Create a Price Comparison Website: 10 Tips for Building a Price Comparison Website

We live in a digital age where more and more people shop online or use internet-based services. Accordingly, the range of products and the competition are huge. Providers try to undercut each other with various extras and offers or lower prices. For many potential customers, the route to a new product goes through a comparison portal that compares different product portals and marketplaces along with their offers and other criteria. The goal is to find the best deal for the customer. It is therefore not surprising that the number of comparison portals has steadily grown. It remains a good and lucrative business idea – provided that the project is executed correctly. In this article, we share ten expert tips to help you succeed with your own price comparison website and explain what matters.

The Essentials at a Glance

What Differences Exist Among Price Comparison Websites?

Today, there are various price comparison portals on the market. Some websites compare virtually every product on certain marketplaces, while others specialize in comparing insurance, travel, or other services. Still others focus on comparing specific products such as kitchen appliances, PCs, electronics, etc. Typically, the largest and most well-known e-commerce sites are compared, as well as those websites whose operators pay the portal for inclusion.

Usually, it makes sense to use a comparison website that specializes in the desired product or service, although there are also several general comparison portals that are among the market leaders. In Germany, well-known examples include Vergleich.de, Preisvergleich.de, and Idealo.de. All three are general comparison websites and are top providers of these services. Meanwhile, services like Wechselpilot.de help with switching electricity, gas providers, or insurance.

Fundamentally, it is advisable to use multiple comparison portals at the outset and compare the results. This gradually gives you an idea of which portal excels in which area and which price comparison website best suits your shopping interests.

How Can You Create a Price Comparison Website?

Creating a price comparison website is not as simple as it might seem at first glance. The website must not only retrieve and evaluate data from various marketplaces, but also compare it based on certain conditions and criteria. Therefore, an experienced team of programmers is required—one that is well-versed in programming languages such as JavaScript, PHP, REST APIs, etc.

You will need your own server or a reliable hosting provider, as well as databases and API interfaces. In addition, you must seek out cooperation partners and sponsors—portals and websites that will pay you for the comparison service. This is how you generate revenue, since customers usually do not pay for the service of comparison portals. Instead, the website receives a commission or bonus from the respective provider.

Shopboostr has many years of experience developing complex online portals of all kinds and has successfully launched over 100 projects, including price comparison websites. Our team is available to offer you extensive, no-obligation advice on this subject.

10 Tips for Building a Successful Price Comparison Website

There are now several well-known and well-established price comparison websites on the market. This does not mean there isn’t room for new providers, but you must consider the topic and the competition in advance to identify a market gap, a niche, or an advantage that will enable you to successfully position your comparison portal.

In this section, we share our ten expert tips to help you successfully build a price comparison portal.

Tip 1: Develop a Thorough Concept

The most important step for your own price comparison website is to develop a solid concept and plan. Think about what your portal will offer and how you can successfully outcompete rivals with your idea. For example, do you want to compare specific products or services, or offer a general portal covering all products and services? This is just one of many questions you need to address. We recommend consulting with a professional agency if possible—they can advise you on whether your concept is viable or if improvements are needed.

Shopboostr offers a free, no-obligation initial consultation where you can present your project. We will then review your plan and assess its potential for success before discussing the next steps.

Tip 2: Consider the Financing

Developing a price comparison portal is an expensive endeavor. Moreover, compared to other websites and portals, the revenue potential is usually much lower because you rely on commissions from providers, partners, and sponsors. In any case, you must initially cover the costs until your portal generates income. Therefore, it is important to plan your financing carefully. Perhaps you have income from another business or have built up reserves. If not, consider asking your bank for a loan. Alternatively, finding a business partner or a primary sponsor might help secure the necessary funds. It is crucial to have a solid capital base in the end.

Importantly, do not plan your financing too tightly. Complex projects like a web portal often encounter issues or delays, and the final project costs are almost always higher than initially planned. This must be taken into account when planning your capital, taking out loans, and securing reserves.

Tip 3: You Need a Professional Partner for Development

Developing a price comparison website is a complex task. It is an elaborate platform that not only needs to be planned and designed but also implemented, maintained, and marketed. Therefore, it is advisable to look for a suitable partner early on—an agency specializing in e-commerce can help you with your project.

