What is a testimonial, and how is it different from a review?

Short answer: the real difference is control. With a review, the customer writes it and the platform decides how it is shown. With a testimonial, you decide where it goes and which words you quote. That control is why a testimonial needs the customer’s clear agreement, their words kept true to what they meant, and an honest choice of which quotes go on show.

A testimonial in plain words

The dictionary sense is broad. Merriam-Webster gives it as a statement testifying to benefits received, and also as a character reference or letter of recommendation. Cambridge describes a statement about the character or qualities of someone or something. Its business dictionary adds a written statement about the qualities of a product or service. So a reference from an old employer counts, and so does a line from a happy customer.

For a small business the working meaning is narrower: a customer saying, in their own words, what it was like to deal with you, which you then show to people who have not dealt with you yet.

Testimonial or review: who controls the words

A review lives on somebody else’s platform. The customer writes it on Google, Trustpilot, Tripadvisor or Facebook, and the platform hosts it. You can reply to it, and you can report it if it breaks the platform’s rules. You cannot rewrite it, and you cannot choose which reviews appear.

A testimonial works the other way round. It sits on your website, your leaflet, your proposal or your social posts. You choose where it goes, how it looks and which customer you quote. The customer still owns what they said, and that matters, but you are the one publishing it.

A glowing review and a glowing testimonial can read almost word for word the same. What separates them is who holds the pen at the moment of publishing. And because you hold it for a testimonial, the honesty is on you.

Where testimonials turn up (and what they are for)

Homepages, service pages, quotes and proposals, email footers, printed flyers, the side of a van. Anywhere a new customer is deciding whether to trust you.

Their job is reassurance. A stranger reads what a real customer said and thinks: someone in my position went through this and it was fine. A Google review does a similar job out on the platform. A testimonial is the version the customer has agreed you can bring home and put in front of people at the moment they are deciding.

The guide to writing a testimonial covers the wording step by step. Once you have an approved quote, the testimonial card maker turns it into a card you can post or print.

A worked example: from a customer’s message to a testimonial on your site

Say you run a small decorating business. A customer, Sarah, leaves a Google review: the team turned up on the day they said, covered all her furniture, and left the room cleaner than they found it. It is specific and honest, and you would like it on your website. It is already public, so can you just copy it across?

Not yet. Here is how to handle it.

1. Ask. Send a short message. Say you saw her review, it meant a lot, and ask whether she would be happy for you to quote it on your website. Tell her exactly where it would appear and how she would be named: full name, first name and town, or no name at all.
2. Wait for a clear yes, and keep it. Save the reply. If she says yes but only with her first name, that is the deal. If she does not reply, leave it.
3. Keep her words. If the review is long, you can quote part of it, as long as the part still says what she meant. Do not polish it into something she never wrote, and do not cut a sentence in a way that changes its meaning, such as dropping the “but” from “great work, but they ran a day over”.
4. Publish it as agreed. Put it on the page with the name she agreed to. The review stays on Google untouched, and the testimonial sits on your site with her blessing.

If you are starting from scratch with no review to work from, the guide to asking for a testimonial covers the ask itself.

The rules that apply to testimonials too

In April 2025, several practices around online reviews became banned practices under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. According to the CMA, that includes obtaining and posting fake reviews, paid-for reviews that are not clearly marked as incentivised, hiding negative reviews, and star ratings that present an inaccurate picture. The CMA’s short guide for businesses adds that you must not write fake reviews or commission others to write them.

Those pages talk about consumer reviews. They do not mention testimonials by name, so we will not claim they do. A testimonial still does the same job, telling buyers what real customers experienced. So the safe approach, and ours, is to hold testimonials to the same standard: real customers, their real words, chosen in a way that gives a fair picture. In practice:

• Never write a testimonial yourself or put words in a customer’s mouth.
• Do not show a star rating on your site that quietly leaves out the bad reviews.
• Do not trim a mixed comment down to its one positive line.
• Choose quotes because they are real and specific, rather than because they came with the highest rating.

If a testimonial starts life as a Google review, Google’s own rules apply at the asking stage. Google does not allow businesses to offer incentives such as payment, discounts, or free goods or services in exchange for a review. It also does not allow them to discourage negative reviews or selectively ask for positive ones. The guide to UK fake-review law has the detail, and asking for an honest review shows the safe way to ask.

On rewards, keep it simple and offer nothing for a testimonial. A discount or a freebie makes it impossible for a reader, or you, to know whether the customer meant what they said.

What a good testimonial has, and what to leave out

A good one is specific. It says what the customer needed, what you did and how it went. “Brilliant service” is pleasant. “They turned up on time, explained everything and left the place spotless” tells a reader something they can use.

It also sounds like a person. A few rough edges help. If it reads like an advert, readers notice.

What to leave out:

• Anything the customer did not actually say.
• Edits that change the meaning, even slightly.
• Details the customer has not agreed to share, such as a full name, a street or a workplace.
• Quotes picked only because of the rating attached.

Short and true does more for you than long and shiny.

Where to go next

For the practical side, start with asking, then writing, using the guides linked above. If you are tempted to nudge customers towards a particular score along the way, read can you ask for a 5-star review first. The short version is no.

Questions people ask

What is a testimonial in simple words?

It is a customer's own statement about what dealing with your business was like, which you publish on your website, leaflets or social posts with their agreement. They said it, and you share it.

What is an example of a testimonial?

A short quote shown on a decorator's website, such as a customer saying the team turned up when promised, protected the furniture and left the room spotless. It appears next to the name the customer agreed to, for example "Sarah, Leeds". The words are the customer's own.

What is the difference between a testimonial and a review?

A review is posted by the customer on a platform such as Google, Trustpilot or Tripadvisor, and you can reply but cannot edit it or decide which reviews appear. A testimonial is something you publish yourself, so you choose where it goes. That control is why it needs the customer's permission and an honest selection.

Do I need permission to use a customer's testimonial?

Ask first, every time, even if the words are already public in a Google review. Tell the customer where the quote will appear and how they will be named, wait for a clear yes, and keep a copy of their reply. If they do not answer, do not use it.

Can I offer something in return for a testimonial?

Do not. Google does not allow incentives such as payment, discounts or free goods in exchange for reviews. UK law bans incentivised reviews that are not clearly marked as such. A reward also makes it impossible for a reader to know whether the words were meant. Ask honestly and say thank you afterwards.