There are two kinds of buying guide on the internet. One is written to rank and to collect affiliate clicks, and it reads like it. The other is written by someone who wants the reader to make a good decision. The second kind converts better, and it isn’t close.
Here’s how our editors put one together.
Know exactly who it’s for
“The best carry-on suitcase” is a weak brief. “The best carry-on for someone who flies budget airlines twice a month” is a strong one. The narrower the reader, the sharper every recommendation becomes, and the more the reader feels the guide was written for them.
Before writing a word, our editors note down who the reader is, what they’re trying to decide and what would make them regret the purchase. That last question shapes the whole piece.
Give the short answer first
Most readers want to know the answer before they decide whether to read the reasoning. So we put a short summary at the top: the top picks, one line each, with who they suit.
Some readers buy straight from that summary. Others use it as a map for the rest of the article. Either way, they don’t have to scroll through four paragraphs of introduction to find out what we think.
Organise picks by use case
Ranking products from one to seven sounds authoritative but rarely helps. The best suitcase for a business traveller and the best one for a family of four aren’t the same product, and a single ranking pretends they are.
We organise picks by the situation they suit: best for weekends, best on a budget, best for long trips. We explained the change in detail in how we structure a roundup readers actually use. It’s one of the simplest improvements a guide can make.
Be honest about every pick
Each product gets the same treatment: who it’s great for, who should skip it, and the catch. Every product has a catch. Saying so openly is what makes the praise believable.
A guide where every product is “excellent” and “a great choice” gives the reader nothing to go on. A guide that says “brilliant for short trips, but the wheels struggle on cobbles” sounds like it was written by someone who actually used it. That tone is worth more than any adjective.
Show how you chose
A short box explaining how the products were picked and tested goes a long way. What was compared, over how long, against which criteria. It doesn’t need to be long. It just needs to exist, because readers increasingly look for it.
The same goes for superlatives. If we call something the best, we should be able to explain exactly why. We have a whole piece on our rule about superlatives, because it’s where a lot of affiliate content loses its credibility.
Add a comparison table, but not instead of writing
Tables are useful for readers who want to scan specifications side by side. They’re not a substitute for judgement. A table can tell you two suitcases weigh the same. It can’t tell you one feels flimsy in your hand.
We include a compact table after the main picks, covering the handful of specs that genuinely affect the decision.
Answer the questions people actually ask
The final section of a good guide answers the follow-up questions readers have. We take these from real search data and reader emails, not from guesswork. “Will this fit in the overhead locker on Ryanair?” is a real question. “What is a carry-on suitcase?” probably isn’t.
Disclose and date it
Every guide states clearly that we may earn a commission, and shows when it was last updated. Both build trust. A guide with a recent update date tells the reader the prices and availability are probably still right.
What we leave out
Padding to hit a word count. Fake urgency. Products included only because they pay a higher commission. Long introductions about the history of the suitcase. Every one of these makes a guide worse, and readers can tell.
Brands sometimes ask why we’re strict about this when they’re paying for the placement. The answer is simple. A placement inside a guide nobody trusts isn’t worth much. That’s the standard we hold across our content marketing work, and it’s why the placements keep performing.