Comparison posts are the close cousins of review posts. Review posts do a deep dive into one particular product or service, while comparison posts review two similar products side by side.
It's important not to treat a comparison post as simply a combination of two reviews. They are slightly different. You'll want to make sure you understand the main differences between the two products and be able to clearly state these differences so your reader can choose the product best for them.
Do your Research First
Writing comparison posts are like next-level review posts. When writing reviews you'll want to have some basic info about the service but in general, you can research as you write. That's more difficult in comparison posts.
You'll want to have a firm grasp of both companies before you start so you know what to focus on. If you go into extreme detail on each company your article will be so long and convoluted that it won't be helpful.
You'll want to understand what the material differences are before you start, otherwise you will be off in the weeds before you know it. When planning your article, stick to the parts that really matter when deciding which service to buy.
Put X vs Y in the URL and Title
You'll want to do your keyword research for each individual article, but there's a good chance that “X vs Y” will be the one to go for.
For example:
- Hulu vs Netlix
- McDonalds vs Wendy's
- Android vs Iphone
If you find this to be true for your article, then X vs Y should be your URL. For example, mysite.com/hulu-vs-netflix
This should also be in your title — and for the SEO title in Yoast plugin it should be the beginning of your title.
For example:
- The title on the site could be “Which Streaming Service is Best? Hulu vs Neflix”
- The SEO title would be “Hulu vs Netflix: Which Streaming Service is Best?”
Notice how the keyword is in front for the SEO title. For more info on how to use your keyword check out this article here.
Go Over the Features
If you want to make your article truly useful you won't be able to hit every single feature each product has to offer. Take a moment to think about which features truly matter. What features will be deciding factors when someone looking to make a choice?
Using our Hulu vs Netflix example, you may want to mainly discuss selection and accessibility.
- How does their selection differ?
- Are they available in the same locations?
- Can you use the same devices?
- Do both services have ads?
These would be important factors for someone choosing between these two services.
What doesn't matter? The hours of their customer service department, how long they have been in business, where they are headquartered, etc. Those just aren't buying factors for your readers — don't waste their time.
You can also link to your full reviews of each of the products. That way you don't feel like you are leaving out something important. Hit the high points and if someone wants to go deeper they can read your full review.
If you don't have full reviews, that's a great topic idea for another day.
Discuss Price
It's pretty rare that you'll be comparing two free products or services. And when people are looking to make a purchase, price is going to be of high interest.
Go over the pricing for each service in detail. Are there different price levels? Are there upgrades you can tack on? You'll get a lot of insight into each company when you dig into the pricing.
You may find that while one service is cheaper it will come with fewer bells and whistles. Often times the cheaper service will have add ons that make it comparable to the more expensive service but then how does the price line up then?
For example, Hulu is cheaper but has ads. You can upgrade to ad-free but then it's more expensive than Netflix, which is always ad free. This type of information is very helpful to the reader.
Include a Chart
The hardest part about writing comparison posts is to actually compare the two and not just write two reviews.
And when you do compare, you'll want to make sure that your reader can keep all that information in their head at once. This is where a chart comes in very handy.
You can create a table right in WordPress. It might look something like this:
| Feature | Hulu | Netflix |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $5.99 -$11.99 | $8.99 – $15.99 |
| Number of TV shows | a lot | a whole lot |
| Number of screens | two | one – four |
| Sign up | Affiliate Link | Affiliate Link |
Charts are a great way to simplify all the information you are providing and allow the reader to actually make a decision.
Typically, you'll want to put the chart right up at the top of the article so readers can get what they need right up front. If the review is long, you could repeat the same chart again towards the bottom.
And include your affiliate link in the chart for easy clicking. 🙂
Who Should Use Each Service
Usually, there is not clear cut winner. If one service was so superior to the other we wouldn't doing a comparison in the first place. More than likely you'll end up with a “if XYZ is important to you, then you should go with Product 1 — however, if ABC is important then use Product 2”.
For example: If you want to watch TV shows as close to airing as possible, don't mind ads, and don't travel much then Hulu may be your best choice. However, if you want to use your streaming service outside the US, hate ads, and don't mind waiting for shows to be available then Netflix is for you.
This type of information is extremely useful to readers. They can identify themselves in your descriptions and you can guide them to making the best choice for them.
If you want more information about how to write reviews, check out my article “How to Write Review Posts that Make Money“.
Summary
Comparison posts can be both helpful for the reader and lucrative for you. It's important to stay focused on what information will best help the reader make a buying decision. Don't get into the weeds with every little detail.
Using a table or chart will help the reader visualize the differences between the products and then wrap up the post by identifying the ideal user for each product. This will help your reader make the decision that is best for them.
