The question of link building and improving SEO simultaneously with the development of an affiliate marketing relationship is one that merchants ask me quite frequently. Here’s the text of one such email:
In our next newsletter we would like to push an extra 1% commission for anyone who puts some SEO HTML code on their home page. We’re trying to get to #1 in Google again for [keyphrase here]. Yes, we held this rank for a long time.
If we give them an HTML snippet, do you think they would go for it?
I have just shot the following video-response to this question:
Yesterday I published an “SEO Link Building in Affiliate Marketing – Merchant Perspective” post where I talked about the impossibility of having a merchant direct-link to an affiliate. The answer to the question the above merchant is posing is also “No. No affiliate that knows what he/she is doing will go for it.” The main reason for this being that while such one-way direct links are beneficial for the merchant’s SEO, they carry no value for the affiliate’s website.
About two years ago, I got somewhat excited about idea of direct linking to merchants. Now however I absolutely agree with you Geno, there is very little value for affiliates to link with SEO friendly links to their merchants. Especially if you trying to optimize your own websites for natural results.
Thanks for your opinion, Vlad. I appreciate the comment, and your re-tweets of this video. Thanks a lot, drug.
Agreed! If I don’t see a value in adding a link, it won’t go in. Generally, people want quid pro quo when it comes to their linking strategies — I’ll do for you, but only if you agree to do likewise for me.