Summary (TL;DR): In this article, we will discuss what testimonial apps are and what they can be used for. We will also touch upon the most common testimonial types and provide examples. In the end, we will introduce the top 5 testimonial apps and plugins along with the features that set them apart.
Would you purchase an item from a business on Amazon, or any other marketplace, if that business had a one-star rating and terrible reviews? Probably not.
Due to the large number of scams that happen on the internet, we, the clients, have adopted a way to filter possible scammers. It has become an integral part of our shopping experience to look for testimonials, reviews and other forms of recorded experiences, to help us answer the question — “is it safe to buy here?”
Testimonials are essentially customer feedback pieces that are meant to help boost a business’ credibility. In essence, the more positive reviews and testimonials a business has, the more trustworthy it becomes to other potential clients. And, while there are several different types of testimonial formats, the most popular formats are unarguably written reviews and star ratings.
To add testimonials to your website, you will need an app or plugin, and some plugins and apps are better suited for specific platforms and/or types of testimonials. So, let’s learn a bit more about these customer testimonials and what they can really do for your business!
Table of Contents
What Are Testimonials Apps?
What Are Testimonials Used For?
Testimonial Types + Examples
>> Customer Testimonials
>> Product Testimonials
>> Employee Testimonials
>> Business Testimonials
>> Video Testimonials
Top 5 Testimonial Apps & Plugins
>> Common Ninja: Testimonials
>> Smash Balloon
>> Site Reviews by Paul Ryley
>> Strong Testimonials
>> Real Testimonials
What Are Testimonials Apps?
Testimonials are customer or client comments that can be in the form of a customer review, a written statement, a video testimonial, or a combination of these. This positive feedback is used by businesses to promote their image and attract new customers.
There are several customer testimonial apps out there that either let customers submit testimonials and publish them on your platform, or help you gather customer reviews by email. They can also be used to create product and/or video testimonials for use anywhere on your website and in your marketing materials.
What Are Testimonials Used For?
Testimonials help build trust between customers and brands because they serve as a reference that others who have used the product/service before them were satisfied with it. They also provide social proof, which means potential customers get more confident about making purchases because they’ve already seen others express satisfaction with the results.
An additional benefit of customer/client testimonials is that they can contain all kinds of useful, reliable information, such as what to expect from the product/service, its strengths, and weaknesses.
Testimonial Types + Examples
There is a wide range of customer testimonials that can prove extremely useful for your business, including product reviews, written statements, video testimonials, or a combination of these.
Furthermore, testimonials can come in various formats: they can either be customer testimonials for a specific product, client testimonials for services, or customer-based business testimonials.
Below, we will cover the most common times of testimonials and provide examples for each so you can get a better idea of how each can be presented:
Customer Testimonials
The most common type of customer testimonials is the customer review. It carries useful information such as ratings (e.g. 5 stars), or written reviews that provide detailed information about the strengths and weaknesses of the product/service provided.
Another variant of customer testimonials is through video feedback. This version typically captures a customer’s real experience with a company’s product/service and often personalizes it more than other types due to the video format being more engaging.
Product Testimonials
These are customer/client testimonials that directly evaluate the quality of the products/services you offer. Below are two examples of what you would often see featured as a product testimonial:
“The quality of their voice-over work is always top-notch, and they’re never late with a delivery!”
“Their customer service is absolutely fantastic. They always pick up the phone and reply to my emails very promptly.”
Employee Testimonials
This testimonial type is a great way to show that your business cares about its employees. Employee testimonials can focus on customer service interactions, support provided, and overall experiences with the team.
“My experience working at this company has been incredible – my superiors have always been supportive, understanding, and accessible.”
“One thing I really like about this company is that there’s never a dull moment. Everyone is always helpful and ready to lend a hand.”
Business Testimonials
This testimonial type is usually expressed in the form of a business endorsement. It often appears on your website and can be used to establish partnerships/collaborations, announce new projects and initiatives you’re working on together, and much more:
“We love working with XYZ company – they always go above and beyond for us!”
“John at XYZ has been great to work with. He understands our mission to enhance customer relationships through compelling videos, websites, social media, and more. His passion is evident in all that he does for us!”
Video Testimonials
This customer testimonial type is similar to customer video feedback, but instead of capturing customer experiences with your business, it usually captures their reactions to a product or service.
