Now that this freelance thing appears to be a go-er, I am taking the leap and getting a proper website made (designed/developed/built/whatevered). Woohoo colour schemes!
Picking the colour scheme is the easy part; what I a bit am stuck on, though, is whether to include testimonials or not. Part of me thinks they’re a good idea; after all I always have a squizz through people’s feedback when I buy things on sites like eBay and the wonderful Etsy.
However, the other part of me can’t help but worry that they’re cringeworthy, cheesy and a bit, well, screechy, which isn’t ideally what I want to project. What to do?
Soliciting opinions from other freelancers seems to reveal similarly mixed reactions, which surprised me. Testimonials, it seems, are a little like Marmite.
Some people have said that when they buy something or use a service, they always read the testimonials. Others have commented that their testimonials page is the most visited page of their site. On the other hand, others maintain that their work speaks for itself and that testimonials are rarely convincing or believable anyway - even if they’re true! There’s also the odd few that shrug and says nobody really cares either way.
In many ways people’s work does speak for itself and if you’re getting repeat work from clients that says a lot. However, I do agree that when you’re starting out a testimonial could possibly give someone that mental push and reassurance to commission you and they can also give a bit more insight into what you’re like to work with. People can look at your portfolio and see whether or not they like your work. However, knowing that other people think you’re a great communicator, always complete work before deadlines or are really flexible could be what really swings it for a client.
If I do decide to go with testimonials, there is then the minefield of getting them. I have had lots of good feedback from clients, but obviously it would only be polite to ask them if I could use it on my site. Already I am clenching up - they’re probably used to it, but I can’t help but worry it could sound a bit desperate. Asking outright for a testimonial that hasn’t been offered is a definite no-no at this stage – one step at a time!
Another option I have considered could be a feedback section on the site where people can leave (moderated) comments if they so choose and I could include a standard line in my email to point people towards it.
I’m still not entirely convinced either way though…What do you think? Do you think testimonials are necessity or a no-no? Are those that don’t include them losing out or is asking for them selling out?
Jul 1, 2009
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