A testimonial form asks a customer for two things at once, their words and their permission to use them, and testimonial forms that forget the second are the ones whose quotes come down a year later. The form is short: the quote, the name as it may appear, the business or town if they want it shown, a photo if they want one, and a consent box that says where the words will go. This page builds the testimonial form for a small business, puts the consent in the customer's own words, says what the endorsement guidance linked below expects of a published quote, and reads the form against the free contact form design sheet so the field count is judged by testimonials received.
The quote, the name and the consent
One box for the words, with a prompt that asks about the job rather than the business, because what changed for you gets a better quote than tell us about us. The name as it should appear, which may be a first name and a town. An optional photo upload. Then the consent box: I agree that these words and this name may be shown on the site and in its marketing, with a line saying they can withdraw by email. Five fields at nine seconds is 45 seconds on the contact form design sheet, with the quote, the name and the consent required.
What a published testimonial has to be
A real customer's real words about a real experience, and if anything was given for it, the page says so beside the quote. The endorsement guidance from the Federal Trade Commission linked below is the reference for what may be published and how a connection must be disclosed; this site does not give legal advice, and the guidance is linked so the owner can read it. The form's job is to make the record: who said it, when, and that they agreed to its use.
Testimonials a month, and where they live
Sent after the job with the job named, the form is opened by customers rather than visitors, so the start rate is high and the finish rate is the measure. On the sheet's worked example of 1,200 openings, 5% starting and 60% finishing, that is 36 testimonials; a small business will see fewer openings and a better rate. Each testimonial is an entry in Shortcodo Pro with the consent on it and a status from received to published to withdrawn, so a request to take a quote down is a status change and the record of consent is there when it is asked for.
Questions people ask about testimonial form
Should testimonial forms offer a reward?
If they do, the published quote must say so; the endorsement guidance is linked below. An unrewarded request after a good job gets honest quotes.
Can the customer edit their testimonial later?
Yes: the entry keeps the words as sent, and a change or a withdrawal is a new status with the date, so the site shows the current version.
How much of the name should appear?
As much as the customer chose on the form. The name field asks for the name as it may appear, and that is what is shown.