These are short customer testimonials that can be used either as video reviews or customer unsolicited responses recorded on your company website or YouTube channel. The customer video testimonials are the most powerful and engaging since they allow customers to communicate their message visually by showcasing their emotional responses which can’t be expressed as well through written statements.
Top 5 Testimonial Apps & Plugins
1. Common Ninja: Testimonials
Common Ninja’s Testimonials widget can help you improve credibility by showcasing the best testimonials on your website. Be it through written statements or the star rating system, customer testimonials will undoubtedly excite your users about your products or service. You can also completely customize the widget so that testimonials will fit your website’s style seamlessly or help them stand out on the page by means of contrast – it’s entirely up to you! And should you receive praise via e-mail, instant messaging, or other forms, you can easily add your offline reviews as well. Simply copy the text to the Testimonials widget and let your client’s feedback do the marketing for you.
Main features:
- Advanced Control Options
- Distinct Layouts
- Multiple Skins
- Various Icons
- Full RTL Support
- Fully Customizable
- Perfectly Responsive
- Easy To Use
- Custom CSS
- Easy To Embed
Supported Platforms: Compatible with all e-commerce and website building platforms including WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Duda, Webflow, Squarespace, and others.
Pricing: There’s a free version, as well as paid monthly plans ranging from $3.99 to $11.99.
2. Smash Balloon
Smash Balloon is great for social media feeds, as you can fully customize the design and display any social content you wish. Whether it be posts, likes, shares, comments, or reactions, the plugin is a great tool for sharing testimonials on your platform while facilitating user engagement directly from your website. There are currently plugin options for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Main features:
- Easy Setup
- Customizable Design
- Reliable Feed Backup
- Multiple Feeds
- SEO Friendly
Supported Platforms: Compatible with WordPress, but there are standalone versions of the Facebook and Instagram plugins available for use in other platforms.
Pricing: There are yearly plans ranging from $98 for the Personal to $598 for the All Access Bundle.
3. Site Reviews by Paul Ryley
Site Reviews is a WordPress plugin developed by Paul Ryley which allows visitors to submit testimonials based on a star rating directly to your website. The plugin includes blocks, shortcodes, widgets, and full documentation. You have the option to pin the best reviews, so these are always showcased first or to require approval before new testimonial submissions are published on the website.
Main features:
- Assigned Reviews
- Developer Friendly
- Editor Blocks
- Blacklist
- Review Import
- SPAM Protection
Supported Platforms: Compatible with WordPress.
Pricing: The basic plugin is completely free but there are premium features ranging from €89 for the Single Site License to €289 for Up to 6 Sites.
4. Strong Testimonials
Strong Testimonials is an open-source plugin that can help you with collecting and showcasing customer testimonials or reviews. It has been refined over the course of 4 years according to user feedback and requests. Although the plugin is technically free to use and meddle with, there are premium plans that include essential features to help fully customize and optimize your testimonials.
Main features:
- Import Reviews
- Custom Fields
- Advanced Views
- Anti-spam Captcha
- PRO Templates
Supported Platforms: Compatible with WordPress.
Pricing: There is a free, open-source plugin, as well as three premium plans ranging from $39.00 to $99.00.
5. Real Testimonials
Real Testimonials™ is a great testimonials plugin for WordPress that can help you showcase testimonials and customer reviews through custom templates, widgets, posts, etc. It includes a fairly easy Shortcode Generator setting panel with a live preview to facilitate your layout customization. There is also a Real Testimonials Pro™ version that features an advanced Shortcode Generator with input fields for images, video, star ratings, reviewer identity, contact, and socials, to name a few.
Main features:
- Fully Responsive
- Easy To Use
- Easy To Customize
- Shortcode Generator
- Testimonial Import/Export
- Star Rating System
Supported Platforms: Compatible with WordPress.
Pricing: The basic plugin is free, but there are yearly and lifetimes licenses for the Pro version, ranging from $39 to $199 and $139 to $499, respectively.
Improve Credibility & Conversions With Stellar Testimonials Today!
Hopefully, now you understand just how useful testimonials can be for your business and what some of the best testimonial apps and plugins available out there. Testimonials promote customer satisfaction and build trust in a brand, as well as customer engagement.
Testimonial apps help to turn website visitors into customers by giving them an opportunity to voice their opinions about your business. Using customer testimonials is a sure way to improve customer relations and increase conversion rates. They can also help customer-facing customer service agents to better understand your customers’ pain points and to provide the best customer care possible. Choose the testimonial app or plugin that best fits your needs and start reaping the benefits today!
