If you are looking for an acne cure on the web, you probably already realize that you can’t blindly have confidence in most websites that try to sell you something.
Advertising in and of itself means that the advertiser generally does not have your best interests in mind. For one thing, obviously the advertiser has a vested interest in seeing to it that you buy the product.
…Product reviews, however, don’t typically fall in the same category as blatant advertisements. And thus it should be with acne treatment reviews. However, most product reviews for acne treatment products are little more than advertisements disguised as bona fide product reviews. The result is that you feel like you are looking at nothing but advertisements when you read most acne treatment reviews.
The reason? Because of the number of affiliates that are promoting acne treatments. And it’s obvious that most of these affiliates have not bought or tried the products they promote. Yet they’ll act like they are intimately familiar with the product and all other similar products. Being the astute and observant web surfer that you are, however, you can see right through their ploy.
So how do you know which acne treatment reviews to trust?
Luckily, there are some specific tell-tale clues to look for on the reviewer’s (affiliate’s) website. For one thing, an “Affiliate Earnings Compensation Disclosure Statement” – or something like this – should be displayed in plain view on the website. This statement is now, in fact, required by the FTC – Federal Trade Commission – as well as Google for all affiliate websites.
This declaration should mimic this one: “You should assume that the owner of this website is an affiliate for suppliers of goods and services mentioned on this website and may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. Use caution when purchasing anything from this or any website on the internet.”
99% (percentage is merely my prediction here) of all affiliate product review websites, however, do not prominently display this information. Instead, they reluctantly comply with the FTC’s requirement by burying a tiny, almost transparent link to this statement somewhere in an obscure ‘corner’ of their website. The idea here being that if you know ahead of time that the website owner stands to get a commission if you buy a product thru their site, that you may click away in disgust.
It should be noted, however, that this would be unfairly judging the affiliate – if him getting a commission is your only concern…
Because not all affiliate sites and their owners (even if they DO hide the fact that they are indeed affiliates for the product they are promoting) are untrustworthy; The big picture is to know what to look for in any online product review; because done right, a good review saves you money and time.
So here’s what you should look for in an acne treatment review:
1. As we discussed, the all-important “Affiliate Earnings Compensation Disclosure,” prominently displayed.
2. Contact Information, to include a phone number.
Now, realize that it’s risky to put your home or cell phone number on the internet – regardless of how trustworthy the site is that the phone number is on. A toll-free 800 or 888 number, however, can go to an inexpensive answering service for an affiliate site, protecting the affilate’s privacy. The presence of such a number on an affiliate’s website is a sign of goodwill.
3. Testimonials (on the merchant’s site).
It’s one thing to review a product and another to recommend one; Any product that is recommended should have verifiable testimonials displayed on the merchant’s site, or available on request from the merchant. Recorded audio testimonials on the merchant’s site are also a good sign, as are photos of the persons leaving the testimonials. If the merchant can show that some testimonials are UNsolicited, all the better.
4. Product information that gets into specifics of the product – specific features – helping the web visitor know the product better.
This seems obvious, but too many affiliate review sites – especially acne treatment reviews – have nothing but info that is rehashed sales page info from the merchant’s website. Statements like, “This is the best acne treatment product available anywhere, it works great…” are vague, blatent salesy-type statements that don’t help you know the product.
Look for reviews that have specific numbers like, “The ACME company tested “Acne-B-Gone” and found that 65% of users reported improvements to their complexion in 12 days…” and so forth. These types of statements give you real info to help determine if a product is right for you.
5. Background science and/or history of a product.
This shows that the affiliate is making an effort at educating you instead of just selling you on a product.
So, yes, it is possible to find a trustworthy acne treatment review on the web, despite the fact that the reviewer will often be an affiliate of the acne product that he/she is reviewing. If the affiliate has done his job properly, you will reap the benefits of his research, saving you money and time along the way. You will end up an informed acne remedy product web searcher, able to make a good purchase choice.