Learn easy SEO tips to make your affiliate site top the search and earn more.
Ever wondered how some websites are always at the top when you search for something? It's not magic; it's SEO! For affiliate marketers, mastering SEO can be the golden ticket to making more money.
SEO, or search engine optimization, is like the secret recipe for getting your website noticed by search engines like Google. If you're in the business of affiliate marketing, knowing the ins and outs of SEO can set you apart.
SEO is the process of increasing your website’s visibility on search engines through various techniques. If your affiliate strategy involves a website, you can hopefully see why SEO is important.
Here are the main things that you should be focusing on in terms of SEO:
There are tons of different methods and strategies out there that are theorized to improve SEO. However, in this list, I will be sticking to the core principles that even Google themselves says are important.
You probably already know the importance of content quality when creating your affiliate website. So instead of telling you why it is important, I’ll go over some tips to ensure that your content is high-quality and how you can make more.
The quality of a website can be subjective. So why not just go to the source and see what Google thinks is a high-quality site? Try looking at the top-ranking pages and how they are formatted to help with your article. Look for things like word count, topics covered, keywords targeted, and title.
When implementing strategies used by posts that are currently ranking well, remember that if you want to beat them to the top of Google, you can't just copy them. You have to find a way to make it better.
In most cases, they will also have more backlinks and a more trusted website, so even with the same content, you will not rank as high as them.
In other words, are you covering all aspects of a topic that are relevant? For example, in this post, I included an introduction to what SEO is, if you didn’t know, even though it is not the main focus of the article.
You don't want visitors to come to your website and not be able to find the answer that they originally came for.
The "People also ask" section on Google is a great place to look for these questions that visitors might have. To find questions for your keyword, simply do a search with it.
Having high-quality and useful images can improve the SEO of your page by improving the user experience. Random stock photos that somewhat relate to your page don’t exactly add value to the reader. Focus on finding or creating visuals to serve readers.
4 common search intents are navigational, commercial, transactional, and informational. This article falls under an information intent because users are looking for information. By satisfying the visitor's search intent, you will keep them on your site longer and provide a better experience.
To get a more in-depth explanation of search intent, check out Backlinko’s article on search intent.
Having an easy-to-navigate website does two things:
Allowing users to find other pages they seek could lead to more commissions from your affiliate links.
Here are some actionable steps to improve your website’s navigation and drive more sales with your affiliate strategy.
We have all seen these links before. These internal links can drive traffic to your other affiliate pages, potentially earning you more commissions.
Luckily, they are straightforward to implement. All you have to do to create a successful internal link is find a point in your article that can relate to another article you have.
Let's say we have an article about how to run your first 5k and you have a section for “Invest in the Right Pair of Shoes”. Then you can insert something like this:
Having a link in your header to an important page (ideally one that converts to money or leads) is a common strategy for any kind of site that sells something. Here is an example from the AuthorityHacker website.
Make sure that the callout on these buttons is something that would interest your readers, so be sure that it is relevant.
Many of the top review sites that focus on affiliate marketing to earn revenue make use of these affiliate link boxes. The goal of these boxes is to get clicks on your affiliate link and also inform the visitor of what they are clicking on. Here are some elements that may be worth including:
A fast-loading website can significantly improve the user experience, reduce bounce rates, and increase the chances of higher search engine rankings. For affiliates, this means more commissions can be made.
PageSpeed Insights is a tool made by Google to help you gauge your site’s speed, accessibility, and SEO.
All you have to do to use it is plug in the website URL that you would like to check and let the tool scan your page. It will then come back with improvements and fixes you can make to improve the site in several categories.
Compressing your images and converting them to a next-gen image format is a simple way to speed up your website. Also, making sure that your images aren’t 4K resolution when they only take up a small part of the screen will reduce the amount of information that will have to be downloaded to the visitor's browser.
A quick and free way to compress and convert your images is to use TinyPNG.
If your affiliate website is on WordPress or another popular website platform, you are in luck. There are plenty of plugins that you can get for your website to increase its speed. Additionally, these plugins are extremely simple to use, as you only have to download them to get them to work.
Many of these plugins work by caching the website’s content and pages. There are free and paid options available.
For a list of these plugins, check out HubSpot’s page on WordPress Cache Plugins.
Your website host can influence how fast your website loads. Improving your website host is probably the easiest thing you can do on this list, however, unlike the other options, it may cost you.
Here are my two recommendations for hosts that are both fast and affordable:
Hostinger offers an ideal blend of affordability, reliability, and user-friendliness, making it a top choice for affiliate marketers at all levels. With a range of hosting plans tailored to meet various needs, from shared to VPS and cloud hosting, it ensures marketers can launch and scale their campaigns with ease.
Its standout features, such as 24/7 support, free SSL certificates, and a versatile website builder, cater specifically to the demands of affiliate marketing, enabling users to maintain high uptime, create secure and engaging landing pages, and manage their sites without extensive technical know-how.
Hostinger starts at $2.99/month and goes up to $9.99/month. They also have a 30-day money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied.
Netlify stands out as a modern web hosting and automation platform that is particularly beneficial for affiliate marketers focusing on building fast, secure, and scalable static sites and web applications. Its serverless architecture and seamless integration with modern development tools and workflows make it an excellent choice for those leveraging Jamstack technology for better performance and security.
Netlify has a free plan that allows you to host up to 500 websites. The free plan is all that most affiliates will need for a static website.
Improving a website’s off-page SEO is a good idea for any website owner, affiliate marketer, or not. In the end, everyone wants more organic traffic. Off-page SEO can help with this.
A backlink is a link from another website to your own. Several methods exist to obtain backlinks.
A strong social media presence increases visibility, builds trust with your audience, and drives targeted traffic to your affiliate links.
It enables direct engagement with your followers, allowing for real-time promotion and feedback, which can significantly boost your affiliate marketing efforts by reaching potential customers who spend a considerable amount of their time online.
In conclusion, mastering SEO is crucial for affiliate marketers looking to increase their visibility, drive traffic, and ultimately boost their earnings. By focusing on the basics such as keywords, content quality, backlinks, and user experience, you can significantly improve your site's ranking on search engines.
Additionally, implementing strategies to enhance your content, navigation, website speed, and off-page SEO will further optimize your site for better performance. Remember, SEO is an ongoing process that requires continuous effort and adaptation to the latest trends and algorithm updates. To stay ahead, keep learning, experimenting, and refining your strategies.
This article was focused on the SEO strategies that could directly benefit affiliate marketers. For more SEO tips that can help your website rank even higher, check out our SEO guide for small businesses
