Affiliate marketing is a way to earn a commission by promoting other people’s (or company’s) products.
It’s simple: you find a product you like, promote it to your readers, and earn a percentage of the profit for each sale. Sounds great, right?
Indeed, it’s crucial to acknowledge that your affiliate product performs differently. Choosing the wrong ones can result in wasted efforts and limited profits. To navigate this challenge effectively, it’s essential to select affiliate marketing products that resonate well with your WordPress content and are likely to generate significant revenue.
In this guide, I will walk through every step of the process to help you choose the right product for affiliate marketing.
Table of Contents
What makes an affiliate product the ideal choice?
Choosing the perfect affiliate product goes beyond just picking something cool. This section will reveal key factors to consider, like audience fit, product demand, and commission rates, to maximize your affiliate marketing success.
Align affiliate products with your niche, content, and audience
Before you start selecting affiliate products, it’s essential to understand your audience and niche. Identify the demographics and interests of your target audience to determine the types of products that would appeal to them.
For example, if your website focuses on fitness and wellness, your audience may be interested in affiliate marketing products such as fitness equipment, nutritional supplements, or workout clothing. So, these products might relate well with your visitors as they align with your content. On the contrary, if you promote something out of your fitness niche, say a home gourmet cooking set, on this website, it’s likely not to sit well with your audience, and your affiliate marketing efforts may fall flat.
Product demand and popularity
When selecting affiliate marketing products for your WordPress content, it’s crucial to consider top-selling products. One effective way to determine a product’s demand is using Google or other tools. Let’s use the fitness blog example to find a product suitable for an article with integrated affiliate advertising.
Google Trends
Google Trends allows you to explore the popularity of search terms over time and in different regions. You can analyze the search interest and demand trends by entering keywords related to potential affiliate products or product categories. Look for products with a consistent or growing search volume to identify those in high demand. After checking Google Trends, it’s clear that searches for waist trainers are declining, whereas there’s a rising trend in searches for steppers.
Keyword Planner
Google’s Keyword Planner tool enables you to research search volume data for specific keywords. By entering keywords relevant to the products you consider promoting, you can assess the average monthly search volume. Opt for products with keywords that have higher search volumes, as they indicate greater demand.
In my example, I’m using the Keyword Planner to explore the potential of the term “stepper” and its related keywords.
Related Searches
Another method is to explore the “Related Searches” section on Google’s search engine results pages. By entering keywords related to your niche or potential affiliate products, you can manually identify related search queries that users seek information about. This research can give you insights into trending topics and products within your niche.
Professional Keyword tools
With tools like ahrefs, Semrush, or Mangools, you can input seed keywords related to fitness, discover new long-tail variations, and see their estimated monthly search volume, competition level, trends, and difficulty to rank for in one go.
Affiliate commission rate and conversion potential
Affiliate marketing works on a commission basis. As a blogger or webmaster, you promote a product or service from an affiliate partner like the Amazon, Etsy, or any company with an affiliate program. The company then pays you a commission for each sale generated through your unique referral link.
There are two primary forms of commissions:
- By sale: This is the most common type, where you earn a percentage of the total sale price whenever someone clicks your link and makes a purchase.
- By lead: In this model, you get paid a predetermined amount for each qualified lead you generate, such as a signup or completed form submission.
It’s important to note that recurring commissions are typically only offered for products with subscription models where customers pay regularly, as the Advanced Ads affiliate program offers. These commissions allow you to earn a percentage of each customer’s recurring payment.
The sweet spot: sales versus price
Let’s go through a basic example with numbers to showcase the impact of price and conversion rate.
Imagine writing a compelling review about two steppers on your fitness blog: a budget-friendly option from BudgetFit and a premium one from StepperZone. Both programs offer a 5% commission rate, but which brings in more money?
| BudgetFit Stepper | StepperZone Stepper | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $50 | $200 |
| CTR (click-through rate) | 5% | 2% |
| Conversion rate | 8% | 4% |
| Commission per sale | $50 × 5% = $2.50 | $200 × 5% = $10 |
| Sales needed for $10 commission | 4 | 1 |
| RPM (revenue per mille, 1000 × CTR × Conversion rate × Commission) | 1,000 × 0.05 × 0.08 × $2.50 = $10 | 1,000 × 0.02 × 0.04 × $10 = $8 |
While you’d need to sell four BudgetFit steppers to reach the same commission earned from one StepperZone sale ($10). The higher conversion rate could make it easier to achieve. This is especially true if your website traffic is low.
The ideal stepper for your blog hinges on your readers’ preferences. Are they budget-conscious or inclined to invest in premium equipment? Track your click-through and conversion rates to discern which products best resonate with your audience.
Keep in mind that a high conversion rate on a lower-priced product can be as lucrative as a high commission on a pricier item struggling to convert clicks into sales. Additionally, consider exploring dedicated affiliate programs offering commissions higher than the standard 5% used in this example. This could significantly alter the equation.
