How to Add Rotating Testimonials in WordPress (2023 Guide)
Are you looking to add more credibility and social proof to your WordPress website? Featuring glowing testimonials from your satisfied customers and clients is one of the most persuasive ways to establish trust with new visitors.
Testimonials work because they provide a third-party endorsement of your product or service. Rather than you telling people how great you are, you have real customers vouching for you – which is inherently more believable and effective.
But if you have a lot of great testimonials, featuring them can start to take up valuable space on your site. That‘s where rotating testimonials come in. With a testimonial rotator or carousel, you can showcase multiple persuasive quotes in a single compact section.
The movement of the carousel also adds visual interest, drawing more attention to your testimonials. Visitors are used to seeing static testimonial sections, but one that automatically rotates through fresh quotes is more eye-catching and engaging.
So how do you go about adding rotating testimonials to your WordPress site? In this post, we‘ll walk you through three different methods:
- Using a free testimonial rotator plugin
- Customizing a testimonial carousel with a page builder plugin
- Embedding a feed of your reviews from sites like Google, Facebook, and Yelp
Feel free to jump to the section that interests you most, or follow along for a comprehensive look at your options. By the end, you‘ll be equipped to add a high-converting testimonial rotator to your WordPress site.
Let‘s get started!
Method 1: Adding Rotating Testimonials With a Free Plugin
If you‘re looking for a quick and easy way to add a testimonial rotator without any cost, a dedicated free plugin is the way to go. For this method, we recommend the free WP Testimonials Rotator plugin.
To get started, install and activate the plugin from the WordPress.org repository or by searching for it under "Plugins → Add New" in your WordPress dashboard.
Once activated, you‘ll see a new "WP Testimonials" section in your dashboard sidebar. Click on "Add New" to create your first testimonial.
Enter a title for the testimonial, which could simply be the customer‘s name or company. Then add their quote in the main text editor. You can also assign categories and tags to better organize your testimonials.
Scroll down to the "Testimonial Details" box to add more information about the customer, like their full name, company/title, website, and a "featured image" which is usually their photo or company logo.
Repeat this process to add a few more testimonials. Once you have at least 2-3, it‘s time to display them on the front-end of your site.
Create a new page or post, or edit an existing one, and use the "Add Block" button to insert a "Shortcode" block.
In the shortcode block, paste in the following:
[wp_testimonials_rotator]Publish or update the page/post, and you‘ll see your rotating testimonials in action!
The main drawback of this method is that you‘re limited in terms of customization and design. The testimonials will inherit basic styling from your theme, but you can‘t easily edit things like colors, typography, spacing, etc.
If you want more control over the look and feel of your testimonial rotator and the ability to integrate it seamlessly into your unique design, you‘re better off using a page builder plugin, which is the method we‘ll cover next.
Method 2: Customizing a Testimonial Rotator With SeedProd
For more advanced testimonial rotators, we recommend SeedProd, the best drag-and-drop page builder for WordPress.
With SeedProd‘s visual editor, you‘ll be able to design every aspect of your testimonial section and carousel settings. You can easily adapt it to your site‘s branding for a cohesive, professional look.
SeedProd also comes with 150+ pre-built templates and 80+ blocks to mix and match, making the design process even simpler. You‘ll be able to create not just a testimonial section, but entirely customized landing pages to promote your best reviews.
To get started, first install and activate the SeedProd plugin. Input your license key, then head to SeedProd → Pages from the WordPress dashboard and click the "Add New Landing Page" button.
You can choose from the library of templates as your starting point, or build from scratch with one of the blank canvases. For this example, we‘ll use the "Friendly Faces" testimonials page template.
After entering a name and URL, you‘ll see the drag-and-drop editor with the template loaded in:
In the left sidebar, locate the "Testimonials" block and drag it onto your page where desired. You can click on any of the existing quotes to edit the content directly inline.
To add a new testimonial, hover over the section and click the "Add New Testimonial" button. A sidebar will slide in where you can enter the quote, customer name, title, photo, and star rating.
To customize the overall look and feel, click on the section and the left panel will show the "Block Settings" with options for the colors, fonts, spacing, borders, and more.
You can specify the background color or image, adjust the typography, change the avatar shape and quote icon, and add an eye-catching headline.
Under the "Advanced" tab, you‘ll also find custom CSS classes and attributes if you know CSS and want even more fine-tuned control.
