Search engine optimization (SEO) done well for a small business website, you can expect a significant chunk of visitors landing on your website on a daily basis. The next big challenge is to ‘convert’ these visitors into potential leads and then, new customers.

Besides several other techniques used for achieving a higher conversion rate for a small business website, a well designed customer testimonial section can go a long way in increasing the conversion rate.

BUT, most small business owners either put up testimonials that look dull and fabricated or don’t have a customer feedback section at all.

Lively, real and humanized testimonials on your website can augment your SEO campaign and help a great deal in lead generation. Listed below are some useful tips on how to do just that:

Do You Need Long or Short Testimonials?

A simple line of affirmation is sometimes enough to convince a visiting customer. But, on other occasions, you may need to read the full story.

Consider the amount of text that a satisfied customer may be willing to write as a testimonial for the services availed. Will one sentence be enough? Can they write a short story narrating how your staff helped them out?

Consider Adding a Rating Scale

Many customers do not have the patience to read through full contents of different testimonials. They might want to just glance at the rating.

A rating scale is a successful addition that offers the customer a general opinion of the product or service on offer.

Do Images Of The Reviewer Add Value?

This is a debatable question.

But as a general rule, if it is possible to get pictures of customers, or better still, before and after pictures of the work delivered, such a testimonial can be more convincing.

Providing the Source of the Testimonials

Some website owners have no qualms in disclosing the name, place-of-residence and other such details of a customer in a testimonial.

It is advisable to check with a customer beforehand for his or her permission.

The name of a homeowner or a business appearing right next to a testimonial makes it look more authentic.

Reward Customers for Writing Testimonials

Make it a point to offer a discount or some other tangible reward to a customer who chooses to write a testimonial for your small business. Testimonials can be directly collected by your crew, posted on local business pages on Google Plus Local or collected via email/phone.

Last but not the least, keep it real!