What is Onsite Publishing?

***As of April 2023, Amazon has paused the Onsite Publishing Program***

Onsite Publishing is a method for publishers to put together product guides for certain products, and then publish those guides in the search results when consumers search for them within a retailer’s site like Amazon or Walmart. Customers have so much information available at their fingertips today, making it difficult for websites to keep them on the page. However, with the Onsite Associates Program through Amazon, the company has found a way to effectively give consumers all the information they need to purchase a product without having to leave the website. Onsite publishing is one of the latest trends in the world of omnichannel PR and when you explore the reasons, it’s easy to see why.

What Onsite Publishing Is Designed To Do

Companies like Amazon rely on third-party recommendations and opinions to boost their sales. Those come in the form of customer reviews and via their Onsite Associates Program mostly. Not only does onsite publishing benefit consumers who want to learn more information about a particular product, but it can help sellers as well. When a publisher writes an editorial recommendation about a seller’s product, consumers will know it’s a trusted brand, and it will be promoted and seen more in search results. It’s just another innovative way Amazon has grown its brand and has become so successful over the years, with both buyers and sellers benefitting from the Onsite Associates Program.

Why User Reviews Aren’t As Impactful Anymore

Consumer reviews used to be some of the most impactful opinions other potential buyers relied on to make the best purchasing decision. However, with the increase of paid posts, review farms, and malicious reviewers, honest consumers can’t tell a legitimate review from a fake one. In the 2020 Tinuiti AMZN Shopper Survey, 70% of the respondents stated that they trust reviews on Amazon. However, the number of consumers who completely trust Amazon reviews is down by roughly 20% compared to the previous two years. 

With consumers losing trust in other shopper reviews, they are forced to look in other places to get the information they need about a particular product. Customer reviews have been a major part of the successful business model Amazon has built. The company has had to switch gears due to a lack of trust in consumer reviews and now has placed a lot of emphasis on its Onsite Associates Program.

How Onsite Publishing Affects Sellers

Amazon and the publishers who write for the Onsite Associates Program don’t have any incentives to promote poor products or sellers who don’t provide good customer service. While customer reviews don’t hold as much weight for other consumers anymore, publishers rely on positive reviews when determining which products to promote. They also look at things like the availability of the product and the high volume of sales. When a seller has a good-performing product with good customer service, it will perform even better when it’s featured in an editorial recommendation. On the other side, if a seller’s product is never in stock, has a high return rate, or is of poor quality overall, it could be removed from an Onsite Associates Program article. It’s a virtuous circle that can go one way or the other for a seller, so it’s in their best interest to offer a quality product and great customer service.

Customers Rely On Editorial Recommendations

Customers have come to trust editorial recommendations for several reasons. One is because they know the Onsite Associates Program through Amazon will never promote a defective product or one that hasn’t been proven in the marketplace yet. The third-party editorial recommendation means the content is unbiased and written by a neutral party that has done extensive research to discuss the best product in a particular niche. This is what makes consumers feel like they are making an educated and informed purchasing decision.

Sellers Can Boost Their Reputation With Onsite Publishing

Sellers can reap the benefits of onsite publishing because editorial reviews rarely criticize a product in an article. So when their product shows up in an editorial review, the seller doesn’t risk anything. The worst thing that can happen is the article doesn’t perform as well as hoped and doesn’t drive sales. However, this doesn’t mean the product is a failure, and there won’t be any negativity surrounding the product as a result. 

Positive reviews and third-party promotions are recipes for success for sellers who put their products on Amazon. Onsite publishing is beneficial for both buyers and sellers, but sellers have to stay on top of their business plans to ensure their products remain highly regarded. It’s a competitive business where a similar product could get more notoriety than others simply because it has an editorial review written about it. That’s why sellers must have a quality product to be successful, and buyers trust those editorial reviews to feel confident in their purchase.