You already have the testimonials. Customers emailed you. Someone left a glowing DM. Your onboarding survey came back with gold. The problem is that none of it is on your website -- it's buried in inboxes, Notion docs, and screenshot folders. This guide covers exactly how to get testimonials off your hard drive and onto your site as a live, embeddable widget -- without touching a database or writing a single backend line.
Why "just add testimonials" is harder than it sounds
The widget approach wins on every axis: it works across platforms, requires no redeploy when you update testimonials, and takes about three minutes to set up. The rest of this guide uses ProofDeck as the concrete example -- free tier, no credit card -- but the concepts apply to any embed-based tool.
Start collecting testimonials for free
ProofDeck makes it easy to gather, manage, and display customer testimonials on your site. Free plan available -- no credit card required.
Create your free accountStep-by-step: embed testimonials with ProofDeck
This is the full flow from zero to live widget. Each step has a realistic time estimate.
Create a free account
Go to proofdeck.io and sign up. The free plan covers 15 testimonials, one collection form, and 1 widget -- enough to go live today. No credit card required.
Create a project and grab your collection form link
Click "New Project," name it (e.g., "Homepage Widget"), and ProofDeck generates a shareable form URL. This is the link you send to customers. They fill in their name, role, and feedback. No account needed on their end.
Tip: Already have testimonials in email or Slack? Skip straight to step 3 -- you can add them manually.
Add your testimonials
Two paths here: (1) share the form link with customers and wait, or (2) click "Add manually" in the dashboard and paste in testimonials you already have. For a first deploy, manual entry gets you live fastest.
Approve testimonials for display
Submitted testimonials land in a "Pending" queue. Click approve on the ones you want live. You stay in control of what shows on your site -- nothing goes public without your sign-off.
Pick your layout
Go to the Embed tab and choose a layout: Grid, Carousel, List, Masonry, or Single. Preview it live before you copy the code. (Layout guide below.)
Copy the embed snippet and paste it on your site
ProofDeck gives you a one-line script tag. Copy it. Paste it into your site's HTML where you want the widget -- typically inside <body>, near your CTA or pricing section. Platform-specific instructions are in the next section.
Tip: The widget updates automatically. Approve a new testimonial in the dashboard and it appears live on your site -- no redeploy, no code change.
Platform-specific embed instructions
The embed snippet is a standard <script> tag. It works anywhere you can edit HTML. Here is where to paste it on the most common platforms:
WordPress
- 1In the block editor, add a "Custom HTML" block at the spot where you want the widget.
- 2Paste the ProofDeck script tag into the block.
- 3Click "Update" to save. Done.
Alternatively: use a header/footer plugin (e.g., Insert Headers and Footers) to add the script sitewide.
Shopify
- 1Go to Online Store > Themes > Edit code.
- 2To add sitewide: paste into
theme.liquidjust before the closing</body>tag. - 3To add to one page: edit the relevant section template and paste the script where the widget should appear.
Squarespace
- 1Edit the page where you want the widget.
- 2Add a "Code" block (found under More in the block menu).
- 3Paste the ProofDeck script tag into the code block. Save.
For sitewide placement: Settings > Advanced > Code Injection > Footer.
Next.js / React
- 1The script tag approach works fine in a Next.js layout or page component.
- 2Use the built-in
Scriptcomponent fromnext/scriptwithstrategy="afterInteractive"to load it without blocking the page. - 3Place it in your root layout for sitewide availability, or import it only on the pages where it should appear.
Plain HTML
- 1Open your HTML file and find the closing
</body>tag. - 2Paste the ProofDeck script tag just before it.
- 3Add an empty
<div id="proofdeck-widget"></div>where you want the widget to render. - 4Save and upload. Done.
Start collecting testimonials for free
ProofDeck makes it easy to gather, manage, and display customer testimonials on your site. Free plan available -- no credit card required.
Create your free accountWhich layout should you pick?
ProofDeck has five layouts. Each suits a different context. Here is the quick decision guide:
Performance and placement tips
Load asynchronously
ProofDeck's script is async by default, meaning it won't block your page from rendering. You don't need to do anything special -- just paste the tag and it handles itself.
Place above the fold when possible
Testimonials near the top of the page reduce bounce rate. Even a single-quote layout in the hero section or just below the CTA button can measurably improve sign-up rates.
Match testimonials to the page topic
On a pricing page, show testimonials about value. On a feature page, show testimonials about that specific feature. Generic quotes lose 60-70% of their persuasion power when mismatched.
Keep it updated
Stale testimonials (same faces, old dates) signal neglect. The dashboard makes it easy to rotate -- approve a new one, archive an old one. Takes 30 seconds.
Common questions
Start collecting testimonials for free
ProofDeck makes it easy to gather, manage, and display customer testimonials on your site. Free plan available -- no credit card required.
Create your free account