You’ve been working with a company for quite some time and then after your project is completed, they come to you and ask you to write a testimonial for them. First of all you’re thinking to yourself, “Why should I even write one? How does this benefit me? Second, you may be asking yourself, “How do I write a testimonial?” When asked to write a testimonial for a company you’ve previously worked with, it should be looked at more as an opportunity instead of an obligation. The company is giving you the opportunity to express your opinion about your experience with them. It is your chance to state whether or not they did a good job. It also helps out with SEO and online marketing strategies for your website. The way testimonials help in SEO and online marketing is you can do link building to help both you and your client. By adding testimonials, you can add their link to their quote, thus helping them as well with their search engine ranking. Another issue of writing a testimonial is that sometimes it’s hard to find the time to write one. In this situation it is okay to ask the person requesting the testimonial to help in writing one. Just make sure they verify or confirm their statement with you before posting it. This way there is written content to work with and it can be edited and made into your own words. Another stumbling block many people encounter when writing a testimonial is: “Oh great, I’ve never written a testimonial. What should I say?” Many people go into panic mode on what to state because they don’t know what they should disclose or how to word it. Your testimonial should be based on how the company has dealt with the needs of your project, how they treated you as a client, and how well the project was completed. Whether or not the company did a good job for you, it’s good to know what you as a client felt on how the project was completed. When a company or business asks for a testimonial, it shows that they really care about what you as the client thinks of them and about the actual performance. It’s important to the company because they want your feedback, so they can become more service oriented and have a better knowledge of what they can improve on. It is also very important to give honest feedback because it not only gives the company information on how they are performing, but it also gives potential clients a better understanding of what the company is like. Along with being honest about your experience, it’s also good to be specific in writing a testimonial because potential clients are reading what you have to say about the company. Potential clients value your input because of your prior experience with the company. It’s important to know the specific details about the company in question because then clients will get a feel and know what to expect while working with them. Below are some questions to ask yourself in getting a basis of what to say in a testimonial:

• What need did you have?
• What did they help you with?
• What are some of their strengths?
• Would you refer them to others?

So, when asked to write a testimonial, there is no need to panic. Focus on how your project was completed and if you were satisfied with the services you received. It is important to be honest about the experience because you are testifying in behalf of the company and others may be basing their decisions somewhat on the information you disclose. Your testimonial will not only benefit the company you are testifying about, but it will help you as well in your SEO and marketing.