See this tutorial to learn more about earning calculation for Amazon affiliate websites.
Product quality and credibility
We revisit the BudgetFit vs. StepperZone scenario, but this time, let’s add a twist: brand reputation and trust. Imagine a new player entering the game—FitStar Steppers ($250), a brand known for high-quality fitness equipment. Let’s assume a 4% CTR and a hypothetical 12% conversion rate based on brand reputation and perceived quality.
Notice how FitStar, despite a lower CTR than BudgetFit, potentially achieves a higher conversion rate due to brand recognition and trust. People familiar with the FitStar name will likely click and ultimately buy based on perceived quality.
FitStar may have a lower click-through rate, but its conversion rate could benefit from brand awareness. Unfortunately, you can only monetize this device via Amazon, and the commission for this product category might be lower (2.5%) than that of the other two products. However, shoppers might trust Amazon’s return policy and customer service more than a smaller online store. This might lead to a higher conversion rate despite the higher price.
| BudgetFit Stepper | StepperZone Stepper | FitStar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $50 | $200 | $250 |
| CTR (Click-through rate) | 5% | 2% | 4% |
| Conversion rate | 8% | 4% | 12% |
| Commission per sale | $50 × 5% = $2.50 | $200 × 5% = $10 | $250 × 2.5% = $6.25 |
| Sales needed for $10 commission | 4 | 1 | 1.6 |
| RPM (revenue per mille, 1000 × CTR × Conversion rate × Commission) | 1000 × 0.05% × 0.08% × $2.50 = $10 | 1000 × 0.02% × 0.04% × $10 = $8 | 1000 × 0.04% × 0.12% × $6.25 = $30 |
Consider the brands and platforms you recommend for your fitness blog to shine. Picking names your readers recognize and promoting products on trusted sites can go a long way. Familiar names build trust, which can nudge readers to buy what you recommend, even if the price tag might seem steeper.
Affiliate program features
In addition to the actual product, the affiliate program’s features can also significantly impact the success of your promotion.
Imagine you find the same stepper on two different affiliate programs, e.g., an online store for sporting goods and Amazon. Program A might offer a decent commission on the sale, but their only marketing tool is a generic banner for a generic sports and fitness store and nondescript affiliate text links.
Program B, on the other hand, offers a similar commission but may provide more suitable tools to help you seamlessly integrate elegant product widgets with high-quality images and up-to-date prices into your website. For example, think of what plugins like AAWP + Advanced Ads combined offer.
These dedicated widgets will be more visually appealing and informative to your readers than a generic banner. This shift can dramatically improve click-through rates and translate into more sales.
Monitoring performance and optimizing
Monitoring performance and optimizing your affiliate marketing strategy is crucial for maximizing conversions and revenue. By tracking the performance of your affiliate links, you gain valuable insights into products that resonate with your audience and drive conversions. Analyzing this data informs decisions on product selection and promotional strategies for better results.
Experimenting with different products and promotional approaches helps identify what works best for your audience. A/B testing various placements, call-to-action buttons, or content formats determines the most effective conversion strategies.
Website tools measure click-through rates, but conversion rates and shopping cart value data rely on affiliate network statistics.
Recommended tools for monitoring affiliate product performance include:
- Google Analytics provides detailed insights into website traffic and visitor behavior. Custom tracking monitors affiliate link clicks and conversions, analyzing revenue-driving products, albeit with some complexity in setup.
- Advanced Ads offers a Tracking add-on for automatically embedding and targeting affiliate products. It measures impressions, clicks, and click-through rates while also enabling link masking for aesthetics and integration with Google Analytics for enhanced data analysis.
- Pretty Links is a WordPress plugin for link cloaking, rudimentary tracking, and affiliate link management. Although its pro version is relatively expensive, it offers fewer features than Advanced Ads.
- Bitly is a URL-shortening service with basic click-tracking capabilities. However, it lacks impression tracking and provides no information on affiliate product click-through rates.
Conclusion on affiliate marketing products to sell
Finding the perfect affiliate products isn’t quite a walk in the park – there’s more to it than just picking something trendy. This guide explored key ingredients for a successful affiliate marketing recipe: understanding your audience and niche, gauging product demand, analyzing commission rates and conversion potential, and optimizing your approach.
By following these steps, you’ll be well on your way to turning your website into a potential revenue stream featuring products your audience truly connects with. Remember, experimentation and data analysis are crucial to refining your strategy over time. So grab your chef’s hat, experiment with different ingredients, and see what clicks with your audience!
Joachim started marketing his first local news website in 2009. Shortly after, he successfully monetized his travel blogs about Morocco. He is an expert in affiliate marketing in the tourism and travel industry. When he's not writing tutorials for Advanced Ads or supporting other users, he prefers staying in Marrakech or at the Baltic Sea.
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