How to Write a Product Comparison – Step-by-Step Guide for 2023

Ever wonder how to write a product comparison? 

If you have, you’ve probably gone online and read a few generic blogs on how to do it.

The problem with these blogs is that they simply run you through a regurgitated “process” of writing a comparison.

I won’t do that. 

In this blog, I’ll give you my own step-by-step blueprint for writing a product comparison…

…plus, a “tear down” of an awesome one that got all the components right. 

I’ll show you:

• The exact process I follow when creating my own product comparisons 
• A detailed tear down of a great product comparison blog (with images) 
• How to ensure your comparison will show up on the SERPs
• Tips on writing product comparisons that stand out on Google
• And more!

Ready to get started?

Let’s go!

This post is part of our free series on Affiliate Marketing! If you want to learn everything from A – Z in one place, then check out our course below!

2 Big Reasons to Write a Product Comparison 

Before you dive into writing your product comparison, you have to remember this:

Product comparisons take a lot of work. 

They’re a skillful combination of knowledge, tact, balance, and a ton of research. 

So, why write one in the first place?

Here are two big reasons. 

1. Product Comparisons Tie Back to Your #1 Goal as an Affiliate Marketer

I’ve mentioned this in my other blogs, and I’ll mention it again. 

Your #1 goal as an affiliate marketer isn’t to make a ton of cash.

It’s to build a legacy helping people make the right decisions. 

Now, if you write product comparisons, you’re making it super easy for your readers to make great decisions. 

Instead of hopping online to do research, getting in touch with different brands to ask questions, and puzzling over the results of their investigations themselves…

…all they have to do is spend 10 minutes reading your blog.

You’ll save them a ton of time, energy, and resources. 

This means you’ll be fulfilling your goal as an affiliate marketer.

Cool, right?

2. Product Comparisons Set You Up as an Authority in Your Niche

Ok, I know that I said your #1 goal as an affiliate marketer is to help people make the right decisions.

But I didn’t say you can’t have a secondary goal.

And if you’re like me, it’s “to make a ton of money.”

Here’s the thing, though. 

Your audience won’t buy from you if they don’t trust you.

To build trust, you need to set yourself up as an authority in your industry. You need to prove that you’re the best person to talk about a product.

The best way to do it in today’s fast-paced, digitized world?

By writing stellar content. 

When I say stellar, I mean the best on Google for that topic. 

You need to write content that showcases your knowledge and expertise in your niche. 

And what better way to do that than in a detailed, stand-out product comparison blog? 

A Step-by-Step to Writing a Product Comparison 

Ok, now it’s time for the fun part!

I’m going to guide you as you create your very own product comparison from scratch. Plus, I’ll show you awesome examples you can ground your work on.

Let’s go!

1. Pick Your Keywords with Care

As an affiliate marketer, you must target the right keywords. (Unless you want to go around in circles for the next 10 years).

Don’t worry, though.

Picking great keywords to target is super easy with a keyword research tool like  KWFinder. (You can sign up for their 7-day FREE trial, then enjoy plans for as low as $29.90.)

All you need to do is type your keyword idea into the search field and click “enter.”

For instance, let’s say you’re thinking of writing a blog around the keyword “Mac vs. PC.”

Jump into the tool to check whether it’s possible to rank for that keyword (or whether you should leave it alone for now).

Here’s what that will look like.

Source:  KWFinder

As you can see, this keyword is a little difficult.

Which means, if you have a DA (domain authority) score of below 40, you should skip it for now.

Don’t cry over your lost keyword for too long, though.

If you really want to write a comparison of Mac and PC, you can scroll down on your list of keywords and find a variation of your first keyword. 

Like this.

Source:  KWFinder

As the data shows, this keyword has a difficult score of 38 (still possible) and a search volume of 770 (good enough).

See how affiliate marketers can’t live without a keyword research tool? 

2. Go Down Rabbit Holes of Research 

Some say writing is the most important part of affiliate marketing, but I don’t think so. 

To me, nothing is as important as good ol’ research.

Why?

Well, because your readers aren’t on your blog to savor your Dickensian prose. They’re not there to laugh or be entertained either (although a good slice of humor can help as a side thing). 

They’re there to learn which products are best for them.

