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Hey Reader!

Are you feeling outmatched in the affiliate marketing arena? Wondering if you are doing the right thing to stay ahead of the game? Want to outlast - and outrank - your competitors? Then gear up, because you've just found your ultimate playbook!

The unpredictability of Google’s latest algorithm update has left many affiliates in the lurch, struggling to keep up or figure out where they went wrong. Many affiliate marketers were - and still are - caught off guard by the sudden shift in the ranking realms; watching their hard work plummet right before their eyes!

For affiliates who are serious about long-term success and are dedicated and eager to thrive, this newsletter is right up your alley. If not, then close the email now.

Whether you’ve been in the affiliate game for ages, or are a “noob”, this insightful guide will help you tame the Google giants, so you can outlast 99.9% of your competitors.

Drawing on over a decade of experience in the industry, I’ve seen it all: from high-ranking sites to the mediocre kinds, and well, let’s be honest, the downright awful.

I’ve put in hours of research into this topic, so you can stay 3 steps ahead of the curve.

Most times, I find affiliate marketers just become lazy and complacent.

Are you guilty of this? Let’s read on to find out!

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🤐 The Reactive Or Complacent Mindset

🔑Key takeaways:

• Successful affiliate sites are 2 steps ahead of the game; anticipating potential issues and addressing them head-on.
• They don’t wait for the algorithm to blow their site right outta the water.
• They continuously follow trends, stay up to date with industry best practices, and consistently improve user experience.

Where a lot of unsuccessful affiliate sites go wrong is: they fall into the trap of being reactive - or complacent - rather than being PROACTIVE.

They often wait for problems to arise before taking any kind of corrective action.

This lack of gumption leads to missed opportunities and diminishes your rankings.

So you really need to nitpick your site OFTEN to find any holes.

🐢Slow site speeds

One very common pitfall is the complacency of affiliates towards their website’s ranking.

For instance, some of you may be aware of your site’s slow loading times - a vital element in user experience, SEO rankings, and engagement; yet you choose to ignore it!

It’s kind of like a coffee shop owner knowing they use crappy coffee beans, yet they claim to be the “best” in town. While feet are still coming through the door and they are able to pay the bills; they do nothing about the fact - or realize - that one day customers will start to complain or stop coming back altogether!

Only when their coffee machine is gathering dust and unpaid bills are racking up, does the penny drop and they finally decide to make a change!

This is the same for affiliate sites.

If you know there is a problem, FIX IT before it's too late! Do not ignore user complaints - their engagement is your bread and butter at the end of the day!

🧻 Low-quality pages

Another factor to consider is the accumulation of low-quality pages on your site.

Some affiliates tend to focus on quantity over quality, causing a mass of subpar - and invaluable - pages to pile up on their site.

These low-quality pages are causing your site to dip and are by no means of any benefit to your target audience.

Stop doing that!

This also ties back to affiliate marketers becoming complacent. Instead of regularly reviewing their site with a fine-tooth comb, they often leave older, invaluable pages of content on their site - and that is when the Google giant marches in and penalizes your rankings!

It’s like they say: if it looks like poop, acts like poops, and smells like poop... it is 100% poop!

No matter how you package that sh!tstorm bundle on your site - wrapped up in powder-puff fluff - your customers will see through it and your site is destined for Sh!t Town!

On the upside, successful affiliate sites like NerdWallet, prioritize high-quality, SEO-optimised content that is valuable and genuinely helpful for their audience.

🤏 Outdated Content: The Silent Killer

🔑Key takeaways:

• Regular content audits are non-negotiable.
• Remove or update outdated content consistently.
• Be proactive.
• There’s still time for a beer - once the groundwork has been done (I’ll explain this in a minute).

🤿 Deep dive

The internet changes on a daily basis.

We know the content that once drove significant traffic to your site can become updated in the blink of an eye.

Affiliate experts understand that its more than just creating content, it’s about ensuring the content we put out has relevance in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

🕳️ Stagnation pitfalls

Remember that article that was a massive hit a year ago? If it hasn’t been updated, it's no longer serving any purpose or aligning with current algorithm trends.

These low-quality and outdated pages are eroding your site's credibility, making you seem out of touch with the industry’s pulse.

They are stale and stagnate.

They need to go.

(Remember what I said about poop earlier? 💩)

🏋️Proactive approach

Regular content audits are a non-negotiable.

Pros dive deep into the analytics on our sites.

We identify content that's lagging or is outdated and take strategic steps to revamp it.

While lower-ranking site owners are enjoying midweek ice-cold beers with their mates (and can’t remember when last time they reviewed their site analytics); we’re already 3 steps ahead of the curve.

Audit FIRST.

Beers later.

