When designing web pages for your site, it’s essential to understand that different goals require different solutions. So, if you’re putting together a landing page, you’ll want to optimize it for conversions. Creating product review pages, on the other hand, calls for a different approach.
Instead of adopting a sales-oriented tone, these online assets must remain objective and informative. That is, they need to offer value to your customers. More importantly, they have to include different trust signals to be considered a reputable source of information and shopping advice.
With this in mind, it becomes evident that product review pages need a unique, user-centric strategy for them to be effective. The following are some of the top tips for putting together pages that inspire trust and conversions.
1. Be Diligent About Research
The first tip for creating product review pages is to be extremely careful when conducting research. Seeing that these types of pages are supposed to present you as an authority on a subject, the last thing you want is to be giving your customers poor shopping advice.
For this reason, you will need to go above and beyond when studying your product recommendations. If you’re searching on Amazon, the biggest problem you need to be aware of will be the (many) fake reviews. To avoid these, you can use a tool such as ReviewMeta, but relying on your deductive skills will do in most cases.
Another faux pas would be to collect information from anywhere but reputable sources. Yes, you should definitely start with official website data. But take everything with a grain of salt, as they’re very likely to sugarcoat each selling point. If you don’t have the opportunity to try a product out for yourself, your safest bet will be to look at actual user experiences. Look either on niche forums, Reddit threads, or YouTube reviews. This way, you won’t be giving poor advice to people who put their trust in you.
2. Source Ratings from Authority Websites
Another great tip for creating product review pages is to take actual user reviews into consideration and give your readers easy access to various opinions.
Most website building platforms allow for integrations and plugins. So, the easiest way to display actual user reviews on your website would be to source them from Trustpilot, Reviews.io, or Google. If you have the means, you can also enable web visitors to leave direct reviews on your website. This is sure to add a whole new dimension to your content.
RunningShoesGuru, for example, invites readers to leave comments and ratings on their posts. The opportunity allows buyers to share their opinions. All the while, interested consumers get the chance to go deeper into the characteristics of each shoe.
Source: runningshoesguru.com
3. Include Multimedia Content
Although words are great at describing most types of products, consumers undoubtedly prefer visual and auditory content. Not only is it quicker to consume, but it also allows for better understanding – especially when it comes to complicated, highly-technical concepts.
With this in mind, adding multimedia to your product review pages is a natural decision if you’re after great UX. It’s very likely to boost content engagement and positively impact your conversions, considering how beneficial videos and images can be to websites.
Now, the best possible course of action for using multimedia would be to create your own. There’s a good reason why YouTube channels like JerryRigEverything are popular. It’s because they offer original and informative content that’s based on real-life experience.
However, you may not have that kind of production capacity available to you. In these cases, you can add copyright-free images to your posts. Still, make sure you’re using high-quality pictures and that you’re crediting the original publisher.
4. Include Educational Content
Seeing that product review pages often make a part of one’s content marketing strategy, it’s an excellent idea to use them as a way to share your insight with readers.
For one, this will give context to your reviews, ensuring that each of your website visitors has a sufficient command of the subject before making a purchase decision. But, perhaps, more importantly, adding educational text to these assets will make a great addition to your SEO strategy. It will drive organic traffic and cement your site’s position as an authority on the subject.
Taking this into consideration, explore the best ways to structure and write your articles. Pay attention to keyword use and readability. Additionally, consider breaking long paragraphs up into bulleted lists. Furthermore, in line with the advice we’ve given here, add plenty of images or videos to your pages, as you can see in the example by InductionPros. This will make them as digestible as possible, which will ensure that readers stay on to read the full text.
Source: inductionpros.com
5. Showcase a Variety of Criteria
Of course, while text and images do great on product review pages, don’t forget that you will need to go into a bit more detail. With this in mind, do not shy away from providing technical information. Moreover, try to put together lists of pros and cons for each product.
If possible, add filtering and sorting options to your pages to allow readers to find their ideal product more easily. Or categorize the items you’re reviewing in different manners.
For example, this page from Top Fitness Magazine categorizes rowing machines based on price range. They do this knowing that their readers will likely need to take costs into consideration when making a buying decision.
Source: topfitnessmag.com
You don’t necessarily have to go into much detail, as long as you know that your customers have a basic knowledge of the products you’re describing. This page by TechRadar, for example, simplifies the decision-making process by offering only the essential information. This way, it avoids tiring consumers with too much information and urges them to make a purchase sooner rather than later.
Source: techradar.com
6. Provide Multiple Purchase Links
Last but not least, if you’re linking to marketplaces other than your own, it’s highly recommended that you allow your customers to choose between stores.
The most valuable thing you get from including a variety of purchase links on your product review pages will be transparency. This will be the key aspect of gaining consumers’ trust and becoming their go-to when looking for shopping advice.
For an example of how you can achieve this on your website, take a look at the product comparison pages on OutdoorGearLab. You’ll see that products are smartly displayed in a table for easy viewing, with each one including two to three links to various online shops. Thanks to this solution, consumers can not only compare prices. They can also take shipping costs and times into considerations to get the ideal service for their needs.
Source: outdoorgearlab.com
Conclusion
As you can see, there’s plenty to take into consideration when creating product review pages. On the whole, the most significant ingredient for success is going to be user experience.
So, try to approach the design and writing process from the consumer’s point of view. Do your absolute best to provide valuable information that will turn your website into a credible resource. This way, you’ll be on your way to becoming not just an authority but also a successful business that rests on helping buyers find the perfect products for their needs.