The Value of Validation and Testimonials on your Website

by Morgan Alverson | Sep 17, 2019

Your website is a place for you to tell your story. Adding validation to that allows someone else to validate that story (and even tell their own story about your company). It’s powerful and one of the best ways to increase conversions.

What is validation?

There are many things that can be considered validation on your website. Here are just a few that we use often:

• Testimonials (the most common)
• Stats (for example, “90% of this type of business works with us.”)
• Ratings
• Reviews
• Client logos to show other businesses you work with
• Associations you are a part of
• Numbers around your volume or success (for example: “Over 10,000 people have taken our course.”)

Why you need validation and testimonials on your website (and any landing pages you have!):

1. First and foremost, it provides trust. Research shows that 92% of people trust a recommendation from a peer and 70% trust a recommendation from a complete stranger (via Nielsen).  Just think about your own behavior. Are you looking for reviews and testimonials?
2. It’s a checkbox. People are looking for it even if they don’t fully read it. Even if this section of your website is skimmed over, it’s still checking off a box inside the visitor’s head.
3. It proves the value of what you have to offer. Validation is sharing the value behind your product/service. 
4. Being first is risky. This tells your website visitors that someone else uses your product/service. 
5. It can address the concerns of your buyers. Often these testimonials and stats are answering questions that your buyer has before they have the chance to ask it. 

If you don’t have validation on your website, it’s time to add it. Validation should live throughout your website – homepage, work page, contact page, etc. Think about where you need to not only validate your product but put your prospect or buyer at ease. I suggest keeping this validation high on the page, but the placement is something great to test.

You can see some of the unique ways we’ve been able to add validation to websites here.