How to Ask Clients for Testimonials and Reviews
As a web designer, it would greatly benefit you to collect as many client testimonials as you can for your website. And, beyond that, to start encouraging clients to leave positive reviews for you on Google. Think about it like this: [pullquote]consumers need to read about 10 online reviews before they can trust a business[/pullquote] Prospective clients are taking a big risk when they hire a designer to build their website. If they don’t know you, have never heard of your business, and don’t know anyone who’s used your services, how can they trust that you’ll design a great website for them? Bright Local conducted a Local Consumer Review Survey a couple years back and found that consumers need to read about 10 online reviews before they can trust a business. That’s because client reviews and testimonials are valuable. They give prospective clients a sense for what it’s like to work with you and what they can realistically expect to get out of the relationship. For example, you can see here the level of detail included in this testimonial for BA Creative:

1. Create a Google My Business Page
According to the Bright Local survey, 86% of consumers are actively looking for and reading reviews for local businesses. So, if you have a physical address or P.O. box you’re comfortable associating with your business, you should create a Google My Business page. It’s completely free and takes no more than a few minutes to set up your business profile. This is the only way your business listing will show up in Google search results, like this one for Ted Angel Design:


2. Send an Offboarding Survey
In your client offboarding process, you should have a step where you follow up 30 to 60 days after the project ends. Why not put a link to a questionnaire in that email, asking them for feedback on the experience? By putting it out there like that, you’re not pressuring them to say something good about you on the spot. Instead, you’re giving them a valid reason to share their positive sentiments. And, if they don’t, consider this a great opportunity to collect criticisms and improve your business. Now, if you’re not comfortable combing through their response and asking if you can use their statement as a testimonial, that’s okay. Instead, make the last slide of the questionnaire say something like: “It was an absolute pleasure working with you and I’m glad I had a hand in helping you create the perfect website for your business. If you were happy with the experience, I’d greatly appreciate it if you’d leave a review on my Google page so other business owners like yourself can find my services when they need them!” Stay positive, don’t sound desperate, and leave it up to them to take action.3. Add a Link in Your Email Signature
Chances are good that the bulk of your communication with clients is through email. So, why not put something in your email signature about leaving a review?
4. Write a Testimonial for Them
In the past, I would ask clients at the end of a job if they’d be comfortable writing a testimonial that I could share with prospective clients. However, I found that most of them were reluctant to do so — not because they secretly hated my work, but because they were too busy to do so. What was nice, though, was that many of those clients asked me to just write it for them. That’s when I decided to change my approach. These days, when I conduct offboarding calls and final training with clients, I listen closely to what they say. If they are really happy with the experience and what they got in the end, they’re bound to say something about it to me. Or they’ll email me later on, with their thanks and kind words. If they do, I jot it down on a notepad. Then, I turn the quote into a testimonial and email it to them later in the day: “I’m so happy to hear how well the project worked out for you. I was wondering if you’d let me publish a testimonial from you with a link back to your website? It would really help me get more clients like yourself! I know you’re busy, so I took the time to write this up from our call/email earlier: [Include testimonial here.] If you’re happy with it, please let me know. Feel free to tweak it if you have something else to say!” If you know that they were happy with the website you built and you’ve taken the time to summarize their thoughts into a concise testimonial so they don’t have to, why wouldn’t they say “yes”? Plus, they’ll get a free backlink to their new website, which is a fantastic bonus.Wrap-Up
Don’t forget to make sure that the rest of your website is prepared to sell on your behalf. By publishing an impressive portfolio and sharing other trust marks from your clientele (past and present), you can more easily and quickly convince prospects to work with you over the competition. Featured image via Unsplash.Suzanne Scacca
Suzanne Scacca is a freelance writer by day, specializing in web design, marketing, and technology topics. By night, she writes about, well, pretty much the same thing, only those stories are set under strange and sometimes horrific circumstances.
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