To configure the rotation settings, go to the "Carousel Settings" section. Here you can choose the transition animation style, autoplay speed, navigation elements, and responsive settings for different devices.
Repeat this process of customizing the design and testimonials until you‘re happy with the appearance. You can click the mobile icon at the bottom to get a preview of how it will look on smartphones and tablets.
When you‘re ready to publish, click the dropdown next to the "Save" button and activate the "Publish" option. You‘ll be able to customize the page-level SEO settings as well.
SeedProd makes it extremely easy to create conversion-optimized testimonial sections and landing pages. With complete visual control and a user-friendly builder, you can show off your best reviews in style.
Method 3: Embedding a Rotating Feed of Social Media Reviews
What about all of the great reviews customers have left on third-party sites like Google, Facebook, Yelp, and more? It would be amazing to feature those on your site as well.
With the Reviews Feed Pro plugin from Smash Balloon, you can sync your reviews from 15+ popular platforms and display them automatically in WordPress.
After connecting your review sources, the plugin will import your latest reviews. You can then use the live feed editor to customize the layout, style, and settings.
One of the available layouts is a testimonial carousel, allowing you to display rotating reviews that update automatically when customers post new ones on any of the connected platforms.
Since the reviews are embedded directly from the third-party sites, it makes them even more credible and trustworthy to visitors. They can see the reviews are pulling in real-time and you‘re not cherry-picking which ones to show.
The Reviews Feed plugin also makes sure the review styling blends in seamlessly with your WordPress theme for a natural look and feel. It‘s an excellent way to leverage your hard-earned social proof from across the web.
Bonus Tips: Getting More Testimonials and Best Practices
A rotating carousel can fit a lot more testimonials in a compact space, but you still need a good quantity and quality of reviews to fill it up and make an impact.
Here are a few ways to gather more testimonials:
Reach out to happy customers and directly ask if they‘d be willing to provide a testimonial. Make the process as easy as possible by including links or an embedded form for submitting their feedback.
Incentivize reviews with an offer like a discount, free trial, or entry into a prize drawing. People are more motivated to take action when there‘s something in it for them.
Set up automated email campaigns to customers after a purchase requesting a review. You can provide links to your preferred review platforms, or direct them to a landing page to submit a testimonial.
Regularly showcase your best reviews on social media and in email newsletters with clear calls-to-action for others to leave their own feedback. The more visible your testimonials are, the more you‘ll generate over time.
Once you‘ve compiled some great testimonials, here are best practices for featuring them:
Be selective and choose the most compelling quotes that specifically describe the benefits of your offerings. Vague, generalized praise is not as persuasive.
Include the customer‘s full name, photo, and company (if relevant). This makes the testimonial more credible than anonymous quotes.
Place testimonials strategically in high-visibility areas, such as your homepage, product pages, pricing page, and anywhere else you‘re looking to build trust and convert browsers into buyers.
Experiment with different formats like static testimonial sections, rotating carousels, long-form case studies, and video testimonials. Use analytics to see which formats perform best.
Regularly update your testimonials to keep them fresh. Add new ones, retire outdated ones, and split test different quotes to optimize your results.
Testimonials are most effective when you treat them not as a one-and-done tactic, but an ongoing strategy. Continuously gather reviews, test out different displays, and make them an integral part of your website and marketing.
Examples of Testimonial Rotators in Action
Need some inspiration? Here are a few examples of rotating testimonials implemented effectively on different types of websites:
[Screenshots and analysis of testimonial sections from 3-5 websites, discussing why they work well. Include a variety of rotator styles and integration with the overall site design.]Wrapping Up
Testimonials are a powerful form of social proof that every website should utilize to build trust and encourage conversions. By featuring rotating testimonials, you can make even more of an impact in less space.
We covered three methods for adding testimonial rotators in WordPress:
- Basic implementation with a free plugin like WP Testimonials Rotator
- Custom designed rotators using the SeedProd landing page builder
- Automatically synced reviews from third-party sites using the Reviews Feed Pro plugin
The right approach for you will depend on your needs for customization and how much time you want to invest into the setup process.
Whichever method you choose, remember testimonials only help if they‘re compelling and credible to your target audience. Follow the best practices for gathering and showcasing testimonials to maximize their effectiveness.
Used strategically, a well-implemented testimonial rotator can lend instant credibility to your brand and give undecided visitors the extra confidence they need to do business with you. Start putting your customer success stories to work today!
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