📈 Compounding

Successful SEOs know the power of compounding.

They fully understand that small, consistent investments grow exponentially over time.

SEO efforts build upon each other, leading to bigger and better results.

The image below shows this concept well.

Look at how successful Mr Beast has been 👇

His meteoric rise isn’t a result of a few posts that went viral; it was an accumulation of consistent effort and strategic moves.

He plays the game well. Bravo Jamie 👏

🦎 Be Adaptable

🔑Key takeaways:

• Being adaptable is the key to the success of your site.
• Be quick to change and sort out issues as soon as they happen.
• Consistently review your site’s content. Is it meaningful? Does it add value?
• Education must be your top priority. Research current industry trends.

As algorithms change and new users' preferences arise daily, adaptability isn’t a nice-to-have trait anymore: it’s a survival skill.

And this is the same for the affiliate marketing game.

To put it bluntly: either you adapt or you die - figurately of course!

The difference between a successful affiliate site and a struggling affiliate site lies in adaptability.

Being nimble, agile, and responsive is the only way you will survive in the wild realms of affiliate marketing.

Like a lizard that sheds its skin to become bigger and better; affiliates too need to shed their metaphorical skin to outshine and outlast the competition!

Being adaptable is your defense mechanism.

Your survival skill.

🌀Adapt to change

Successful sites thrive on change.

They are constantly on the lookout to improve their strategies, find and implement new tools, and keep up with the latest industry trends.

They also have a powerful, valuable, and consistent online presence.

This leads to increased visibility and engagement which in turn gives them higher rankings.

They are quick to embrace new technologies, adjust their plans based on data-driven insights, and keep a watchful eye for fresh opportunities.

These sites not only adapt to the challenges thrown at them but emerge stronger, setting industry benchmarks and championing their domain!

🎓On-going education

You can’t adapt if you don’t know what you’re adapting to. Right?

If you answered “yes” to that, you’re probably NOT giving your site enough attention.

Successful affiliate site owners know what, how, and when the algorithms - like Google’s latest update - hit them.

It’s obvious what the algorithm has done to SERPs.

Their recipe for success is simple:

• They’re eager to learn.
• They research and keep abreast of current industry trends.
• They check out the competition (to see what they’re good - and bad - at).
• They create meaningful content.
• They have a passion to succeed.
• They find ways to adapt.
• They face challenges head-on.
• They don’t use outdated strategies.

By doing this, we are already 3 steps ahead of other affiliates.

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🎣 Avoid The Lure of Quick Fixes And Distractions

🔑Key takeaways:

• Successful affiliate sites understand that success requires long-term vision. Slow and steady wins the race, every time!
• They commit themselves to building genuine value for their audience.
• They block out distractions.
• They do not get sucked into ‘quick fix’ fads or “guaranteed success” schemes.

The digital landscape is rife with false promises, ‘instant’ success, and distractions.

From “get rich in 30 days” gimmicks to “guaranteed ranking hacks”, there’s honestly nothing more ridiculous - if you’re a successful ranking site, that is.

There doesn’t seem to be any shortage of shady practices or overly ambitious sales pitches out there, and I need to hand it to them, they’re bloody brilliant at what they do!

Sadly, SO many affiliate marketers are lured into this trap.

You must understand, that if you want your site to rank well - much like anything in life - you need to put in the groundwork to reap the rewards. Yes, that means proper ‘blood, sweat, and tears’!

Shortcuts lead to pay cuts.

Read that again.

Shortcuts lead to pay cuts.

This means your pay will be cut (i.e. drop in rankings = fewer commissions/earnings) as a result of these shortcuts ‘promises.’

🦠Parasite SEO

Here’s one distraction I avoided recently.

Parasite SEO was all the rage on Twitter (or should I say X?) and whilst it's a cool strategy, I knew I'd get distracted if I engaged with it.

I already had a plan and wanted to stick to it.

Parasite SEO isn’t new. It’s just become increasingly popular recently.

Parasite SEO is a tactic that involves “piggybacking” on the authority of well-established sites to rank for competitive keywords.

Kind of like, the Remora fish who attaches itself to sharks, picking up the scraps.

You do know that another word for them is “suckerfish”, right? And for heaven's sake, you don’t want to be a sucker, do you?

While parasite SEO may offer short-term gains initially - it’s a super risky approach to build your entire site around.

I know you know this already.

And I also know it's highly lucrative even if you hold onto these rankings for a couple of months.

But search engines are continuously evolving and will figure out how to penalise this strategy.

🪩Shiny object syndrome

We're all seasoned enough in the affiliate marketing world to recognize the constant influx of "revolutionary" tools, advanced hacks, and exclusive workshops that promise to skyrocket our strategies.