And honestly, the best way to help them is by knowing each product like the back of your hand. 

Of course, you’ll know enough by just using the products.

But don’t stop there.

Do extensive research. Dive down every rabbit hole you see. Then, dive into other chambers within that rabbit hole. 

For example, let’s say you’re writing a product comparison on dog food. 

Now, it’s easy to go ahead and list down the ingredients of each brand of dog food. 

However, that’s not being very helpful to dog owners.

What you can do instead is list each ingredient, plus what that means for a dog. 

Here’s a great example.

Source: doggiedesigner.com

I know, I know.

This sounds like a huge amount of work.

But like all things in life, there’s no quick, painless road to success.

Plus, you don’t have to visit a huge library and spend hours poring over texts to come up with some basic facts.

Most of the time, a quick Google search will give you all the information you need.

Like this.

Source: rover.com

3. Choose Your Format and Create Your Outline

There are several ways you can outline your product comparison blog, but two stand out as noteworthy. 

• You can set aside a section for each product, and talk about each separately. 
• You can talk about both products side by side, using subheads to compare their features. 

Let’s dive into examples of each format.

Format #1: 

Source: doggiedesigner.com

Source: doggiedesigner.com

Notice: the blog dives fully into Victor dog food before going into another section, this one dedicated entirely to Taste of the Wild. 

But there’s another way to arrange a blog.

Format #2: 

Source: stylefactoryproductions.com

In this format, you pick a feature of the products you’re reviewing, then compare how well each brand performs on it. 

For instance, if we were writing the dog food blog in this format, we would have headers such as:

• Ingredients
• Flavors
• Varieties 

Then, we’d dive into each section and talk about how both Victor and Taste of the Wild did in each category. 

Now, maybe you’re wondering, “which format is better?”

In my opinion, both are great. The key is to choose which one will work for the specific blog you’re writing.

For instance, if you’re comparing two different brands with widely varying features, sticking to format #1 is a good idea. 

If you’re comparing two different brands with features that are mostly the same, using format #2 could help you turn your piece into an interesting, even entertaining “showdown.” 

Once you’ve chosen the format that’s right for you, go on to outline your blog. 

To help you with your outline, here’s some inspiration from a popular product comparison blog on dog food.

It begins with a strong headline:

Source: doggiedesigner.com

Then, it goes into a TL;DR section, where it gives readers a sneak peek at the “winner” of the dog food showdown. 

Source: doggiedesigner.com

Two sections follow, one dedicated to Victor and one dedicated to Taste of the Wild. Each section goes into ingredients, dry and canned varieties, and most popular recipes. 

The blog then ends with a strong conclusion.

Source: doggiedesigner.com

Remember, your conclusion doesn’t have to state which brand is better.

A best practice is to leave the decision up to your reader, keeping in mind that you’ll have a ton of different readers with different needs. 

For instance, if you’re doing a comparison between KWFinder and Ahrefs, tell your reader that KWFinder is the best tool for beginners, while more advanced SEOs will do better subscribing to Ahrefs. 

4. Make Your Blog Pop with Awesome Images

If you’ve read enough product comparison blogs, you’ll have noticed one thing they have in common.

They never run on and on with huge walls of text. 

Instead, they’re littered with images. There are screenshots. There are tables. There are product photos. 

All these images help readers visualize what they’re reading and organize their thoughts so they can make great decisions.

Now, if you don’t want people to ignore your product comparison blogs, you should do the same. 

Don’t worry, though.

You don’t have to be a Photoshop guru to create stunning, eye-catching images.

At times, a simple screenshot will do. This is especially great if you’re comparing digital products and want to give your followers a “sneak peek” into a paid subscription, book, or course. 

For instance, let’s say you’re comparing two photography courses. 

To help your readers decide which one to buy, you can show them screenshots of the table of contents inside each course.

Like this.

Source: Udemy

And this.

Source: Domestika

But screenshots aren’t the only types of images that can make your blog pop and help your reader reach a decision. 

You can also add tables. 

Like this.

Source: tinyworkshops.com

And this.

Source: diffen.com

If you don’t consider yourself an artistic whiz, don’t worry.

There are simple, FREE tools like Canva that can come to your rescue. (I personally use this tool, and consider it the savior of the less-than-artistic population.) 

