A Guide about Guides – for Guides

Today, nearly every product imaginable can be easily ordered online, and countless online shops deliver most anything to your door with just one click.

But who helps the online customers choose the right product? What friendly shop assistants knew about a product or what they looked up in thick catalogues is no less important today. The information is just conveyed differently.

Companies and service providers also want to help their customers find the perfect product for them. But how can they best accomplish this? With reading material, of course!

Dear Textbroker Authors,

Today, nearly every product imaginable can be easily ordered online, and countless online shops deliver most anything to your door with just one click.

But who helps the online customers choose the right product? What friendly shop assistants knew about a product or what they looked up in thick catalogues is no less important today. The information is just conveyed differently.

Companies and service providers also want to help their customers find the perfect product for them. But how can they best accomplish this? With reading material, of course!

Turn your readers into professionals

Your text is what turns the interested passer-by into a well-informed customer. As the author of a shopping guide, you take on the responsibility of guiding the reader and helping him find the product or service best suited for his needs.

The most important aspect: Which information must the guide contain?

Some basic information needs to be included in every guide to answer the customer’s key questions.

What are the most important decisive criteria (size, service, etc.)?

Are there several variations or different styles to choose from (pros and cons of all-season tyres as opposed to summer tyres and winter tyres)?

Is there relevant general information about the product (commonly used materials, application etc.)?

Which manufacturer’s specifications are especially important and which can be ignored?

What should be considered when shopping online (can the product be picked up, buyer protection, sets, …)?

In essence, after reading this, the reader should know why he needs a product or service and how he can get it.

What should not be included in the guide?

It is especially important not to take a specific standpoint. The reader should be objectively guided and should receive a good overview of the products or services offered. The text should remain neutral.

Do not mention manufacturers or certain products in particular. The naming of individual labels is sometimes even – depending on the briefing – strictly prohibited. The same applies to prices, shipment policies, warranty and, of course, time-related disclosures (such as recent, modern, or new).

The reason is simple: The shop owners are constantly adapting their range of products and services, but the shopping guides on their pages need to be informative in the long run as well as current.

Use the technology of the Internet. Use links to illustrate what you are writing about; you can, for example, use a link to refer a customer directly to the product.

The respective category is best suited as a link source. The same applies here though, too: Always stay current! A category can exist for a long time, contrary to rapidly changing products. For instance, the category “Lamps” will always be found in a shop for household electronics; the red lamp with the yellow stand, on the other hand, may only be around for one season.

Of course, depending on the type of order, HTML-formatting is also at your disposal. <strong> highlights </strong> and <h1> headings </h1> and <h2> subheadings </h2> in various sizes make it easy for the reader to find the information he or she is looking for.

Are you ready to make the Internet even more customer friendly? Do you have the necessary expertise? Do you want to share your tips?

Then compose indispensable guides, and make the web more informative.

Checklist – Have you thought of everything?

• Have all questions about the product been answered (special features, purpose, description, function)?
• Is the reader offered background information?
• Is the guide neutral?
• Is the information permanently valid?
• Was HTML required?
• Is the text concise, legible and informative?
• Is everything easy to understand?
• Was a more formal style or a more conversational tone required?
• Which target audience are you writing for (beginners/advanced, modern/traditional)?
• Which age-group are you addressing?
• Does the text advertise a product or service (we offer) or is it written as a neutral presentation of facts (the shop/the product offers)?
• Does the client require the listing of prices?
• Should test results be simply mentioned or described in detail?
• Are the paragraphs well thought out? Is the text well structured?
• Do the headline make sense?
• Does the client require synonyms of keywords?
• Are stop-words and inflections allowed?
• Does the client require the keywords to be mentioned in a certain order?

With this academy, we hope to be a good guide for your guides.