Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. There has been a significant and worrisome rise in fake gas powered air compressor reviews, and these fake reviews exist for one simple reason: affiliate sales.
Affiliate programs pay a commission to online salespeople who sell their product. And while the concept is similar to traditional commission structures, there’s one very big difference—anyone can become an affiliate salesperson. There is no interview or qualification process, and online sales people can promote literally any product that catches their fancy, air compressors included.
As a result, affiliate-funded websites aren’t sharing the best air compressors—they’re sharing the best paying air compressors. Every time someone buys an air compressor through one of their links, they get a payout of up to 8%.
This is a big problem. Affiliate sales people limit their reviews to the products available in the affiliate catalogue. As a result, many of the best air compressors will never be considered for these review sites, because they aren’t listed on Amazon or the like. In fact, many quality air compressor manufacturers only sell through authorized dealers and would never list their products for direct sales on an affiliate website.
Let’s look at this from another angle: the people who are the most successful at affiliate linking are marketers, content writers, and SEO experts who know how to drive traffic to their websites. They may know a little bit about air compressors, or they may know nothing at all, because actual product knowledge isn’t a requirement for successful affiliate sales.
It’s highly unlikely that most content marketers earning about $50 to $200 per sale are purchasing and using the air compressors they are reviewing. Instead, it’s common practice in affiliate sales to rehash product descriptions, spec sheets, and other information found online, to try to entice buyers into purchasing any one of the available affiliate products.
We looked at the top 10 sites that appeared in Google for “best gas air compressors” and cross-referenced their recommended products. Without fail, every single one of them was a product from Amazon’s affiliate program.
| Brand | Example Image | Product(s) | Amazon Affiliate? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial Air | Industrial Air Contractor CTA5090412 | Yes | |
| Ingersoll-Rand | Ingersoll-Rand SS3J5.5GH-WB Ingersoll Rand IRTC2475F13GH |
Yes | |
| ROLAIR/Rol-Air | ROLAIR 4090HK17 5.5 HP Rol-Air Air Compressor GX200 Rol-Air Air Compressor 6590Hk18 |
Yes | |
| Puma | Puma Gas Powered Air Compressor PUK-5508G | Yes | |
| NorthStar | NorthStar Air Compressor – 8 Gallon NorthStar Portable Gas Air Compressor – 20 Gallon NorthStar Portable Gas Air Compressor – 30 Gallon |
Yes | |
| Makita | Makita MAC5501G 5.5 HP Gas Air Compressor Makita MAC2400 Big Bore |
Yes | |
| DeWalt | DeWalt DXCMTB5590856 Honda Powered Wheelbarrow Compressor Dewalt Subaru Wheelbarrow Gas Air Compressor DEWALT D55154 | 4 Gallon Electric Air Compressor DeWalt DXCMTA5090412 |
Yes | |
| Hitachi | Hitachi EC2510E 8 Gallon Gas Powered Air Compressor | Yes |
All of the gas powered air compressors listed above are part of Amazon’s affiliate sales program. Does that mean they’re bad air compressors? Who knows! …But that’s exactly the problem.
Affiliate programs make it impossible to know whether a suggested product is “the best” or if it’s just being promoted that way because it’s an easy pay cheque. Because of this bias, reviews for affiliate products are useless to the buyer who is trying to find legitimate information.
Gas powered air compressors and small portable air compressors have fallen victim to the affiliate game, but we don’t see the same problem with PTO driven, vehicle-integrated or hydraulic air compressors. Why?
It’s because gas powered air compressors can be installed without a professional upfitter and fall into a lower price point. These two factors make it easier to buy and sell gas powered air compressors online, while more sophisticated air compressor systems rely on a true expert to help.
The affiliate sales process is a fairly simple concept that almost anyone can execute. Here are the 5 steps it takes to sell air compressors through an affiliate program.
The most challenging part is getting people to their site in the first place. But, as proven by all the affiliate links on the search results page for “gas powered air compressors”, it’s not that hard.
People are willing to create entire websites around the products they are hoping to sell and those websites can be pretty convincing.
Now that we’ve established there’s some inaccurate, self-serving information on gas powered air compressors, how do you find trustworthy reviews?
First, you need to know what to protect yourself against. The following are some tell-tale signs of an affiliate product:
Next, you need to find reputable sources of air compressor information. Let’s discuss a couple of options for gathering reputable air compressor reviews.
The best way to find an honest opinion about air compressors is through local air compressor dealers. Find a couple of experts in your area and then visit them in person to ask about your options and get their feedback.
If a Dealer has got your back, they’ll listen to what you need first and then provide a solution that works for your industry and application.
Peers in the industry you work in are another great source of air compressor information. Ask what they’re using and what they think of it. Just ensure you ask around, as personal opinions can vary greatly.
A few places you can get peer feedback include:
Most people are perfectly happy to help a fellow expert out and share their genuine opinion with you.
If you’re in the market for a gas drive air compressor, skip the online affiliate reviews and talk to someone who will give you a more objective opinion. You’ll thank yourself in the long run.
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