5. Write Away (3 Tips that Actually Make Your Affiliate Content Stand Out) 

A ton of people consider writing the fun part, but I get it that it’s not that easy if you’re a beginner. 

Don’t worry too much, though.

Consider these three tips as you work towards filling in the space under each of your subheads:

1. Imagine Your Readers Are Your Friends 

Keep in mind that affiliate marketing content shouldn’t be like the dry, jargon-packed writing on your car loan contract you never really understood.

Write like that, and your readers will be running for the hills. 

Instead, a great rule of thumb is to write the way you’d speak to a friend.

Keep things light without sacrificing the facts. Cut out all the heavy jargon. Shorten your sentences. Please readers’ eyes with a ton of white space. Inject your unique personality into your words.

Here’s an example of personal tone. 

Source: SmartBlogger 

2. Stick to a Clean, Consistent Format

As you write, keep in mind that your readers will view your content like a map.

They’ll want to know exactly where they are at any given moment, and how long it will take them to reach the “finish line.”

This means you’ll want to keep your sections even and consistent. For instance, you wouldn’t want to pack 1,000 words under one subhead, then lightly finish off the next subheads with 50 words each.

Also, do your best to stick to parallel structure in your writing. If your first section of content begins with two paragraphs of advice and an example at the end, try to do the same with the rest of your paragraphs. 

Of course, you won’t always be able to stick to these rules perfectly. At times, your rebel artistic flare will ignite, and that’s OK.

Just remember that your reader is probably in a hurry, impatient, and anxious to get on with his life. Writing your piece to read like a clean map from start to finish will keep his attention and prevent him from bailing on you. 

3. Say as Much as You Can in as Few Words as Possible

This ties in with the point above and your reader being impatient and pressed for time.

Seriously, if you have only one takeaway from this whole blog, let it be this: your reader isn’t here to enjoy your prose.

So, don’t take his time.

Cut down on your paragraphs viciously. Say what you need to say, and then stop. 

Here’s an example of clear but concise writing:

Source: BackLinko

6. Spend Some Time Mulling Over Your Subheaders 

Your subheads may seem insignificant to you, but they actually play a huge role in whether or not you rank well on Google.

Knowing this, you need to tweak and optimize your subheads for both your readers and the robots.

Here are four great tips to get you started with awesome, SEO-friendly subheads:

• Don’t write subheads that are simply placeholders to divide up your content. Instead, pour in a dash of emotion, personality, or surprise into them. Make them interesting to your readers.
• Set your subheads to pose a question to your readers. Make them encourage your readers to dive into the separate sections of your blog. 
• Use your primary keyword at least once as a subhead.
• As much as you can, use secondary keywords as subheads.

Of course, your subheads don’t always have to be super fancy.

Check out this example of a concise, curiosity-inducing, SEO-friendly subhead.

Source: SmartBlogger

7. Sweep through Your Content with SEO in Mind

Now, it’s time to edit your content.

Of course, you’ll want to look out for spelling and grammar issues, as well as hunt down awkward sentences and places where your words don’t flow naturally.

But aside from these, you’ll want to do your best to optimize your post for SEO.

Here are three things you can do to achieve this goal:

• Tweak your introduction to include your primary keyword in the first 100 words.
• Add your primary keyword into your H1 and as many H2s and H3s as you can (without being annoying).
• Add your primary keyword to your conclusion.
• Sprinkle your post with as many secondary keywords as you can.

Always remember, though, that readability trumps SEO every single time. 

If your keyword is dangling in an awkward position your audience will hate, cut it out without a second thought. 

How to Write a Product Comparison (It’s Not As Hard As You Think!)

If you’re wondering exactly how to write a product comparison…

…I hear you.

They can seem tough to write, plus the free advice out there is spotty at best.

The truth is, though, that writing a product comparison is just like helping a friend choose over two brands you’ve already tried.

So, go ahead. Dive into your research. Create a comprehensive outline that’ll truly help your one reader. Help people make faster, smarter decisions.

Remember, the more you practice, the better you’ll get at writing product comparisons.

This post is part of our free series on Affiliate Marketing! If you want to learn everything from A – Z in one place, then check out our course below!