Shopboostr has been active in the industry for many years and, as one of the market leaders in the DACH region, has successfully launched and supported numerous projects. We work with you not only on planning and implementation but also on the programming and marketing. Once your platform goes live, we take over its maintenance and updates.

Tip 4: Conduct a Market and Competitor Analysis

The e-commerce market is fiercely competitive, and the same applies to comparison portals, of which more and more have emerged in recent years. People now buy almost everything online and have an abundance of choices. Consequently, many turn to comparison portals to avoid having to search through every shop and marketplace for the best or cheapest product. Your competitors already know this and have successfully established portals such as Idealo, Preisvergleich, Vergleich, Wechselpilot, etc., over many years. If you want to break into this market as a new company with your comparison portal, a detailed market and competitor analysis is indispensable.

Examine what already exists, what is missing, and what could be improved among the companies currently on the market. Use well-known comparison portals to search for products and note what you dislike, which features are missing, or what could be done better. A thorough market analysis not only helps determine whether your idea can be successful but also provides vital information and may help you identify a suitable niche for your price comparison website—be it a specific industry or even a particular product.

Tip 5: Establish the Necessary Infrastructure

A price comparison website requires not only the software for the site but also the necessary infrastructure to meet all additional demands. If your comparison site does not run on your own servers, you must find a suitable hosting provider that offers sufficient bandwidth, storage space, databases, modern software, email, and high security standards. You must secure your site against unauthorized access, hacker attacks, etc. It would be disastrous if your portal became inaccessible just a few hours after launch because bandwidth limits were exceeded.

Shopboostr collaborates with various hosting partners and can help you find a provider that meets your requirements, ensuring that everything conforms to the necessary standards.

Tip 6: Find Reputable Partners and Sponsors

Comparison portals thrive on partnerships and sponsorships. Sponsors pay to have their products or services highlighted on the portal. Partners collaborate with your portal by providing data and products and granting access or API connections to their marketplace. In other words, these are your main revenue sources.

You should begin searching for partners and sponsors early on and ensure they are reputable. Otherwise, you risk being labeled unreliable, and no one will want to use your portal. At the same time, it is important to remain impartial and ensure you offer products or services at fair prices despite the presence of sponsors and partners.

Tip 7: Obtain Legal Consultation and Support from a Specialist Lawyer

For your comparison portal, you need a partner for legal advice and support. You must protect yourself legally, draft terms and conditions as well as privacy policies, and safeguard against fraud. Additionally, you need to manage dunning processes and potential litigation, and review contracts with sponsors and partners to avoid legal issues. This means that a professional legal partner is indispensable from the outset of developing your price comparison website, ensuring that everything complies with legal standards and that you are legally protected.

Tip 8: Regular Updates, Monitoring, and Support

Prices, products, and services on the market often change. Prices rise and fall, special offers or bonus promotions occur, and new products are introduced while older ones disappear. Your comparison portal must be able to keep pace with these changes. Although you might secure a special rate through agreements with partners and sponsors, product changes and price fluctuations require you to update and adjust your portal. Additionally, you need to provide support and service to your partners, sponsors, and visitors in case of questions or issues.

Tip 9: Consider Additional Offers and Features

To differentiate yourself from other providers and improve your comparison portal, you should constantly consider what you can change and enhance. Perhaps you could secure new partners, offer extra benefits to your customers or sponsors, or identify another competitive advantage. You might, for example, offer free shipping through your site, launch discount promotions, or provide a bonus on a second purchase. There are many possibilities here, and being creative can significantly boost the success of your price comparison website and give you clear advantages over the competition. It is important to build a strong brand image and stand out from rivals.

Tip 10: Marketing, Newsletters, and PR for Your Portal

To ensure that your comparison portal is discovered and used despite the intense competition, marketing and public relations efforts are essential. You must establish your presence in the market and persuade customers, as well as partners and sponsors, of your value. Additionally, keep your customers informed with regular newsletters.

A successful marketing campaign requires not only social media and community management, but also a website that is built with SEO, mobile-first design, responsive design, and other important factors in mind. A professional marketing agency is vital for these tasks. Shopboostr’s expert team can assist you—feel free to get in touch with our team for an initial consultation.

Conclusion and Summary

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