Anyone can write good things about their own business. Visitors know this, which is exactly why they weight the opinions of previous customers so much more heavily than a business’s own marketing copy.
Specific Beats Generic
“Great service, highly recommend” barely registers, because it could describe literally any business. A testimonial that mentions a specific detail (what was booked, what the outcome was, a real name) reads as genuine in a way generic praise never does.
If you’re asking past clients for a quote, a better question than “would you leave a review” is something like “what specifically made the difference for you,” which tends to produce far more usable, specific answers.
Numbers Do Heavy Lifting
Where you have them, real figures outperform adjectives. “Booked out three months in advance” or “enquiries doubled after launch” tells a visitor something concrete they can picture. It’s worth asking past clients directly for any numbers they’re comfortable sharing, even rough ones.
Third-Party Platforms Carry More Weight Than On-Site Quotes
A glowing quote on your own homepage is good. The same review visible on Google or another independent platform carries more weight, because a visitor knows you can’t have written it yourself. Where possible, link out to genuine third-party reviews rather than relying solely on quotes you’ve placed on your own site.
Recency Matters More Than People Expect
A five-star review from three years ago suggests a business that used to be good. A handful of reviews from the last few months suggest a business that’s currently thriving. If you have a backlog of happy clients who never left a review, it’s worth going back and asking, even if the work was a while ago.
Don’t Save It All for One Page
A dedicated testimonials page is useful, but the reviews that convert best are often the ones placed right next to the decision they’re meant to support: a testimonial near your pricing, a specific case study result next to your portfolio, a quick quote near your enquiry form.
The Bottleneck Is Usually Just Asking
Most businesses have more happy clients than testimonials. The gap isn’t a lack of proof, it’s a lack of asking for it at the right moment, usually right after a good outcome, when the client’s positive feeling is freshest.
If you’d like help turning existing client feedback into stronger case studies for your site, get in touch.
