Imagine this: You’re scrolling through your analytics. You feel pretty good about your website traffic. But then you notice: Your conversion rates on purchase pages aren’t quite where you want them to be.
Sound familiar? You’re not alone.
Here’s the kicker: The solution might be simpler than you think.
Enter: comparison pages.
When I first started in digital marketing, I overlooked these powerhouses. But once I discovered their potential? Game-changer.
In this post, you’ll learn exactly what a comparison page does, how it helps interested shoppers, and what elements make it high-converting. By the end of the article, you’ll have a step-by-step guide for making your own.
Ready to turn more of your visitors into customers? Here’s how.
Key Elements of Effective Comparison Pages
Comparison pages are like your website’s best-closing salesperson. They help a would-be purchaser compare your product to other, similar options. That way, buyers can easily see what makes your product (or your competitors’) stand out.
Done right, effective comparison pages can make quite a difference in conversion rates.
For example, project management software company Teamwork partnered with GetUplift to test and optimize their product comparison page. As a result, Teamwork increased the conversion rate by 54%.
How did they do it?
They paired the right product comparison data with emotionally charged messaging points. Like this:
Effective comparison pages:
- Target prospects who are almost ready to make a purchase
- Provide easy-to-understand information about features and uses customers care about most
- Instill a sense of confidence in readers, so they can make a decision they feel good about
But not all comparison pages are created equal.
Let’s take a look at the steps needed to create one that works.
Step 1: Leverage Internal Knowledge
Trying to write a comparison page without first collecting detailed product intel is like cooking a gourmet meal without first checking what ingredients you have. No matter how skilled you are, it won’t be delicious.
So, before you start writing, dig into your company’s product expertise.
Here’s how:
- Interview your sales team. They hear firsthand from prospects what they like and what turns them away.
- Chat with customer success reps. They know which features your existing customers love and the challenges they commonly face.
- Pick the brains of your product managers. They can tell you about the features and functionalities that set your product apart.
- Consult with your marketing team. They know what messaging resonates best.
Key questions to ask:
- What are our customers’ biggest pain points? Understand the issues your customers face. That way, you can reflect their own needs back to them on the comparison page.
- How does our product solve these problems? Find out specifically how the product helps. That way, you can highlight the exact features customers need most.
- What features do customers love most? This might be different from the features they need most. Find out what surprises and delights customers about the product. Include those in your comparison content, too.
- What objections do prospects commonly raise? Find out why prospects hesitate to purchase. That way, you can address concerns proactively on your comparison page.
When you collect this rich, internal knowledge and use it well on effective comparison pages, the pages are not just informative. They’re highly persuasive.
Step 2: Understand Search Intent
This is where many marketers go wrong. They create webpage content without considering what users want. Actually, this is true for creating any online content.
It pays to get to know your audiences’ search intent.
Search intent is the goal a searcher has in mind when they type a keyword into Google. It’s the purpose behind their search and an indication of the type of content they’re looking for.
A whopping 99% of all search terms fit into one of four intent categories:
- Informational
- Navigational
- Commercial
- Transactional
Here’s an example: If someone searches for “best calendar software,” they’re not trying to learn what calendar booking software is. They already know. They’re comparing calendar software options—they likely intend to purchase a calendar solution.
To discover the search intent for your keywords:
- Analyze search engine results pages (SERPs). Search for your term. Look at what’s already ranking. The top results can reveal a lot about what users expect to see.
- Identify patterns in top-ranking pages. Note the common features, formats, and structures. What are the successful pages doing right?
For a more precise method, get a little help from a keyword research tool, like Keyword Overview from Semrush.
Simply open the tool. Enter your keywords into the open text field. Pinpoint your location using the drop-down if you want to. Then click “Search.”
On the default “Overview” tab, you’ll see basic information about your keywords like how often they’re searched, how difficult it would be to create content that ranks highly, and—you guessed it—the search intent.
Once you know the search intent for your target keywords, you can incorporate those keywords into the type of content your audience is searching for.
For instance:
Add keywords with informational search intent to your homepage and any pages with educational content.
Add keywords with navigational intent to the respective home and product pages.
And, finally, incorporate keywords with commercial and transactional intent into your comparison pages.
Getting searchers to the content they’re ready for moves them further along the buyers’ journey. And attracting prospects who are ready to make a purchase to your comparison pages will help boost conversion.
Step 3: Nail Your Layout and Page Design
The most effective comparison pages are very intentionally designed. The order in which you present information can make or break your conversion rates.
Here’s what works.
Start with an attention-grabbing intro. Use pain points or impressive benefits to hook your reader. Just make sure it ties in directly with the benefits of your product.
Next, clearly articulate the products’ benefits. Remember your users are nearly ready to purchase, so they’re likely looking for specifics.
Format the page so they can quickly comprehend your products’ best features. Like this:
Now that readers have a basic understanding of your product’s benefits, showcase your solution’s actual capabilities.
Pictures and GIFs are a great way to show how your product works contextually. They let readers imagine what it might be like to actually use your product.
Then, explain how your product compares to competitors.
Pick the alternatives your audience is most likely to be interested in. That way, your comparison page content is highly applicable to them.
Listing three to five usually works.
You don’t need access to their internal information. Condense publicly available data for your reader.
Finally, wrap up your comparison page with a compelling call to action (CTA).
At this point, your reader should be very close to purchase-ready, so don’t be afraid to direct them to a product page where they can make the purchase.
