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Journal · The Clarity Series · Trust

What is social proof?

By Nicholas Cabel The 60-second version lives on Instagram

Social proof is evidence that other people already chose you and were glad they did. It works precisely because it is not you saying it.

In plain English

You do not trust a restaurant's own menu description nearly as much as you trust the packed dining room next door. Social proof is that packed room, moved onto your website.

Three things make it work

01

Specificity

A named person with a real result beats a vague five-star badge.

02

Recency

A review from last month reads as current; one from years ago reads as stale.

03

Placement

Proof works when it sits next to the button, not buried on an about page.

Worth remembering

97% of consumers read reviews online before choosing a local business.

That means almost everyone checking you out is reading someone else's verdict before they read yours. If that verdict is hidden or thin, you are losing them before you ever get to make your case.

What to do about it

Your best reviews and results should not be a click away, they should be on the page doing the convincing. Get a free website audit and I will show you where your proof is hiding.

About the author

  • Nicholas Cabel

    Written by

    Nicholas Cabel

    Founder of MakeAndUpdate, a one-person web studio in West Chester, PA. Hand-codes fast websites for local businesses and builds in public.

    @makeandupdate