In the world of web, the difference between testimonials and reviews isn’t much. Defined though, a testimonial is a statement and a review is a critique. While the terms tend to reflect generation, the Google generation vs the hand written letters generation, the point is that they are important.

In the world of books, a testimonials and a review are two different things. Testimonials tend to be about service, and reviews are for products. Or to put it another way, if you go to a school and do a reading for the children, you may receive a testimonial from the teachers about how great you were with the children. You may also receive a review of your book where they discuss how much they liked it. As an author, knowing the difference is key.

Q. Is it important to have “Testimonials” on my web site? How do I get them?

A. I guess the first part is to clarify whether you mean testimonial or review. Testimonials or reviews are always good to have on your website, and I mean that in two ways. It’s always a good idea to have a few lines of good things others have said about you or your book. Amazon reviews are key to getting sales and exposure. But the other side of it is, your website will ALWAYS show good reviews. I mean seriously, are you on-purpose going to showcase on your website someone’s negative review saying how lousy of a writer you are? I don’t think so. So keep them short and sweet and link to official Amazon reviews whenever you can so your new visitor can truly take you seriously.