Affiliate Traffic Sources and Finding the Best Ones

What Is a Traffic Source?

A traffic source is a platform that sends potential customers to the affiliate’s blog, store, or social media page. Because of their popularity, a blog or website is the most common platform. 

Using a blog the content creator can directly add affiliate links to related products or services.

However, a website isn’t the only affiliate traffic source to be used. Recently, content creators have expanded to social media. They have started using these platforms just as effectively for affiliate advertising.

One thing to remember is that developing traffic from these sources takes time and money. The process starts with good content that resonates with your audience. This is the best way to ensure you get high-quality visitors. 

The quality of your traffic is essential for any successful business.

Types of Traffic Sources – Paid vs. Organic

Traffic sources can be divided into two different categories – paid and organic. These broad categories include strategies to generate new leads and increase your web visitors.

Paid 

As the name suggests, a paid traffic source is all visitors you receive due to a paid marketing campaign. Paid campaigns can be a great way to direct traffic to your content when utilized effectively quickly. 

As expected, there is a cost attached to paid advertising. However, the return on investment (ROI) is usually good and much better than traditional marketing techniques. But, some paid marketing techniques have a learning curve to be aware of to utilize for the best results.

Organic

Alternatively, organic traffic is free. This is one of the most significant benefits of this traffic source. Organic search traffic usually comes from search engines or social media. 

Optimizing your content for search engines can be time-consuming and sometimes challenging.

However, it’s well worth it once you’ve made the improvements. Your conversion rates will increase, leading to more visitors and better leads.

Best Paid Affiliate Traffic Sources

Paid affiliate traffic is a great way to reach new leads who might not see your content. Therefore, this makes it a crucial part of any marketing campaign – especially if you want to increase your affiliate traffic. 

Here are a few of the best-paid affiliate traffic sources you can consider adding to your marketing campaign.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)

PPC is an advertising technique where you pay to show your website on external platforms. Usually, with PPC, your ad appears in the search results for your chosen keywords. 

One of the best benefits of PPC is that you only pay when someone clicks on your link. Therefore, the ROI for this technique tends to be higher, and once you understand how it works, it can be very effective.

To successfully use this type of campaign, it’s recommended that you do significant keyword research before launching a campaign to discover keywords related to your topic that aren’t as competitive and, therefore, more expensive.

Other PPC platforms to consider include:

• EZmob
• Google Ads
• Microsoft ads (formerly Bing Ads)

Link and Banner Advertisements

Links and banners have become the most frequently used paid campaigns on the internet. Besides their popularity, they’re also the most basic to start using.

These days it’s nearly impossible to find a website that isn’t displaying some banner or link ad. 

Plain text links or image banners are used effectively to guide interested people back to your content. Banner advertising also has a significant visual impact when designed and placed correctly. This makes them especially effective. 

Banners and links aren’t reserved for websites and blogs; they can also be used in social media and emails.

Banners allow you to keep your display ads on point with your brand. You can even use tools like the Easy Affiliate Plugin to help create your banners easily. 

When using banners as an affiliate traffic source, you need to think carefully about the content of your banner and placement. Make sure the benefit to the user is clear, and always include a simple call-to-action (CTA).

Other platforms to consider for mobile banner ads include:

• Adsterra
• PubMatic
• Adikteev

Social Media Advertising

Another paid affiliate traffic stream that’s become particularly popular in the last few years is social media advertising. Social media advertising enables you to reach out to your target audience, increase your visitors and brand awareness and even generate new leads.

Each platform has its advertising suite to use, and since the media are already quite saturated, there are a few things to keep in mind when considering this form of advertising. 

Your audience is the critical key, and you should go where they are. Some industries are more popular on Instagram, while others thrive on Twitter. 

Find where your target audience spends most of their time and utilize these channels. Also, ensure that your content is engaging and of good quality to keep people coming back.

Platforms you can consider using to increase affiliate traffic include:

• Facebook
• YouTube
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

Best Organic Affiliate Traffic Sources

For many individuals, organic affiliate traffic sources may seem like the cheaper and easier option to use. Generating a steady stream of organic traffic can be challenging and requires hard work, monitoring, and improvements. 

Here are a few of the best techniques to boost your organic traffic.

SEO Traffic

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is critical for any content creator to implement. Search Engine Optimization uses a complex algorithm that considers various factors in your content. 

Then it ranks you in the search results for your keywords. The better your website’s SEO is, the higher your content will be in the search results. 

Implementing SEO can be tricky as no one knows what all the factors are that search engines consider. On the other hand, this is done on purpose so that websites don’t just curate content that addresses SEO. 

Instead, they create good-quality content for the reader. In that respect, we know that user intent is a factor that the algorithm considers important.

Here are a few proven ways to improve SEO:

• Use unique and engaging content
• Use your main word early on in your content, and add it sparingly throughout – don’t keyword stuff.
• Create unique title tags and descriptions using your keyword
• Link to other content on your website and high-authority external sites

Social Media

Social media has already proven a handy tool in marketing your business and engaging with your audience. Start by creating high-value content on your website. Moreover, you can use your social media accounts to get your content seen by more people.

Some social media platforms are more difficult to build a presence on. However, if you’re consistent, present, and provide valuable content, you’ll soon start growing your following and should see those results convert into a reputable affiliate traffic source.

Email Marketing

Email marketing remains one of the most powerful organic marketing techniques available. Start building an email list early, and ensure you send newsletters consistently to keep your brand top-of-mind. 

First, you should decide whether you want to send your newsletter weekly, monthly or quarterly. Choose the options that suit your industry best. Then the rest of your strategy can follow.

Things To Keep In Mind When Choosing a Traffic Source

There are a few key considerations when deciding which of the above sources is best. One thing to always bear in mind if you want to benefit from these different sources is to take a balanced approach between paid and organic traffic sources.

As a result, take a look at these factors before deciding which affiliate traffic sources to use:

• Cost (paid vs. organic)
• The estimated amount of traffic brought in
• Quality of traffic brought in
• Restrictions
• Who the source reaches

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, understanding your affiliate traffic sources is crucial. This knowledge helps you decide where to invest your time, money, and effort for the best results. You can combine these or implement them one at a time to see which works best for your business. 

Above all, these methods are just a handful of the available options. You can look at some of the best affiliate programs on our blog to find other options that might also benefit your business.