[Flux3]

I am just in the middle of a clients website and he has asked me to include some testimonials he has collated from his clients. I usually avoid including testimonials because i myself never believe them if i see them on any website.
Am i alone on this or do people really read testimonials and think "oh that person/company is happy with them, i'll sign up right away"
Am i just a cynic or are people really gullible?

[Boss Hog]

I think genuine testimonials are essential to be honest, it's good to show what you have done for clients and their feedback to how you work, like we have done here. It just backs up what you are offering and I suspect a client would rather go with a company showing examples of previous work and testimonials compared to a company with neither, besides "Are they worth the space they take up?"...Search Engine friendly content my friend

[Minuteman Press]

Totally agree with the Boss - independent testimonials externally verifiable testimonials provide a sense of confidence for the prospective client. Clients often comment on (and quote) our testimonials section in discussions.

[bigdave]

I agree. I think they can put peoples minds at rest especially when the business transaction is likely to happen without ever meeting face to face. Ebay is a prime example of where testimaonials are essential. most users would never buy or sell to someone with a stream of poor (or no) feedback but would be happy to do so with someone who has a proven track record.

[Niv]

I've seen loads of places saying it's a good idea however I find when I see them on a site they make little or no difference. I think most look really fake and make me question the integrity of some sites. Maybe it's just because of the sheer number of scam artists online these days but I find it hard to trust them.

Edit: Might be a better idea to include a guestbook instead, works in a similar way but for some reason it just seems more trustworthy if moderated properly and with bad reviews included also.

[bigdave]

Originally Posted by Niv

Might be a better idea to include a guestbook instead, works in a similar way but for some reason it just seems more trustworthy if moderated properly and with bad reviews included also.

Thats actually a really good idea!

[heybyrne]

I personally agree with testimonials, how else will an anonymous visitor gain the jist of your quality of service? Guest books can be great but dependent on how active they are, they may take up some time in terms of moderation - you don't want people posting inappropriate content or uploading their pride and joy (and I'm not on about a Ferrari 250 GTO... droo0o0ol).

As someone mentioned before, a lot of the time when I see testimonials they appear fake and obviously done by friends and family which can really damage your credibility. I'd much rather have a few of great quality than a load that are obviously written by the same person. Link backs to the clients is useful to add authenticity.

[Niv]

Originally Posted by heybyrne

I'd much rather have a few of great quality than a load that are obviously written by the same person. Link backs to the clients is useful to add authenticity.

The only problem there is you need to ensure you keep an eye on the links, sites have a habbit of vanishing overnight and bad links can be just as bad as bad reviews. Lets face it, a persons site should always be kept up to date and moderated well but it's not always the case, so it will depend on how much work the webmaster is willing to put in and if they have anyone they can call on to help with some other tasks as to which method to employ.

A large site with only one or two members of staff may struggle to maintain a healthy guestbook free from spam and other stuff while trying to maintain and update the rest of the site and therefor testimonials are a great idea, but either a small site or a large site with plenty of staff should have no problems moderating a guestbook.

It's a personal choice and both have benefits, but like I said before I just find testimonials a little tacky on some sites, although the same can be said about guestbooks I guess the factor you should really think about with both is quality.

[bogfrog]

Originally Posted by bigdave

Thats actually a really good idea!

Not sure if this counts but I am also a DJ and have THIS on my testimonials.

It shows direct contact from customers as some people may see a bit of text as possibly made up? The different handwriting and signature shows that there are a number of very good reviews from independent sources.

Its a bit over the top but it lets clients know what they will get as the avaerage option of a mobile DJ is not very good!

[CYoung]

I think testimonals say a lot, just like on Peter and Damon's sites, they just encourage the customer to purchase in confidence.