Landing page testimonials: everything you need to know

Testimonials are a type of social proof that increases landing page conversion. Helping you to turn more visitors into customers and grow your sales, and SaaS's MRR.

Which is why almost 80 per cent of SaaS companies include them on their landing pages.

Almost 80 per cent of SaaS landing pages include one or more testimonials. Results: August 2021 roastmylandingpage.com survey of 100 SaaS landing pages

But how do you collect, design and implement effective testimonials? And what other critical things do you need to consider when working on them?

Here's everything you need to know about landing page testimonials.

Who are you? And why are you obsessed with landing pages?

I'm Olly, a landing page conversion expert that has roasted and personally analysed (in great detail) over 800 SaaS, ecommerce, productised service and mailer landing pages.

In fact my whole day is spent helping founders grow their business through better positioning, copy, information architecture and design - better landing pages.

What is a landing page testimonial?

Landing page testimonials are direct quotes from users of your product or service that explain why they recommend your business.

Landing page testimonials are a form of social proof.

Here's an example testimonial on the Sleeknote landing page, written by Morten Storm Lind, the ecommerce manager at mobile phone network 3.

Read on for the why, what and where of landing pages testimonials.

Do landing page testimonials increase conversion?

Yes!

Multiple landing pages tests have proven that landing pages with testimonials outperform those without. Normally this test is done by splitting traffic to a page with testimonials and a page without, and looking at how each group performs.

Further experimentation has helped us learn what makes a 'good' testimonial and what makes a 'bad' one. There are also landing page testimonial trends and design patterns which I explore when you keep reading.

What per cent of landing pages have testimonials?

In August 2021 I personally analysed 100 landing pages in the SaaS niche. Of those analysed, 79% [79] had one or more testimonials on their landing page.

You can download and view the details of my 100 landing page audit here.

Examples of landing page testimonials

Click to see landing page testimonials examples from leading SaaS companies. The examples include testimonials from Hotjar, Podia, Whereby and Memberstack.

How do I collect testimonials for my landing page?

There are lots of tools that will help you collect testimonials from your customers without code, or hassle. With Senja you can collect text and video testimonials easily and fore free.

If you would like to collect testimonials manually you can use a form to collect testimonials, or simply email your customer.

How many testimonials should I have on my landing page?

Here's the distribution of landing page testimonials by number based on 100 leading SaaS landing pages.

Number of testimonials on landing pages. Results: August 2021 roastmylandingpage.com survey of 100 SaaS landing pages

There is no correct answer to how many testimonials you should have on your landing page. You need to test using AB testing to see how increasing or decreasing your testimonials impacts your conversion rate.

But there are two major trends in landing page testimonial numbers. The first is to have one 'hero' testimonial from a leading, well-known customer.

The second is to implement a 'wall of love' which showcases lots of testimonials in a mosaic format. These are discussed later in this guide.

Should I use video testimonials?

5% per cent of landing pages with testimonials use video testimonials.

It is normally accepted that videos can capture emotion and authenticity more powerfully than words - so it's likely that strong video testimonials can support higher conversion.

However video testimonials have some down-sides:

They cannot be scanned quickly
They can slow down your landing page load time
Play rates on landing page videos are less than 15%
Not all interviewees are engaging
They can be expensive and time-consuming to produce

Again, test video testimonials vs text testimonials on your landing page to see their impact on conversion.

Should I use testimonials from different personas?

This is a new testimonial trend.

Various SaaS startups now feature multiple testimonials - with each one from a different buyer persona. The buyer discusses the product benefits for their individual use case.

Example! Search engine optimisation tool Ahrefs features a testimonial from each key buyer persona: pro SEOs / content marketers / bloggers / agencies / SaaS / ecommerce.

Landing page testimonial vs reviews?

Unlike testimonials which are curated by you, reviews traditionally assess your product's pros and cons, are independent, and collected and displayed on platforms like Google Reviews, App Stores, TrustPilot, or Reviews.io, or software-focused platforms like G2.

You can support your landing page with both reviews and testimonials, or test replacing testimonials with reviews.

Reviews are more common on landing pages from B2C and local businesses, and are often embedded and managed using a code snippet provided by the reviews website.

Testimonials are a type of social proof. They indicate to visitors that people with the same pain use, trust and enjoy the product. Other forms of social proof that can be used on your landing page include:

Customer logos: As used on 74 per cent of landing pages. See below.
Quantification: for example, number of existing customers or recent sign ups
Awards and expert endorsements: which prove credibility
Case studies

Per cent SaaS landing pages with customer logos. Results: August 2021 roastmylandingpage.com survey of 100 SaaS landing pages

The anatomy of great landing page testimonial

Here's how to construct a great landing page testimonial based on various public and private tests, psychological insights, established best practice, design trends and common sense.

Remember to:

Keep it short
Focus on benefits language
Include some outcomes
Alternatively it can be written as a before or after
Include emotion and character

[As your testimonial is written by your user, you need to give guidance on the above to them]

Include name, job title, company
Enrich with a star rating
Improve the authenticity: link to the person or company
Improve the readability: highlight the most critical words

Should I use tweets as testimonials?

This is another new trend. By embedding user tweets praising your product, you can showcase customer testimonials and conversations in a way that feels really authentic.

This is because the customer's testimonial language is directly tied to their online identity - and therefore appears more trustworthy.

Note: embedding tweets into a landing page can slow down the page load time, which can impact conversion negatively. Check your landing page speed after implementing any changes, including embedding testimonials. Use PageSpeed Insights.

What is a wall of love?

A landing page wall of love is a new trend being used by founders, communities and thought leaders.

It is a single page that includes embedded reviews, video and text testimonials, and other endorsements, into a visual mosaic.

This is then embedded or linked to on the landing page.

An example Wall of Love found on the Rewardful website.

What are some landing page testimonial trends?

I have discussed some landing page testimonial trends throughout this post. But here is an outline of some of the biggest landing page testimonial trends in 2021

One testimonial Vs many testimonials
Embedding tweets or creating a 'wall of love'
Showcasing testimonials from different buyer personas
Using video testimonials

Should I write my customers' testimonials for them?

Having worked with 100s of startups, I can tell you that it is quite common for the founder to write or 'direct' testimonials from customers.

Outside of ethical concerns, there are pros and cons:

Pros

You can ensure it follows best practice
You can create it quickly, your customer just needs to sign it off
You can get it approved without using up your customer's valuable time

Cons

You miss the opportunity to unearth product benefits you hadn't considered
It may not feel as authentic
It won't showcase your customers' unique tone of voice
Customers can often create something more engaging when breaking the rules

I'm a new business. How do I get testimonials?

This is one of the most common questions I am asked. There are a few things you can try here.

Offer your product or service for free in return for a testimonial.
Use a quote from a relevant influencer or expert that helps characterise the problem. It's not a testimonial but can help set the scene.
Wait. If you don't have them, add them as soon as someone is willing to provide one.

What now?

Review your landing page and its testimonials.

Do they follow best practice?
Have you considered the ideas in this guide?
Have you tested their performance?

If not, refine them based on this guide, test, and measure how your landing page conversion increases. More conversion means more customers, more revenue and more holidays in the sun.

👀 Got a question? Or think I've missed something? I'm on Twitter.

⭐️ Read about the anatomy of a landing page or my ultimate guide to SaaS landing pages.

🍗 Visit roastmylandingpage.com and discover what you've missed on your landing page.