Short answer: design matters less than honesty. A testimonial works when it looks like a real person said it, so the design’s job is to make their words easy to read and make it clear who said them. Everything below is practical advice built on that idea.
What makes a testimonial design work?
It is tempting to think a testimonial needs to look designed, with swirly quote marks, a gradient and a little star badge. Look at the testimonials you actually believe, though, and they are usually plain: some text, a name and a line about who the person is.
When a testimonial looks like an advert, people read it like an advert. Put the quote first, make it easy to read and let the customer do the talking. Everything else is there to support it.
This is design advice, not a promise. No layout can guarantee that anyone will buy anything, and you should be wary of anyone who says otherwise.
What should every testimonial show?
Run through this checklist before anything goes live:
- The words. The quote exactly as the customer wrote or said it.
- The name. This shows there is a real person behind it. A first name and initial is fine if that is what the customer prefers.
- Context. What they bought, what kind of customer they are, or where they are. “Sam, bakery owner, Leeds” tells the reader far more than “Sam”.
- A date, if you have one. It shows the testimonial is recent.
- Permission. The customer has agreed to you using their words and their name. Get it in writing (an email reply counts) and keep it somewhere you can find it again.
If anything on the list is missing, sort it out before you publish. If you have not asked yet, how to ask for a testimonial covers the wording.
Four simple layouts to choose from
You do not need forty templates. Four will cover almost everything, and most businesses only ever use two.
The card. A neat box with the quote, and the name and context underneath. Keep to one quote per card. This is the workhorse: it sits happily in a row of three on a page, works on its own in a sidebar, and suits social media. Start here if you are new to this.
The quote strip. A thin band across the page with one short line and a name. It works as a quick reassurance between sections or just above a button. There is not much room, so choose a quote that is already short. Do not cut a longer one down to fit.
The full-width quote. One big quote in large type with lots of space around it. Save it for the line that really sums you up, and use it once on a page at most, or it stops feeling special.
Photo plus quote. The customer’s photo beside their words. This works well when you have a genuine photo they have agreed you can use. If you do not have one, leave it out. A card with no picture is always better than one with a fake picture.
Choose one layout for each spot and stick with it. Four different styles side by side looks messy.
Type, colour and space: the basics
You do not need design training for this.
- Size. If you have to squint at it on your own phone, so will your customers. Make the quote comfortably readable on a small screen.
- Contrast. Use dark text on a light background, or light text on a dark one. Pale grey on white may look classy, but it is hard to read.
- Typefaces. Use one, or two at most.
- Order. The quote should be the biggest thing on the card, the name a little smaller and the context smaller again. That tells the eye where to look first.
- Space. Leave plenty of white space around the quote. A cramped quote looks like small print. If a card feels crowded, take something out.
Where to put testimonials so people see them
Put them where people make decisions: next to a price, above a contact form, or beside the “book” or “buy” button.
How many? Usually fewer than you think. Two or three well-placed quotes do more than a wall of twenty that nobody reads. If you have lots of good ones, keep them together on one page. How to set up a testimonial page on your website walks you through it.
Choose quotes that fairly reflect what customers usually say about you. The CMA’s guidance on the UK’s fake review rules warns that showing only favourable reviews, or highlighting positive ones that do not match the overall picture, can mislead people. A set of quotes that each sound like your usual feedback is safer, and easier to believe.
If a customer is happy to be filmed, there is a separate guide to testimonial videos for small business.
What not to do: edited quotes, invented names and stock photos
This is the part that matters most.
A testimonial has to be genuine. It must come from a real customer who has given permission, and you cannot change what it means. Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, a review that claims to be based on someone’s genuine experience but is not counts as a fake review, and fake reviews are banned. The CMA’s guidance says this covers reviews a business publishes on its own website and in printed marketing. A review does not have to be written by a customer to count, so a quote you wrote yourself and signed with a made-up name is caught too.
In practice:
- Do not reword a quote to make it warmer, bigger or different. If it is too long, pick a shorter one or ask the customer to approve a shorter version.
- Do not invent customers or put a name to words you wrote yourself.
- Do not use stock photos to make a testimonial look like it came from a real person.
- Do not offer anything in return for a testimonial, such as discounts, freebies or prize draws. The CMA’s guidance also bans incentivised reviews when the incentive is hidden, and this site does not recommend incentives at all.
- Do not ask only the customers you expect to be happy. The CMA names “encouraging just those who are satisfied to leave reviews” as a form of cherry-picking. Ask customers in the same way whatever you expect them to say.
For the fuller picture, read fake reviews and the UK law before you publish anything you are unsure about. If a customer wants help putting their thoughts into words, point them to how to write a testimonial. The words should still be theirs.
Make a testimonial card in a few minutes
The free testimonial card maker needs no account. Here is how to use it:
- Paste the customer’s quote exactly as they gave it.
- Add their name, and their role or company and location if you have them.
- Add your logo and choose your brand and background colours.
- Pick a layout (quote mark, card or split) and a size (square, landscape or portrait).
- Add a star rating only if it was part of the original review.
- Download the PNG and use it on your website or social media.
The tool formats feedback you already have and never writes testimonials for you. Your logo stays on your device. Before you post the card, check it against the list above: real words, name, context, date and permission.
Questions people ask
What makes a good testimonial design?
Plain, readable and honest. The customer's words come first in clear type with strong contrast, and their name and some context sit underneath. Use one quote per card, leave plenty of white space and add nothing that gets in the way.
What should a testimonial include?
The customer's exact words, their name (or first name and initial), a detail that shows who they are, and a date if you have one. You also need their permission to use it. If you do not have that, do not publish it.
How many testimonials should you show at once?
Fewer than you might expect. Two or three placed near a decision, such as a price or a booking button, usually read better than a long wall of them. Keep the rest together on a testimonials page.
Can you shorten or edit a customer's testimonial?
Never change what it means. UK consumer law treats a review that is not based on a genuine experience as fake, and the CMA also warns against editing reviews in a misleading way. If a quote is too long, pick a shorter one, or ask the customer to approve a shorter version.
What is an example of a testimonial?
A short, real line from a customer, such as "They turned up on time and explained everything clearly", with their first name and what they bought underneath. That is the whole format: their words, who they are, and nothing invented.