Have you ever seen one of those “Jack-of-all-Trades” websites, promoting everything from hosting services to vegan recipes? I see them way too often when going over affiliate applications, and vast majority of such websites perform poorly when it comes to conversions.
Unfortunately, many affiliates in the pursuit of a revenue increase add each and every banner available out there, hoping that at least something will appeal to their visitors. Not only does this make the website cluttered, but also substantially decreases conversion rates, which undermines the very purpose of an affiliate website – to drive income. On the other hand, by promoting highly relevant products that are immediate solutions to the visitor’s needs, affiliates undoubtedly get the highest conversion rates. This is a case of “less is more.”
How to find out what your visitors need? If your website is focused on one narrow topic, the visitor’s intent is pretty obvious. But what if your website features multiple topics or one very broad topic? In that case, you would want to invest some time in researching Google Analytics (or your web analytics suite of choice) data. By looking into the search queries list, you’ll find which keyword phrases people use to find your website. While many phrases will be quite predictable, you still might be surprised with some results. Additional insight can be gained from readers’ comments on your blog posts and mentions of your website on Facebook and Twitter.
If the product you promote isn’t immediately relevant to your website’s topic, but you still think it has good potential, try to fill in the gap between visitor’s intent and the product by creating a strong promotional message. For example, you can promote grills on a website that focuses on weight loss by creating a series of posts that feature delicious, healthy and low-calorie grilled vegetable recipes. Usually such in-content promotion works better than simply placing a banner, because it allows explaining in detail how particular visitors can benefit from using the product.
With the full understanding of your visitors’ intent, you’ll be able to choose products and services that not only are relevant and cater to the needs of users, but also convert better and bring the substantial increase of affiliate income.
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Great post! In a way, what you’re saying is what I’ve always believed..that content and affiliates work together..each supporting the other. But which is really first..I mean, should you write great content and then try to fit the affiliate link/product to the content, or the inverse, based on what your visitors are looking for? I suppose you can do both, but there’s no doubt that it’s a good idea to examine the analytics to see what your visitors are seeking. I’m going to archive this one for future use..Thanks!
Thank you, Heather. I’m glad you find my post useful. I’d suggest you should research what your visitors are looking for first, because your ultimate goal is not simply great content, but great converting content 🙂