Or, if you have a product or audience that requires a lot of warming up, link to a deeper resource where they can learn more, like product videos or a personalized demo.
The point is: You want the audience to convert. Use your CTA to direct the bottom-of-the-funnel prospect toward the final steps in their buyers’ journey.
Step 4: Focus on Content Quality and Relevance
Quality content is key, especially for comparison pages.
It comes down to the details you include. And how well your marketing content connects with would-be customers, linking your product back to their pain points and concerns.
Here’s how to nail content quality and relevance:
- Get to know the customer experience, including the challenges they care about most, the constraints they operate within, and the things that would make their lives easier
- Map product features to specific pain points, so you can write product content that provides a sense of hope and relief to your target audience
- Stay up to date with product changes, new features, and popular use cases so you accurately set audience expectations about how precisely your product can be used
- Regularly update your comparison pages so your ready-to-purchase prospects always have the latest
Step 5: Implement SEO Best Practices
Comparison pages are only effective if they’re being seen. Capture that ready-to-convert customer attention in search results pages by creating your comparison page with SEO best practices in mind.
Focusing on a few SEO fundamentals will help.
Be sure to:
Include your target keyword in the URL slug. This lets the search engines know what your article is about.
Naturally weave that keyword throughout your content, too. Putting it in the title, H1s, H2s, and first 100 words helps most. Just be sure not to force it if it doesn’t fit.
Write a title tag that captures attention. Think of it like a little ad for your content that searchers see before they click.
Use H2 and H3 tags for clear content structure. This makes it easier for your readers to skim and comprehend your content. It helps search engines understand what’s included, too.
Always optimize your images with alt text. Not only is your content more accessible for those reading screen readers, but it means search engines can contextually comprehend your images, too.
Here’s an example from Calendly’s website. When hovering over the picture they have an alt tag that describes what the screenshot is.
Step 6: Leverage User Engagement Data
If your goal is to create effective comparison pages, your work won’t be done when they launch.
Far from it.
Keep an eye on user behavior once your page is live and you’ll find opportunities to optimize your content for even better performance down the line.
Use tools like Hotjar, Crazy Egg, or Fullstory to analyze user behavior on your comparison pages. Look for:
- Sections where users spend the most time
- Areas with high click rates
- Points where users tend to drop off
Say, for example, you notice that users don’t read below the fold.
You might decide to make your content above the fold more compelling to keep the user reading. Maybe you add more pain points they can relate to or ask them a provocative question.
Another option is to add a CTA above the fold. That way, your reader has a chance to move forward without having to read your entire article.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
To create effective comparison pages, avoid these common mistakes:
- DON’T focus too much on search volume. Traffic to your comparison page is great. But visitors aren’t your primary goal—conversion is.
- DO look at traffic data to see which search terms bring visitors to your page. Review the search intent associated with those terms. Make sure those are people looking to make a purchase. Adjust content for different keywords if they’re not.
- DON’T focus too much on keyword inclusion. Forcing keywords into your content in unnatural ways can lead to clunky writing and a disrupted flow of information.
- DO keep SEO basics in mind, just focus more on the quality of the content and presenting it in a natural voice that appeals to readers.
- DON’T forget to include competitor comparisons. Marketers are sometimes afraid to remind prospects that alternatives exist. But they already know! And they’re looking them up anyway. This is your chance to make sure the most useful information comes from you.
- DO honestly and confidently represent your product alongside alternatives, with clear indications about where your option is substantially better. This will inspire trust among would-be customers. They’ll feel more confident about the information provided.
Real-World Examples of High-Converting Comparison Pages
Once you have all of your content written and published, it’s time to track which specific pieces are driving conversions and find the reason why.
CourseStorm Presents Jackrabbit Alternatives
This comparison page is hosted by CourseStorm. Jackrabbit is a primary competitor.
The comparison page converts well for a few reasons.
It starts out appealing to the target audience by listing common challenges they’re likely having with Jackrabbit.
It provides a hopeful statement about what the right solution might actually feel like. This demonstrates an understanding of their target audience. It makes them feel understood.
The page promises to compare five viable alternatives (with their own solution first, naturally).
And did you catch the CTA there above the fold? Those who don’t want to read the whole piece can take action right away.
Of course, what stands out about this page are the features and capabilities of CourseStorm. The content describes five major product features. This makes it clear what this product does, who it’s best suited for, and how it compares to popular alternatives.
SoundThinking Explains ShotSpotter in Depth
SoundThinking captures leads by presenting in-depth information on its gunshot detection system, ShotSpotter.
The page provides an overview of five of the system’s key features, including screenshots alongside each one.
This makes it easy for visitors to understand the software’s purpose and imagine what it might be like to use it.
The page provides an easy-to-use list of questions readers can use to evaluate any gunshot detection system they might be considering. This can inspire more trust in SoundThinking as a trusted leader.
And, at the end of the page, there’s a CTA for the reader to request more information.
Use Effective Comparison Pages to Drive Real Results
Effective comparison pages can be a game-changer for boosting conversions. Follow the six-step process in this guide to create pages that rank well and drive real business results.
Remember:
- Focus on customer needs
- Represent your product authentically and with confidence
- Provide honest, valuable competitor comparisons
- Do more of what works, learn from what doesn’t
Ready to supercharge your conversion rates? Start implementing these strategies today.
