Product reviews are an exceptional tool to drive traffic to your own, or any other website. They are inherently valuable and provide benefit, which is exactly what readers and webmasters are looking for. When content provides a benefit, people will read it, forward it, and link to it. As an online marketer or website owner, product reviews in particular are a great way to drive traffic to your website via linking, reprints, and click-throughs.
Saying that, in order for a product review to be an effective traffic generation tool, it must also be believable. This means that if at all possible, consider actually purchasing or trying out the product. It's pretty much the only way to be completely knowledgeable about a product or service.
You also need to think creatively when reviewing. For example, a great product review for a hair removal system might actually have a series of reviews based on the ability of the product to remove or reduce hair over time. This type of review will most likely be linked to by many people because it is a real and demonstrative review of the product.
Here are a few things you should consider when you're writing a review for a product or service.
1. Take the time to be thorough in your review. Every review must answer these questions:
What does the product promise?
How well does it achieve those goals?
Is it a good value?
What are the drawbacks of the product?
Is the product easy to use?
How does the product compare to others on the market?
Would you buy or recommend the product? If yes, why? If no, why not?
2. Compare multiple products for more effect. Sometimes it's easier to compare products than to simply evaluate one single product. When comparing products, it is important to remember a few things:
Compare the same types of products.
Compare similar attributes and features.
Be honest about any preferences you have for one or the other.
3. Demonstrate information in a variety of ways. Can you incorporate graphics, pictures, or statistical data in your review? The more comparative information you can provide your reader, the better. Often, statistics are more easily understood when they're conveyed in a graph, a chart or a simple photo.
Put yourself in your reader's shoes. What would you want to know about the product or service? While it is important to be diplomatic in your reviews, it is also important to be tactfully honest. If your reviews are all positive all of the time, you're going to loses a bit of credibility. People want the drawbacks pointed out to them too. They want both sides of the coin.
Write your reviews conversationally. This means using language most people understand. Skip the jargon and tech talk. Use language that is friendly. Break the review up into easily digested sections.
Keep to one point per paragraph and keep the paragraphs short and easy to read. Taking the time to write your review for online reading makes it easier to read, and thus easier to print, publish, and link to.