How to Build a Testimonials Page on Shopify That Shoppers Believe

To build a testimonials page on Shopify, create a page in the admin, give it its own template in the theme editor, and add a testimonial widget from your reviews app as an app block. Then choose real, representative reviews, link each one to the product it describes, and keep the selection up to date. This guide covers the setup, which reviews to feature, how to mix photos and video with text, and where to link the page from.

What is a testimonials page for?

It serves visitors who are judging the store, not a single product. Someone who arrives from an ad, a recommendation or your about page often wants one answer before going any further: do other people buy from this shop, and are they glad they did? A page of customer stories gives that answer in one place.

It does not replace product page reviews, which are complete and unselected. The testimonials page is a curated introduction that leads into them.

How do you build the page in Shopify?

In five steps, none of which needs theme code if your reviews app provides app blocks.

1. Create the page. In the Shopify admin, add a new page under Online Store.
2. Give it a template. In the theme editor, create a new page template and assign it to the page, so that the layout applies to this page only.
3. Add the widget. Add a testimonial layout from your reviews app to the template as an app block, and choose which reviews it shows.
4. Add a short introduction. One or two sentences saying where the reviews come from and how they are checked.
5. Publish and link it from the places listed further down.

For the widget, Marka Reviews includes a testimonials layout among its nine widgets, previewed live and added from the theme editor as an app block. Whichever app you use, check in the theme editor that its block can be added to a page template as well as to product pages.

Which reviews should you feature?

Real ones that are typical of what customers say. Everyone understands that a testimonials page is a selection. The selection still has to be honest, which comes down to a few rules.

• Use reviews from actual orders. Where a review is verified, show the label. Do not write testimonials yourself or tidy up a customer's wording.
• Choose detail over enthusiasm. 'Arrived in two days, fits a 15-inch laptop and the strap has not frayed in a year' does more than 'Amazing, love it'.
• Cover the range. Feature different products and different kinds of customer, not ten reviews of the bestseller.
• Include a problem that was solved. A review that says something went wrong and the store put it right is among the most convincing things you can show.
• Have permission. The terms on your review form should say that reviews may be displayed and featured. Ask individually before featuring a customer's photo prominently.
• Say that it is a selection. A line such as 'A selection of customer reviews. Every review is on its product page.' is accurate and takes away any suspicion.

The same rules apply wherever reviews are reused, and the guide on using customer reviews in ads, emails and product pages takes them further.

Why link each testimonial to its product?

For two reasons: it lets the reader check, and it lets them buy. A quote with no product named is a loose claim. A quote with the product name, linked to the product page, can be verified on the spot, because the full set of reviews is one click away, critical ones included.

The link also gives the page a commercial purpose. A visitor persuaded by a story about the walking boots should be one click from the walking boots.

Should you mix photos, video and text?

Yes. A page of identical text cards is skimmed in seconds. Variety gives the eye places to stop.

• Customer photos show the product in ordinary use and prove a real person is behind the words.
• Video carries tone of voice, which text cannot. One or two short clips are plenty. The guide on video reviews on Shopify covers whether they are worth collecting for your products.
• Short quotes suit skimming. Place a few at large size.
• Longer stories suit the visitor who is nearly convinced. Two or three are enough.

Photos and video are heavy, so test the page on a phone.

How do you keep the page current?

Put a date on every testimonial and review the page on a schedule. A testimonials page with nothing from the last year raises the question of what customers think now.

A quarterly review is a workable rhythm:

1. Add two or three recent reviews.
2. Remove testimonials for products you no longer sell, or whose design has changed.
3. Check that every product link still works.

Where should you link the page from?

From the places where people look for reassurance.

• The footer. This is the minimum. Visitors checking a store's credibility look there.
• The about page. Your own story and your customers' stories belong together.
• The main navigation, if there is room. For a new or high-ticket store it has a stronger claim to a place than for an established one.
• Landing pages, as a 'read more customer stories' link beneath a testimonial block.

For stores with few orders and expensive products, this page carries more weight than usual. The guide on getting reviews when you sell few, expensive products explains why.

A testimonials page is only as good as the reviews behind it. Collecting them properly is covered in the guide to verified product reviews on Shopify.

A short checklist

1. Create the page, assign its own template, and add a testimonial widget as an app block.
2. Choose detailed, typical reviews across several products.
3. Name and link the product on every testimonial.
4. Mix text with customer photos and one or two videos.
5. State that the page is a selection and how reviews are checked.
6. Date each testimonial and review the page every quarter.
7. Link the page from the footer and the about page.

For the reviews themselves and the widget that displays them, Marka Reviews collects reviews from fulfilled orders and offers testimonials as one of its layouts.