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Most consumers no longer trust advertising. Sure, marketing strategies centered around producing website content, collaborating with influencers, and engaging with audiences through social media do yield results. But used on their own, they’re simply not enough.

However, not all is lost.

Today, we have a wide range of information at our disposal, including data on consumer behavior. Through research studies and surveys, we’ve learned that as many as 92% of buyers read online reviews before purchasing. Moreover, we know that 70% of shoppers trust reviews written by strangers and that 97% of B2B buyers consider testimonials to be the most valuable content for their shopping decisions.

So, it turns out that there’s a lot you can do to advance your brand by effectively using trust signals. Social proof in the form of customer testimonials makes for one of the most effective trust boosters, but you’ll need to ensure it’s placed at just the right spot.

The following are six of the top places to add testimonials to your website, along with information on why they’re effective.

1. Above vs. Below the Fold

One of the first things you need to understand before placing any trust signals on your website is the way visitors look at web pages nowadays.

A 2018 eye-tracking study conducted by Nielsen showed that, nowadays, people spend as much as 57% of their page-viewing time above the fold. And although they will scroll to get to the information they need, they’ll still spend three-quarters of their time in the first two screenfuls.

By taking this piece of data into account, you need to determine the value and importance that social proof holds in your marketing strategy.

If it’s one of the main tactics for generating sales, then that means that customer feedback should probably get a more prominent spot on your website.

2. Homepage

If your branding and sales tactics rely on testimonials, then the most obvious choice for placing them on your website is going to be the homepage. This is the piece of online real estate that gets the highest amount of traffic, so you should definitely consider displaying reviews on it.

For some brands, a position in the hero section is going to be the most natural choice. As it’s the first thing potential customers see, this option will help establish your brand as a trustworthy provider of products or services. It will also signal to all potential buyers that user satisfaction is high on your list of priorities.

A great example of such practice comes from TimeCamp, a time-tracking software company. They chose to display a user review in the most prominent section of their homepage.

websiteSource: timecamp.com

Of course, you can go in an alternative direction.

SomniFix, for example, has a well-designed homepage that features a benefit-based hero image along with a CTA button. This is followed by several explanatory sections about their product.

The feedback is placed further down the page, but it is given much more space. Most importantly, the information offered is effectively visualized, which is a benefit of this approach.

Source: somnifix.com

3. Dedicated Testimonials Pages

Now, the problem with displaying social proof on your homepage is that there’s rarely enough space for showing everything that matters.

You see, many businesses make the mistake of thinking that users only want to see positive reviews. But that’s not entirely the case.

To ensure the credibility of the reviews you display, you should make sure not to censor any information. In fact, a timely and well-written reply to negative customer feedback may end up benefiting you just as much as a 5-star rating.

With this in mind, there is one excellent solution for positioning this type of trust signal on your website.

A dedicated Testimonials page, like this one by ShowMojo, is a great way to show different consumer experiences and pull data from various sources. It includes several video messages from satisfied clients, as well as messages from well-established agencies whose reputations testify to the quality of ShowMojo’s product.

Source: web.showmojo.com

4. About Us

An alternative to the homepage and dedicated testimonials page placement, the About section of your website allows you to tie user feedback more closely to your brand’s identity.

Is your aim to define your company as user-oriented? Do you want to make your name synonymous with high-quality products and services? If the answer is yes, then displaying some form of testimonial on your About pages is the way to go.

A great example of a company choosing this path comes from Dribble. Their About page includes quotes about their services, as well as other trust signals, including mentions in relevant publications like Inc.com.

Source: dribbble.com

5. Product/Service Pages

Finally, don’t forget about the most impactful space for placing social proof on a website: your product pages.

If you consider the consumer journey, you’re likely to realize that people who arrive on your homepage or landing pages usually aren’t prepared to buy right away. Instead, they have to go through the sales funnel. They’ll want to learn about your brand, browse your products, and evaluate your offer. If all goes as planned, they’ll end up making a purchase.

This means that on their first few visits, they’re most likely to be impacted by their position in the funnel. But, once they’ve gotten to know you, they’ll need more specific information. And that’s where product page reviews come in.

The minimalistic example by L’Estrange London shows the full potential of displaying testimonials on product pages: it’s informative, fits in with the brand’s identity, and helps sell the product. What more could you ask for?

websiteSource: lestrangelondon.com

In Closing

Now that you’ve got a solid idea of how different testimonial positions on your website may impact conversions, it’s time to get started with adding reviews to your online presence.

What you should keep in mind, however, is that no single solution works well for everyone. For this reason, it’s essential that you: choose the right format (text, video, or UGC) and that you measure effectiveness with A/B testing.

Once you’ve done these, you can rest assured that you’ve taken all the necessary measures to ensure the absolute best chances for your brand to grow through social proof./

Natasha Lane is a lady of a keyboard and one hell of a growth-hack geek. She is always happy to collaborate with awesome blogs and share her knowledge about IT, business growth strategies, and digital marketing trends. To see what she is up to next, check out her Twitter Dashboard.

Feature photo source: depositphotos.com