Key Takeaways
- HighLevel has two ways to show praise on a page. The Reviews widget is an automatic feed. The Testimonials widget is hand picked.
- The Testimonials widget lets you pick the exact quotes, set star ratings, and add a name, caption, date, photo, logo and profile link for each one.
- Default layout is a horizontal carousel. You can change columns, spacing and style so it matches the page.
- The fastest visual fix is the card background. Set it to transparent or match the section so the cards stop looking pasted on.
- Hand picked still means real. Every quote should come from a real customer who said it.
Your newest Google review might be a two sentence "great job." Your best one might be a paragraph about how you saved someone's weekend. If your website just shows the latest feed, visitors see whatever landed last. That is the problem HighLevel's Testimonials widget solves, and a short tutorial from HighLevel's Content Army walks through the setup. We're On Point Tech Solutions, a Go High Level Bay Area consultant in Los Gatos, and this is one of the first things we fix on a service business site. Here's how it works and when to use it.
Reviews Widget vs Testimonials Widget
The Reviews widget pulls in an automated feed of reviews from places like your Google Business Profile and Facebook page. You can filter it, so it only shows four stars and up. But it's still a feed. You don't choose which reviews show or in what order.
The Testimonials widget is the opposite. You add each testimonial yourself. You pick the quote, the order and the look. The video puts it simply: it lets you show the best of the best.
So which one? Use the Reviews widget where freshness matters, like a reviews page that proves people are still hiring you this month. Use the Testimonials widget on the pages that sell, like the homepage, a service page or a funnel, where you want the one quote that answers the exact doubt a visitor has on that page.
Adding the Widget to a Page
In HighLevel, go to Sites, open the website or funnel, then open the page in the editor. Click Add, scroll to the Testimonials element, and drag it into your section.
Open Settings and the first block is the testimonials list. From there you can edit, delete, reorder and add new ones. Inside each testimonial you can set:
- The written quote
- The star rating
- The customer's name and a caption, like a job title or their business
- A date
- A profile photo
- A business logo and a link to their business profile
You don't have to show all of it. If most of your customers are homeowners with no logo, turn logos off. If a job title means nothing to your buyer, turn captions off. Show what builds trust and hide the rest.
Layout and Styling That Fits the Page
By default the widget is a horizontal carousel. Add more than three testimonials and visitors click left and right to see more. You can change the number of columns, the spacing and the style.
The best tip in the video is a one click fix. The demo page had a dark section with white testimonial cards, and it looked off. Setting the card background to transparent, or to the same color as the section, made it look like it belonged. For finer control, the Styles tab has more options.
One thing we add on every site we build: check it with a keyboard. Tab through the carousel and make sure the arrows can be reached and you can see where focus is. Check that your text color still has enough contrast against the new background. A testimonial nobody can read does not build trust.
Hand Picked Is Not Made Up
Picking your best reviews is smart marketing. Writing reviews that nobody gave is not. We learned this the hard way when an AI site builder dropped invented testimonials onto a page, and we wrote up what happened when fake testimonials went live. Pull every quote from a real review, email or text. Ask the customer before you add their photo or logo. If you use a name, use their real one.
Why This Matters for Bay Area and San Jose Businesses
Bay Area buyers research before they call. A homeowner in San Jose comparing three contractors reads the reviews on every site. If yours shows a random mix, you are leaving it up to chance. If it shows the one review about showing up on time and cleaning up after, and that is what they are worried about, you win the call.
Match the quote to the page. On a roof repair page, show the review about the leak you fixed fast. On a pricing page, show the one that says you were worth it. That is the difference between a widget and a sales tool.
Practical Steps
- Pull your ten best real reviews from Google, Facebook, emails and texts.
- Match each one to the page where it answers the biggest doubt.
- Add the Testimonials widget to your homepage and top service pages.
- Turn off fields you don't have, like logos or captions.
- Set the card background to transparent or match the section.
- Tab through it with a keyboard and check the text contrast.
- Keep the Reviews widget on a reviews page so fresh feedback still shows.
Watch the Testimonials Widget Tutorial
Final Thoughts
Your happy customers already wrote your best sales copy. The Testimonials widget just puts it where it counts. On Point Tech Solutions is a Go High Level Bay Area consultant in Los Gatos serving San Jose and the whole Bay Area. We build websites, funnels and automations on HighLevel, and you own everything we build. We can do it for you, or teach your team with an SOP. Want your best reviews working on every page? Talk to On Point Tech.