Part of a web copywriter’s job is to stay abreast of what works and what doesn’t work on websites. One of the things that don’t work is testimonial pages. People ignore them. Americans are way too jaded to believe that your testimonials are genuine.

Testimonials can work

That said, testimonials are still a great marketing device for your website. You just have to know how to make them work for you in this cynical atmosphere. And testimonial pages are not the way.

How to make testimonials work

The way to use testimonials on your website is by inserting the testimonials right into the page text. After the first paragraph is probably the best location. Put it in a box with a colorful background so it jumps out at the reader. And it must be right in the middle of the page so the visitor can’t ignore it.

Identifying information is key

The next important thing to do is give as much identifying information as possible about the person you’re quoting. “Bob in Omaha” doesn’t cut it.  “Bob Whistler, Press Operator, Richter Machine Shop, Omaha, Nebraska” is a gold mine. That is a testimonial people can believe.

The cloak of respectibility (begging Harry Potter’s pardon)

The biggest benefit to having the testimonial placed right in the text and early in the text is that it will color the rest of the copy that they read. It will have a psychological effect on the reader of covering everything else they read with a cloak of respectability. And that is the sort of thing that genuinely leads to sales.

Originally posted 2007-12-06 20:49:43. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• Online Marketing Costs Time or Money - Nothing is Free Online marketing is going to cost you time or money. Never believe anyone who tells...
• Promote Yourself to Grow Your Business A lot of people, business owners included, are uncomfortable with self-promotion or promoting their business....
• Configurators are hot new tools for small business websites Actually, website configurators are not new. But the idea that small business websites can have...

• The Difference Between SEO And SEM Search engine optimization is a compartment or division of Search...
• Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling by Captain Lyaf Yarr Title: Harry Potter and the Chamber...
• 5 Tips To Improve AdSense Income Of Your Online Business Opportunity 5 Tips To Improve AdSense Income Of Your Online Business...

Related posts:

1. Anchor Tags Are Important in eNewsletters, Websites, Blogs and Email Marketing Boy, there is just no limit to how important...
2. Effective Web Copywriting Requires a Willingness to Look Outside the Box The last place you want to look for help...
3. Free Publicity on the Web is Key to an Effective Marketing Campaign There are a lot of ways to promote your...
4. Configurators are hot new tools for small business websites Actually, website configurators are not new. But the idea...
5. Julia Allison in Wired Magazine Teaches the Secret to Online Promotion How many of you read the article in the...