This tendency, even among experts, to lean towards the latest 'game-changing' trend, only to shift focus when the next best thing emerges, is an advanced form of the shiny object syndrome.

It's like a chess grandmaster constantly changing strategies mid-game, lured by every potential move without considering the endgame.

Keyword clustering dilutes your brand's message and value proposition.

We know this.

We've all been there.

It's challenging.
It's a strategic maze.
And yes, it can be a test of our expertise and patience.

You need to be smart here; if something seems too good to be true, you know it probably is.

And we know there is no magic bullet for success.

But we can, at times, entertain it - especially when recovering from an algorithmic shift.

If you want your site to have a significant online presence; it’s not only about hard work, its about strategic integration. Vet new strategies against your long-term goals.

And block out the noise.

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🏆 Focus On Value Over Profit

🔑Key takeaways:

• Money shouldn’t be the be-all and end-all. Value is.
• Quality over quantity.
• Focus on building a genuine relationship with your users. Offer useful information that they can benefit from.
• If you forget about your users - and don’t have a long-term audience-building strategy in place - they’ll forget about you!

The temptation to make a quick buck is real.

Many affiliate sites want to line their pockets, instead of providing genuine value for their target audience.

This happens more often than you think, resulting in websites with poor ranking metrics.

The digital age has democratised information, giving consumers the power to discern genuine value for mere profit-grabbing motives.

Affiliate marketing websites, that prioritise VALUE over profits, win the battle, every time and will continue to succeed in the long run.

👇 Check out this tweet to see what I mean.

👎Low-quality content in exchange for quick sales

While the math seems simple enough:

More content = More sales = More money in the bank.

This is often where most affiliates go wrong. They create and churn out article after article, in their race to the ‘finish line’.

Initially, this generates short-term gains.

But they forgot to create content that has:

• Depth
• Relevance
• Value

By fast-tracking their way to ‘success’, soon enough the algorithm will pick up on it - causing their site to crash and burn.

This is not the way to do it.

A ‘quick’ way to monitor this, is having an article so rich in value that the affiliate links go unnoticed.

You need to tell your audience they need that product, without telling them they need that product. Get it?

The importance of building a healthy relationship with your users is the cornerstone of successful affiliate sites.

🙅Negative audience-building strategies

Being an affiliate marketer, you need to wear many hats. You need to:

1. Understand your (niche) audience.
2. Don’t get distracted or buy into ‘trendy’ sales schemes.
3. Prioritise quality over quantity.
4. Create valuable content that resonates with your audience.
5. Have the correct affiliate links that match your content.
6. Focus on short-term and long-term strategies

and, and, and….

While it is tempting to focus on immediate sales, forgetting long-term audience-building strategies will be the death of your site.

For instance, not investing time and resources in creating engaging lead magnets can lead to missed opportunities.

What I’m trying to say is, if you forget about your users, they’ll forget about you in a cyber heartbeat.

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🏗️ Treat Your Site Like A Real Business

🔑Key takeaways:

• Show up for your business, like you would going into a real office.
• Half-assed effort will give you half-assed ranking results.
• Focus on customer satisfaction. More value = More loyalty.
• Have a short and long-term vision for your site.
• Being real, honest and open is the only way you will show authenticity.

The line between a genuine business and a fleeting online presence can often blur.

Just because your website doesn’t require you to “physically go into the office”, it doesn’t mean you can’t show up.

How would you feel if the local grocer down the road only worked when they felt like it? You wouldn’t be impressed - and that’s how your users will interpret your radio silence (and wishy-washy content!)

With all the digital content that floods our inboxes and smartphones nowadays, showing up on your affiliate site has never been more important.

You need to be the captain of the ship, navigating it through troubled waters to ensure its longevity. Rally the crew, push them to produce the most beneficial content out there and the results will follow.

If you put in half-assed effort, you’ll get half-assed results. End of story.

Here are a few key indicators:

😶Affiliate sites with no ambition

As I mentioned, many affiliate sites are created with short-term goals in mind.

They don’t think further than their nose!

They have tunnel vision; only zooming in on quickly capitalising trends without offering any real value.

While it's cool to make a quick buck, this short-term strategy is often short-lived.

These sites lack depth or offer oversold content and tend to fall off the digital radar within months.

They don’t have a proper marketing strategy in place that focuses on short-, mid-, and long-term goals.

They forget to ask: “Where do I want to be in 1-, 5-, 10-years time?”

💪 Value-driven sites

On the other hand, successful sites encapsulate their vision beautifully.

They focus on delivering genuine value to their audience.

They actually care about building a REAL community of like-minded individuals, resulting in an audience that values their trust and transparency.

They implement long-term strategies and have long-term goals for their site.

