How Do You Show Reviews and Past Work on Your Business Website?

By Bill Stilwell · Last reviewed October 16, 2026

The short answer

A proof page gathers real evidence that you do good work: customer reviews, before and after photos, short case studies, and current credentials. Everything on it must be real, used with permission, and fairly representative. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) bans fake reviews and testimonials, and courts can impose civil penalties for knowing violations.

What this means

Customers want to see what other customers say and what your work looks like. A proof page puts that in one place. You can also pull pieces of it onto service pages and location pages, where they help most.

For a made-up landscaper, Cedar Ridge Landscaping, a good proof page might have:

Reviews: 10 to 20 recent reviews, with the customer’s first name and town, the service, the date, and a link to where the review was posted
Project gallery: before and after photos of real jobs, labeled with the service and town
Case studies: two or three short write-ups. The problem, what was done, and how it turned out, in the customer’s words where possible
Credentials: current license, insurance, and certifications, with links to official lookups
Community: real local sponsorships or volunteer work

This page is also the main home for outline lines 14.5.3 and 19.3.3 (local proof), which ask for the same thing: real projects, customers, team, and community ties.

Why it matters

Fake reviews break federal rules. The FTC’s rule on consumer reviews and testimonials took effect October 21, 2024. It bans writing, buying, or selling fake reviews, buying reviews that must be positive or negative, and posting reviews from company insiders without a clear disclosure.
Cherry-picking can mislead. FTC staff guidance says using reviews that aren’t representative in marketing could be deceptive. Showing a few of your best reviews is common, but don’t present them as typical if they aren’t.
Reviews on your own site won’t get Google stars for your business. Google says pages about a local business or organization aren’t eligible for star review snippets when the business controls the reviews about itself. That includes embedding a widget of your own Google reviews (see 19.6.4 Review Structured Data).
Real proof builds trust that copy can’t. A photo of your crew on a real job tells customers more than a paragraph of claims.
Expired credentials hurt. Showing a lapsed license or insurance policy can mislead customers and may break your state’s licensing rules.

Who this applies to

Every business that shows any review, testimonial, photo of work, or credential on its website. Even a single quote on your home page counts.

How to do it

Collect proof the right way. Ask every customer for a review at the right time, not only happy ones (see 14.6.1 Review Request Timing and 14.10.3 Review Gating and Incentives).
Get permission before you post. Get written permission to use a customer’s words, name, or photos of their property (see 11.1.13 Testimonial Permission and 11.1.12 Photo Permission).
Use their words. Quote the review as written. Fix nothing that changes the meaning. If you shorten it, don’t change what it says.
Show where it came from. Link to the original review on Google, Yelp, or another site when you can, and show the date.
Disclose relationships. If a reviewer is a friend, family member, employee, or got something in return, say so clearly next to the review.
Pick a fair mix. Include recent reviews across services. If you show a rating, show the real overall rating and where it’s from.
Add a project gallery. Use your own photos. Label each with the service, town, and month. Don’t show photos of other companies’ work.
Write two or three short case studies. Problem, what you did, the outcome, and a customer quote. Only include results you can document.
List current credentials. License numbers where your state shows them, insurance, and certifications, with links to official lookups (see 14.1.10 Credentials).
Put proof where it helps. Use service-specific reviews and photos on each service page and local ones on each location page.
Review the page every few months. Remove expired credentials, add recent reviews, and remove anything a customer asks you to take down.

What proof to keep

A permission log: each review, photo, or case study, who gave permission, when, and how
Screenshots of the original reviews with dates and links
Records of any relationship or incentive tied to a review
Current copies of every credential shown, with expiration dates
Documentation behind any result claimed in a case study

Store these in your marketing records folder. Keep credential copies in your legal records folder.

Common mistakes

Writing reviews yourself or having staff post them. That’s exactly what the FTC rule bans.
Offering a discount only for five-star reviews. Incentives tied to a positive review are banned.
Editing a review to sound better. Shorten if needed, but never change the meaning.
Embedding your Google reviews and expecting stars in search. Google says self-controlled reviews aren’t eligible for review stars for your business.
Using stock photos as “our work.” It’s misleading, and customers notice when a job looks nothing like the photos.
Showing a review after the customer asks you to remove it. Take it down and note the date.
Results you can’t prove. “Saved this homeowner 40% on energy bills” needs records behind it (see 11.3.1 Truthful Advertising Claims).

When to get help from a pro

An attorney who handles advertising law: if you offer incentives for reviews, use influencer or affiliate testimonials, or make results claims. Ask:

Does my review request process comply with the FTC rule?
How should I disclose a relationship with a reviewer?
Do my case study claims need more documentation?

Bill’s note

[Bill: add a short story or lesson here. For example, a client who embedded a Google review widget expecting stars in search, or how you collect permission for testimonials at SiteSmarty.]

If you’d rather have this done for you, SiteSmarty helps local businesses request reviews and show them on their websites.

How I did this for SiteSmarty

[Date I did this:]
[What I actually did, step by step: which reviews, case studies, and credentials I put on the SiteSmarty proof page and how I got permission]
[What it cost and how long it took:]
[What surprised me or what I’d do differently:]
[Screenshot or photo to add, with private info blurred: the SiteSmarty proof page and the permission log]
[Result so far:]

Questions people ask

Can I show only my best reviews on my website? Picking reviews for marketing is common, but FTC staff say reviews that aren’t representative could be deceptive. Show a fair mix and the real overall rating.

Can I put my Google reviews on my website? Yes, with links to the source, but Google says reviews your business controls about itself, including embedded widgets, aren’t eligible for review stars in search for your business.

Do I need permission to post a customer review? Get written permission to use a customer’s name, words, or photos of their property on your site. It protects you and respects them.

Can employees or family leave reviews? Insider reviews need a clear, unavoidable disclosure of the relationship under the FTC rule. It’s simpler not to feature them.

What should a case study include? The customer’s problem, what you did, the outcome you can document, and a quote from the customer with permission.

Audit check

Question: Is every review, photo, case study, and credential on the website real, permitted, fairly chosen, and current?
Pass looks like: Reviews quoted accurately with dates and source links. Written permission on file for each. Relationships disclosed. A fair mix and the real overall rating. Only the business’s own job photos. Case study results backed by records. Current credentials with official lookups.
Fail looks like: Made-up or staff-written reviews. Reviews bought with positive-only incentives. Edited quotes. Stock photos shown as real jobs. Expired licenses or insurance shown. No permission records.
Evidence to collect: The permission log, screenshots of source reviews, incentive and relationship records, credential copies with dates, and case study documentation.

Where this fits

Do this first: 11.1.13 Testimonial Permission, 11.1.12 Photo Permission, 11.3.5 Fake Review Rules, 14.1.10 Credentials

Do this next: 13.5 Website Forms

Sources

Federal Trade Commission, "Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule: Questions and Answers" (checked October 16, 2026)
Google Search Central, "Review snippet (Review, AggregateRating) structured data" (checked October 16, 2026)

This page explains general rules and Bill's own experience. It is not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Talk to a qualified professional about your situation.