| Customer Testimonials and Your Website |
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Monday, 22 February 2010
When a local community forum member posted the question, “Which shops in town give you the best service?” forum regulars were eager to sing the praises of their favorites. My hairdresser client was among those who who received accolades. “You’ve got to go to Kristina Michele Salon. … I’ve finally found a hairstylist that I can trust. … Ask for Jen, she’ll know what’s best for your hair. … I’ve never been this loyal to a hair stylist. … I’ll never go anywhere else.” These are powerful words. Testimonials like these are the electronic equivalent of word-of-mouth advertising and referrals. Even though the reader doesn’t know the person who wrote the testimonial, the camaraderie of fellow participants creates a bond and a certain element of trustworthiness. It’s human nature to believe the good things that someone else says about you; if you say it, it comes off as bragging or boasting. That’s why resumes are written in the third person – it sounds like someone else is talking about you. On a website, testimonials provide the necessary “third-party” voice that both softens the rough edges and gives credibility to your virtues. On your website, it’s a good idea to post testimonials like these. Kristina Michele Salon created a “report card” for customers to complete and return for a discount on their next appointment. Dozens of report cards were returned with invaluable testimonials. But, don’t feel that you have to have customers write you a note. If they simply say complimentary words to you or one of your employees, make a note of it yourself, and include it in your website. When we publish testimonials, we like to credit the quote with the hometown of the contributor. If the customer is comfortable with it, publish their name as well. But the importance of publishing the hometown cannot be over-emphasized. It does two things. It gives a geographic reference (“That’s near where I live,” or “They travel that far for this service?”), plus it’s invaluable in satisfying common keyword searches in the search engines. Whether someone is looking for a hairstylist or a hardwood floor refinisher or a Happy Birthday cake, they usually enter both the service or product they want and the town where they live into their favorite search engine:
By having all the words from a single keyword search in one of your web pages, you’ll be able to satisfy the major search engines, and you’ll increase your chances of appearing in the search engine results pages (SERPs). Post your testimonials all on one page, or scatter them throughout the website. Look over our websites at KristinaMicheleSalon.com, PatsWoodWorks.com, and GourmetTouchBakery.com for inspiration and examples.
Mark Beck is Vice President and Partner of The Boulevard Group, a full service internet services company specializing in web design, web development and internet marketing. The Boulevard Group serves a broad customer base and provides services that include dynamic content management systems, database-driven ecommerce catalogs and shopping carts, and traditional brochure-style web sites. Mark formerly provided content to the Duct Tape Marketing blog where he covered topics relating to web design and internet marketing. He may be contacted at Mark@theblvdgroup.com or by calling 908-876-3707. |
