Using RateMyWeb Testimonial Software

Adding A Testimonial

Adding a testimonial is not only beneficial to the site you are praising but your opportunity to gain another valuable link into your own site.  To get started look for the link "I would like to add my Testimonial".

The add your details to the form.  Don't forget to add your link and if you want most benefit from your effort add a picture too, people like pictures, nothing silly mind as the owner of the site will reject your entry and all your effort will be wasted then!

When your done hit the submit and your testimonial will be added to the queue for the administrator to check.

Some people find it difficult to think of what to say so Silly Git here and me have put a few tips together.  To find your own style surf a few pages across the net, see what people are writing and copy them, umm, whatever...

After you add your testimonial an email will be sent to the administrator and once he's finished his pint he'll be round to have a gawp.  Should it meet with his approval he'll approve it, otherwise you might have to send beer money.

Approving or Rejecting Testimonials

Add a=edit#recommend to the end of the installation URL, so for example if it was this website you would use:-

http://www.ratemyweb.com/?a=edit#recommend

If your link does not have the ? in it you will need to add that too.

Once you have done that you will see a login form like this:-

Enter the username and password (see below on where and how to set your password).  You will then be able to accept or reject any entries that have been added by hopeful testimonialiers:

If you like what you see then hit the OK button, otherwise select Reject and then OK.  If there's more than one you can select Accept or Reject for each one then hit the OK button.  When there are no more to do you will see:

And you are done!

Installing the software on your website

Requirements

Linux or Windows Hosting
PHP
MySQL
Ioncube Loaders

Creating the database

This depends on your hosting control panel, most of them are straightforward, having said that I have heard people using Plesk sometimes get lost for days.  I suggest you ask your hosting company for help if you are having real difficulties.  Check their support pages, most of them even have videos demonstrating the purpose.  You will need:-

• The database name
• The username and password
• The host (usually localhost)

Modifying the configuration

After installation move to the installation directory and edit config.php.  This enables you to set information such as the database username and password and other features of your testimonial software.

Changing colours

Change the CSS file.  Ok so that won't mean a lot to many people.  There's a great tool from a nice bunch of drinking partners at www.newsgator.com for editing CSS (things like colours and fonts) and it's FREE!

Once you have installed it you can make changes with ease, here's a short video demonstration.

Deciding how many testimonials to show

The location and placing of your testimonial script is important and can only be decided upon by your design (or web designer).  Once that's done edit the template which is called recommend.html.  At the base of this file you will find everything you need to configure the physical dimensions:

[PICTURE_WIDTH=100]
[PICTURE_HEIGHT=100]
[MAX_RECOMMENDS=4]
[RECOMMEND_SLIDESHOW=Y]
[SHOW_DATE=Y]
[DATE_TEXT=Date:]
[PICTURE_TEXT=Satisfied customer]
[HREF_TITLE_TEXT=Link to your site]
[REC_SAVED=Thank You, your testimonial has been sent to the Webmaster for approval]

For the latest list of changes you can make to the template please check the recommend.html file.

How to integrate the script into your website

Generally people want the testimonials available in three places:-

1.  You want something subtle on the "home page".  Nothing real-time as that looks corny, but something people will recognise as a testimonial and an opportunity to click a link for more, we all like more...

2.  The "More Testimonials" page.  This is where your visitors get the more.  As these are genuine and verifiable places to get the nod on your product it's an important page.

3.  The "spot shop" these are snatches of one or two testimonials that turn up anywhere in your text.  These work as reminders of how brilliant you are on text and content intensive websites.

So without further adieu let's look at how to add it to the home page.  You