just initials, offering flexibility will make them feel more comfortable.
Don’t forget to make it easy. There are plenty of ways to gather feedback, so figure out what fits best with your regular processes. We use a simple survey tool to capture feedback and have it sent straight to Slack, making it easy to respond right away. Keep it simple and convenient!
And don’t forget Google. Sending happy customers directly to your Google Business Profile is one of the best things you can do. It builds social proof for human visitors and strengthens your visibility in AI-generated recommendations at the same time.
Need a hand with your testimonials and digital marketing? We’d love to help you out 👋
