When someone lands on your website, they’re looking for proof. Not marketing promises, not polished copy — proof that your business delivers. Which is why you need to have testimonials on your website. Because a strong, well-worded testimonial answers the silent question every visitor has: “Will this work for someone like me?”
Testimonials are a key aspect of social proof online and are one of the most effective ways to build trust with current and future customers. They are not there to fill space on a page. They give credibility, humanize your business, and make it easier for potential clients to say yes.
Testimonials are one of the strongest forms of social proof. They show that real people have trusted your business, seen results, and are willing to say so publicly. That outside validation matters because it makes your expertise credible and lowers the risk for someone considering working with you.
This is also where your online reputation comes into play.
Detailed testimonials highlight your credibility of expertise by proving you deliver on your promises. When clients are willing to attach their name or brand to your work, it builds authority in the marketplace, and others see you as the safe, trusted choice.
But not all testimonials carry the same weight.
A generic line like “They were great to work with” isn’t going to convince anyone. What builds trust is specificity and relatability.
A strong testimonial usually includes:
The best testimonials feel like real conversations. They share both the challenge and the result in plain, honest language.
Where you put testimonials matters just as much as what they say.
If they’re buried on a single “Reviews” page, most people won’t see them. They need to be part of the flow, showing up right where visitors are deciding whether to take the next step.
Here’s where they have the most impact:
Placing testimonials this way keeps them working in the background, building trust without breaking the flow of your website.
Testimonials carry the most weight when they feel real and up to date. Because it’s not just about what your clients say, but also how you share it.
A short quote with a client’s name and title can be powerful, but sometimes a quick video says more than words on a page. Pulling in reviews from places like Google or Facebook adds an extra layer of credibility, while a rotating section on your website lets you highlight several voices without making the page feel crowded.
The other piece to using testimonials to their full advantage is timeliness. A glowing review from five years ago won’t build the same confidence as feedback from last month.
So, swap out old quotes, ask for new ones after big projects, and reuse what you collect in different ways. Because a testimonial can live on your website, but it can also become a social post, a video clip, or even the starting point for a case study.
When your testimonials look current and show up in different formats, they tell visitors exactly what you want them to know: your business is active, trusted, and delivering results right now.
Even when you know testimonials are valuable, asking for them can feel awkward. The key is to make it simple and specific for your client.
Instead of “Can you write me a review?” give them a short prompt that makes it easy to share what future clients actually want to know. This approach makes it easy for clients to respond while giving you the kind of detail that builds trust online.
Here’s a copy-and-paste template you can use:
Subject: Quick Favor – Could You Share Your Experience?
Hi [Client Name],
I’ve really enjoyed working with you on [specific project/service]. I’m putting together a few client testimonials for our website, and your feedback would mean a lot.
If you’re open to it, here are a few simple questions to guide your response:
Feel free to keep it brief! Just a few sentences that answer one or two of the questions is all I need.
Thanks so much,
[Your Name]
A testimonial should do more than say you’re good at your job. It should prove it. The right words, from the right client, placed in the right spot, turn doubt into trust. That’s what makes testimonials one of the most valuable tools on your site.
If the ones on your site aren’t pulling that weight, Breezy can help you find and showcase the stories that actually build credibility. Take our Reputation Score Assessment to see how strong your testimonials really are and where stronger social proof could build more trust.
Steve Soto is a seasoned CTO and Partner at The Breezy Company. With deep expertise in software architecture and executive-level product development, he empowers teams to scale with smart, secure digital systems.
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