Often going the extra mile to provide content that is both informative and beneficial to the reader.

They understand that affiliate marketing isn’t only about making moola; it's about building a brand that can weather any (digital) storm!

✅Authenticity

This loosely ties back to sites that lack ambition. Providing invaluable content proves you lack authority in your niche.

And why would someone genuinely continue to follow you, if you’re offering crappy content?

The key is: trustworthiness.

Being open, honest, and transparent is the only way you can build authority in the market.

Be authentic.

Be real.

Be of value to your readers.

Do that, and the rankings will follow!

🤝 Build Trust Signals: The Right Way

🔑Key takeaways:

• Successful affiliates invest in genuine trust-building activities.
• They build rapport by creating high-quality content, engaging in podcasts, and showcasing expertise, experience, authority, and trustworthiness (EEAT).
• They provide clear contact details (NAP).
• They avoid distractions and stick to their long-term strategy plan.

In the digital age, think of trust as your currency.

The success of an affiliate site is not just about driving traffic or having high-quality products; it's establishing a genuine connection with your audience.

Trust is the ace up your sleeve.

Trust is your money maker.

Want more clicks and conversions? Your audience will ‘pay’ you in exchange for your valuable services.

😶‍🌫️ Overlooking simple trust signals

One of the most basic, yet often forgotten aspects of building trust online is providing clear and consistent NAP (Name Address Phone number) information.

This not only helps in local SEO but also assures visitors to your site that they’re dealing with a real person and not a robot.

🗑️Engaging in short-term, ‘spammy’ activities

Buying low-quality links and falling prey to distraction gimmicks may provide ‘success’ initially but don’t have the trust factor.

The algorithm gods will penalise sites for this, alienating users from your site, and leaving your site high and dry.

🧑‍🎓Continuous Learning

🔑Key takeaways:

• Throw yourself into education.
• Invest in paid memberships or subscriptions with industry experts.
• Engage with your online community, by answering DMs or sending personalised ‘thank you’ messages after each sale.
• Be actively involved in webinars to gain insight into current industry trends.

I briefly touched on this earlier.

The digital world is changing and changing fast.

Strategies that worked 6 months ago hold no credit today.

You need to adapt if you want your affiliate site to last.

Consumer preferences, interests, and spending habits have changed.

We know readers get bored quickly.

The hook is the opening line of your article. It's your only chance to make a good impression.

You’ve got 3 seconds for the reader to decide whether they will stay or move on to the next article.

They want a quick answer.

I know you know this, but often affiliates forget it. You can’t be putting out fluffy content and not expect the reader to get bored. End of story.

💡Invest in educational resources

Continuous learning is your ally.

To stay ahead, one must be adaptable, open to new information, and always be on the lookout for fresh ideas and tactics.

Investing in private memberships, masterclasses, webinars, and subscribing to newsletters (like this one!) are a couple of ways to stretch your brain.

These platforms offer a wealth of knowledge from industry experts and phenomenal networking opportunities.

They open doors to learning about the latest trends, tools, and strategies which gives you the upper hand in the competitive affiliate marketing space.

As the saying “you need to spend money to make money” goes, investing in paid courses, classes, or the like, is a benefit to you and your readers.

🤳Engage with your community

To be successful you need to engage with your online community. Engaging with your audience, such as replying to DMs and emails, helps to build lasting relationships and a loyal following.

Actively participating in seminars, discussions, and surveys amongst industry experts, gives you insight into their successes and failures.

💭 Final Thoughts

🗑️The digital realms are littered with affiliate sites that have crashed and burned.

The unpredictability of Google’s latest algorithm updates has definitely left many affiliates in the lurch, struggling to comprehend what went wrong. They were caught off guard by the sudden shift and saw their hard work plummet right before their eyes, leaving their bank accounts looking rather dismal.

📈Yet, as I’ve highlighted in this guide, the blueprint for success is clear: adaptability, authenticity, and genuine value to your audience.

Stay away from gimmick-ey “shiny objects” and do not be like the Remora fish, sucking on titbits from other established sites!

Treat your affiliate site like a business and you will succeed.

🥇Investing in trust-building signals, continuous education, and having a long-term plan in place is what sets the winners apart from the losers.

🌊I’ll end this article with one more analogy (because I can’t help myself!).

Approach your affiliate site like a ship navigating troubled waters. A successful affiliate site must adapt to sudden changes and steer it with expertise, foresight, and a clear vision. It’s not just about navigating the waters but mastering them.

👇As you venture further into affiliate sites, ask yourself: Are you in it for a quick buck or a lasting legacy?

Don’t be shy to reach out to us.

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Cheers to high-ranking sites,

Bergen and Craig

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