The Affiliate Content Playbook You’ll Never Get From “Experts

In 2021, Webselenese was acquired for $149.1 million, making it one of the BIGGEST exits for a portfolio of affiliate marketing websites ever.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210308005178/en/Webselenese-acquired-by-Kape-Technologie

The way we grew our websites was quite different from what affiliate marketing gurus usually preach, starting from "the affiliate site model is dead."

Far from it

We’ve lost a huge part of our traffic but we’re still doing well. Many affiliate marketers are still banking hard.

How

By restructuring your affiliate website strategy, but that would take an entire book, so today I wanted to share some quick tips on how to squeeze every dollar out of your traffic. If people appreciate, I will share more

They've been very easy and effective yet so many websites still miss on them

Hope it helps

1?? Monetize EVERY page

Most affiliate sites rely only on "best" roundup listicles to actually sell.

But your top 10 pages by traffic probably don't include ANY roundups. It’s a waste!

Add a CTA to push your products on every page with traffic. Even in the Hero section, if possible.

For example, generic how-to guides (e.g. "How to delete your Instagram account") have been one of the biggest traffic drivers for vpnMentor, our best website and one of the highest-earning affiliate sites ever.

We monetized each of these posts by adding a custom CTA that pushes the bestVPN for the use case. Here's an example from our "best torrent sites" listicle?

Some tools you can use to generate CTA elements:

1. WordPress: OptinMonster, Thrive Leads, Convert Pro, WP Call Button, Beaver Builder
2. Squarespace/Wix: Built-in drag-and-drop CTAs + third-party apps
3. Shopify: Blog CTA Pro, MaxLeads

There is always a way to sell that makes sense. If not, maybe that piece of content is irrelevant.

And no, readers are not going to lose trust in you. They know you do this for money, and that’s ok. Just be transparent about it.

2?? Sell hard AF

Your above the fold is the highest converting part of any web page. Don’t waste it with useless featured images!

Your above the fold should include:

1. Affiliate table with top three-five picks
2. Callout box with top product(s)
3. Callout box with full list and 1-2 CTA buttons

Test as many variations as you can think of in the above the fold (but also across the page) and include as many affiliate links as possible.

Enrich each link with a description that fulfills search intent.

Just look at this callout box below… 8 links, and it worked great. ?

Here’s another example:

Callout box with top product

And don’t forget to add a floating banner in the sidebar sitewide.

Pro tip: The element in comparison tables that often get the most clicks is the image. But most websites don’t add links to their images.

What a user usually sees when he/she first arrives on your site is:

1) Page Title

2) Comparison table (or callout box)

3) Intro

The table is the FIRST place where they can actually see the product. This makes them very inclined to click the image.

Link your images!

3?? Write for (lazy) people 

Most people skim, they don’t read.

The reader should be able to skim through the entire article in two minutes max and understand everything.

Prioritize information that sell:

1. Sticky sidebar with CTAs
2. Headings that satisfies search intent
3. More CTAs at the end of each paragraph

Check this example from one of our websites ?

Pro tip: use heatmaps to see where people stop reading. These are the parts of your content they are most interested in.

4?? Prove everything you say (at least try)

You can’t just say “this product does this for you” without proving it.

At least add a screenshot, even an old one, but prove your point.

5?? Sell hard AF (again? Yep!)

The user must always have at least one link to click on.

Don’t make them scroll to convert.

Place affiliate links wherever possible:

1. In a floating sidebar
2. At the end of each section
3. In sticky headers
4. In urgency timers
5. In Scroll-triggered boxes
6. In welcome pop ups or exit pop ups (add a coupon only here)
7. In Coupon or Deal Boxes
8. In a sticky footer banner
9. In Images and Infographics
10. In Thank You Pages (place an affiliate offer as next-step recommendation)

Test a combination of these placements and formats to find the best compromise between conversion potential and user experience. Vary offers, copy, and design to optimize performance across different channels and pages.

Hope this helps, and good luck to you!

You got this ?