Your website tells potential customers what your business can do.

Your email campaign tells them why they should pay attention.

But your customers can tell them why they should trust you.

That is why customer testimonials and reviews should be an important part of your WordPress website design and email marketing strategy.

And the numbers make a compelling case.

According to BrightLocal’s 2026 Local Consumer Review Survey, 97% of consumers read online reviews when researching local businesses. Even more importantly, 85% say positive reviews make them more likely to use a business.

That’s a powerful signal for businesses that are trying to generate leads online.

Trust Is the Missing Piece

Think about what happens when someone discovers your company for the first time.

They don’t know you.

They don’t know whether your service works.

They don’t know whether you’re reliable.

And they certainly don’t want to be the person who makes an expensive mistake.

A customer testimonial provides something your marketing copy cannot provide by itself:

Social proof.

You’re telling visitors:

“We’re good at what we do.”

Your customers are essentially saying:

“We hired them—and here’s what happened.”

That distinction can make a significant difference.

Northwestern University’s Medill Spiegel Research Center found that displaying reviews increased purchase likelihood by 190% for lower-priced products and 380% for higher-priced products in the study it analyzed.

While that research focused on ecommerce, the underlying principle is highly relevant to service businesses:

The more risk a customer perceives, the more valuable credible customer evidence can become.

Don’t Put Testimonials Only on Your Testimonial Page

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is creating a page called:

“Testimonials”

…and then expecting visitors to find it.

Don’t make your customers hunt for proof.

Instead, strategically place testimonials throughout your digital marketing funnel.

On Your WordPress Website:

• Homepage
• Service pages
• Landing pages
• Pricing pages
• Contact pages
• Case studies
• Blog posts
• Checkout or inquiry pages

In Your Email Marketing:

• Welcome campaigns
• Promotional emails
• Lead-nurturing sequences
• Service announcements
• Follow-up emails
• Re-engagement campaigns
• Sales campaigns

A testimonial placed directly next to a “Get Started,” “Schedule a Consultation,” or “Request a Quote” button can help answer the question already forming in a potential customer’s mind:

“Can I trust this company?”

Don’t Fake It. Make It Authentic.

Today’s consumers are increasingly aware of fake reviews.

BrightLocal’s 2026 research found that 35% of consumers consider a named reviewer an important factor, while 46% of consumers said certain characteristics can make them suspicious that a review is fake.

That means authenticity matters.

Whenever possible, use:

Customer name + photo + company + specific result

instead of:

“Great company! Highly recommend!”

A stronger testimonial might explain:

“Maryam’s Mark redesigned our website and helped us create a clearer path for visitors to learn about our services and contact us.”

Specific experiences are more believable—and more useful.

Your Email List Needs Social Proof Too

Your website isn’t the only place where testimonials belong.

Imagine sending an email promoting your newest service.

You could simply write:

“Our website design service can help your business attract more customers.”

Or you could include a short customer experience immediately afterward.

The second approach gives the reader evidence instead of simply giving them another marketing claim.

And email is particularly useful for collecting testimonials in the first place.

BrightLocal’s 2025 research found that 40% of consumers said email was the method they were most likely to respond to when asked to leave a review, making email the leading review-request channel in that survey.

So email can play both sides of the testimonial strategy:

Use email to collect testimonials.
Use testimonials in email to generate more leads.

That’s a powerful marketing loop.

Is Your Website Missing Its Best Sales Tool?

If your WordPress website doesn’t include customer testimonials…

If your landing pages don’t show real customer experiences…

If your email campaigns make claims without supporting them with social proof…

you may be making potential customers work too hard to trust you.

And every additional question a prospect has can become another reason to wait.

Your customers have already experienced your service.

Let their experience help sell your next one.

Let Maryam’s Mark Help You Turn Customer Experiences Into Lead-Generating Content

Does your website or email marketing campaign have customer testimonials?

If the answer is no—or not enough, Maryam’s Mark and Co. can help you identify opportunities to incorporate customer testimonials and social proof into your WordPress website and email marketing strategy.

Get Your Free Testimonial Marketing Review

Complete the form and tell the Maryam’s Mark Team about your website and email marketing.

We’ll take a look at where customer testimonials could help strengthen your digital marketing and create more opportunities to turn visitors and subscribers into leads.

Don’t let your best salespeople remain invisible.