Here's a Product, Click the Link
So, what does today's title imply that I am going to talk about?
Yes, it's about affiliate links and why simply sprinkling them all over your posts will not convert to sales.
I have to say that, in part, I blame some of the training here for this mindset.
In Level 3, Lesson 4, one of the tasks is to add three affiliate links.
So, of course, you simply go back to one of your previous posts, highlight a few words, and turn them into an affiliate link.
"Here's a Product, Click the Link"
But why would your readers do that?
More than likely, the posts you had previously written were informational, offering useful advice.
Your readers wanted to learn something.
But now, you have turned your informational post into a commercial post.
And your readers are not at the buying stage.
They are looking for educational content.
If they had wanted to buy something, then their initial search on Google would have included terms such as Review, or the Best Product for XYZ, etc.
So, you can't hope that they will randomly click on one of your links in your informational posts.
Here's an example.
Let's say you have a food blog, and your post is about making guacamole.
That's all the reader wants to know - how do you make guacamole.
So, you wouldn't randomly add a link to a food processor and hope somebody will buy it.
A food processor is a big investment, and typically most people do a lot of extensive research before buying one.
They are not going to read your post and suddenly think, oh, I need a food processor; here's a link, that one will do.
Reserve your affiliate links for full product reviews, don't add them to informational posts.
Happy marketing!
Recent Comments
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My mantra is "any noun, especially a proper noun, can be an affiliate link." Think of it as a service to your reader. If there's something good that you already know about, then it's okay to put in the link to that product, even if the product name isn't mentioned, because you are in fact saving your reader from having to do the "Best XXX" or "XXX Review" on Google to get there. You never quite know how a reader will search for something, or what keyword will ultimately take them to purchase. While we make educated guesses based on the number of uses for a keyword, that's absolutely not a 100% guarantee to capture all of the shoppers.
The visitor has the choice to click or not. That's not disruptive to reading the post.
Thanks, Diane
Your post is “right on the money,” so to speak. 😊
There may be an opportunity to add an internal link on an informational post that points to your full review article on a product that’s integral to the subject matter, or better yet, an awesome roundup review with a buyer’s guide.
This could be effective with people on the cusp of moving from the research to the decision phase and have the money (or credit) to make a purchase.
Informational article —> roundup review—> full product reviews with affiliate links
Frank
Great post. Thanks for the valued observations. My jury is still out on this, so it's timely and interesting to get a birdseye view from your post and others' remarks. I'm initially trying out the approach of giving something away (FREE) that fits well with my article posted, i.e., a time and temperature chart download, which if clicked and followed captures an email and has product links in the follow-up thank you message.
Hi Diane, thanks for this! I agree, adding affiliate links to posts at such an early stage is a bad idea. I don't have enough traffic and at the moment, I'm giving my readers information and guidance on how and what to cook. This is what they need. Affiliate links will come later, when I've established trust and a sizeable following.
You're right about affiliate links being off-putting. If I go to a website and I have to trawl through ads and links and pop-ups to find what I'm looking for I will go somewhere else.
There was one site I visited recently that had so many ads I got lost. When I found what I needed a video popped up and started playing - right in the middle of what I was trying to read! No names mentioned but they need to concentrate on the user experience rather than trying to sell stuff.
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Diane you make a very valid point, yet I have to disagree about not adding links to recipes. I run several food blogs, and I do in fact place links on them for items I recommend a reader to use when they decide to "make" that recipe.
A food blender is something most will never purchase because they already have that, but a SUSHI making kit, is something most people do not own, therefore they are most likely to purchase that when reading my sushi recipes.
Since my recipes include detailed step by step cooking instructions, this entices readers to hopefully make it where they will WANT to make my recipe.
Since many in todays fast paced techno world are in a "get it now" mindset, they are more inclined to purchase the kit if they have a link they can click to "get it now" while it's fresh on their mind.
This is how I implement my affiliate links, and it works very well for me.
Ummm, interesting, thank you, Maria!