SEO Affiliate Marketing is a business model that allows you to market and promote other people’s (or company’s) products and services for a commission on sales. SEO Affiliate Marketing can be done through various channels such as Paid Traffic, Organic Traffic, Social Media Traffic, Display Advertising, Search Engines, etc.
When done correctly SEO Affiliate Marketing can be an extremely effective way to build a business online.
Before you start learning the ropes of SEO Affiliate Marketing, it is important to first learn some basic concepts and strategies that will lay the foundation for your future success if done correctly.
What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate Marketing is a type of performance-based marketing in which you promote someone else’s (or company’s) product and receive a commission if sales can be traced back to your promotion.
Without needing to own or manage the customer relationship, affiliate marketers still get credit for driving customers to an online business where they can purchase products and services.
The most common way to track your affiliate marketing is via a special link or code which you will give out to your potential customers.
Relationship Between SEO and Affiliate Marketing
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) helps you to grow your online presence through natural search results. People will find your website or content organically when conducting searches on Google, Bing, etc for related keywords pertaining to the services and products you offer.
Affiliate Marketing is a great way to make use of this organic traffic by promoting products and services that you think your visitors might be interested in.
By promoting these products or services through special affiliate links, there is a higher chance of earning more money because the customer relationship does not need to be managed by yourself (therefore reducing your own costs).
A basic example would be like this:
You are an SEO Specialist and you have a website about SEO Tips. You want to promote a product or service related to SEO and you just so happen to sell an eBook about ‘How to Rank for High-Value Keywords’ where you give tips and strategies on how people can rank for these types of keywords.
You then create a link through your affiliate network and use this code in your SEO Tips website. When someone reads your article and clicks on that affiliate link, you get paid a commission if they end up buying the product or service (after going through your personal link).
SEO strategy can help to increase your online presence and therefore enables you to market products and services better by getting more eyeballs on them while also earning some money in the process.
How does Affiliate Marketing Work?
In the old days, nearly every company with their own products had an affiliate program where they used to pay commission on sales. However, in recent times, affiliate programs have been replaced by media buying.
In a traditional affiliate program, you will get a unique URL that contains your affiliate ID and then you get paid when the people who come to that page click on some kind of advert or link which sends them through to an online store where they buy something.
When it comes to SEO Affiliate Marketing, things aren’t that different. You still get a unique URL that contains your affiliate ID and then you get paid when people come through to that page from different sources such as Google, Facebook, YouTube etc.
When the right kind of traffic comes through to a webpage where you have an affiliate link installed, a cookie is dropped on the browser so that the online store knows where the sale came from.
So yes, Affiliate Marketing is still around but it has taken on a new shape and form because of recent changes in the way that people are using different channels to market online.
SEO Affiliate Marketing: Success Tips for Affiliate Marketers
For an SEO Affiliate Marketer to be successful and generate good ROI from their campaigns, there are some tips that you need to keep in mind.
#1 – Keep track of your stats
In order to optimize and scale your campaigns, you need data points such as CTR, CPC, CPM, etc. In order to get these data points though, you need to have tracking in place.
Some of the most commonly used tracking tools are Google Analytics, ClickMagick, etc.
#2 – Use relevant links on-site pages
The affiliate link that you use should be placing bids for high converting landing pages which makes it possible to convert new customers easily. Although this might seem obvious to some, too many marketers do not realize this fact and they end up hurting their own success by promoting irrelevant links.
#3 – Use targeted geo-targeting on social media platforms
Almost all of the major social media platforms have geo-targeting capabilities that you can take advantage of when doing affiliate marketing. If your audience lives in a certain region, then it is a good idea to geo-target the same region.
#4 – Give away valuable content
One of the best ways to get people on your side is by giving them valuable free content that they will enjoy consuming. This way instead of focusing on trying to sell your products, you are earning their trust and loyalty which increases the chances of someone buying from you in the future.
#5 – Write extensively, create great links and get links from anywhere
Search Engine Optimization is an art that you need to master if you want to be successful in online Affiliate Marketing. Mastering SEO will allow you not only to make your campaigns work but also to scale them more efficiently.
For example, instead of writing your product or service name when linking back to the merchant, you can write something relevant to the context which will make it more likely for people to click on it.
#6 – Use social media influencers
Influencer Marketing is big in 2021 and is only expected to grow in 2022. If done right, Influencer Marketing can yield very good results for an Affiliate Marketer.
#7 – Create content at scale
Even though this may seem like a no-brainer, many marketers do not understand that in order to succeed, they need to create massive amounts of relevant content which is targeted towards their audience. By writing blog posts and articles, you are creating brand awareness which is key to the success of any marketing campaign.
The best results are obtained when you incorporate SEO in your content creation process.
#8 – Affiliate marketing for newer entrants in the market
Affiliate Marketing is a great way to generate branding awareness for newer businesses that are trying to break into an established market. Since they do not have much of a reputation as of now, they can leverage the brand awareness that Affiliate Marketing provides.
#9 – Make your campaigns work with email marketing
Email Marketing is still one of the most used forms of communication and many marketers believe that there is no replacement for it in sight. By harnessing its power and using it to promote affiliate offers you can generate a massive amount of conversions for your campaigns.
#10 – Participate in social media groups
If there is one thing that you should take advantage of while doing affiliate marketing, it has to be social media groups. There are Facebook and Linkedin groups designed specifically for Affiliate Marketing and joining them will help you build relationships with people in the industry.
These are some of the most important things that you need to keep in mind when doing affiliate marketing. As an Affiliate Marketer, this is your best bet for making sure that your campaigns generate massive amounts of conversions and branding awareness. By putting these simple steps into action you will be able to scale your affiliate marketing campaigns without too much trouble.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Affiliate Marketing is a great way to earn passive income. If you use the tips and tricks mentioned in this article correctly, then there is no reason why you should not be successful with it.