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Without targeted traffic, making money from affiliate marketing could be daunting.
In this post, you will learn the five best free traffic for affiliate marketing you must try if you want to make a consistent monthly income.
Although the fundamentals of generating website traffic remain the same, traffic channels have changed significantly.
The traffic sources I discuss in this post are personal experiences. Mainly, all the traffic sources have generated more hits leading to qualified sales.
Meanwhile, starting and managing an affiliate program is easier than ever: services like iDevDirect offer affiliate plugins for virtually any CMS: WooCommerce, Magento, Drupal, and platforms like Wix, Weebly, and many more.
I have compiled a list of traffic sources I used in the past six months to drive more sales traffic. Generate more affiliate commissions, and grow my business forward.
This is a mix of paid and free traffic for affiliate marketing campaigns. So I believe the information on this page will suit beginners and pro affiliate marketers.
Let’s dive in…
Free Affiliate Marketing Traffic Channels
To make money as an affiliate marketer, you should consider promoting your content through one or more of these traffic sources.
These traffic sources drive more traffic, engagement, and conversion than any other audience platform.
However, you must put in the effort, time, and resources to get the best of these traffic channels to maximize the available opportunities.
1. SEO – Organic Search Engines Traffic
Look here; in my experience, no other website traffic channel beats SEO for generating more sales traffic. However, this is debatable, as email marketing has proven to generate the highest return on investment.
But when you compare the financial cost of email marketing vs SEO, the search engine is one of the best free traffic for affiliate marketing.
Besides, if you get the SEO aspect of an article right, and it ranks top for its target keywords and other variations, this could mean an endless passive stream of traffic.
Within 12 days, I generated over six (6) sales for the Wp Rocket affiliate product and earned more affiliate commissions. These sales were possible because the page ranks top for its target keywords.
I have never run paid ads on this page. 90% of the traffic to the page is from search engines. Mostly, Google.
The good thing about SEO traffic is that you don’t have to keep burning money to get people to your affiliate offer. What you need is high-quality content that Google loves.
Conduct affiliate keyword research before writing a single word of your content. Writing an article without keyword research is potentially long-term traffic wasted.
You can leverage many keyword tools today to run effective keyword research. Semrush keyword magic tool is one I use often. You can get it here for a 7-day free trial.
And not just the keyword tool you can access, but the entire Semrush suite of marketing tools.
- Domain Analytics.
- Keyword Analytics.
- Marketing Insight.
- Projects.
- GAP Analytics.
- Topic Research.
- SEO Content Templates.
- SEO Writing Assistant.
- Lead Generation.
- List Management.
- Traffic Jet.
- CPC Map.
Semrush Marketing Plans and Pricing
Semrush has 3 (three) plans you can subscribe to:
- Pro – $99.95/month.
- Guru – $199.95/month.
- Business – $399.95/month.
You can check out each Semrush SEO plan’s features on this page.
If you subscribe to any of the Semrush plans using the link above, you will have access to all marketing tools on the Semrush website for that particular plan.
2. PPC – Pay-Per-Click Advertising
If you do affiliate marketing, spending extra cash driving more relevant PPC traffic is essential.
SEO traffic might be good, and email marketing may drive better ROI. But if you need quick results, PPC marketing is worth trying.
It takes time before your SEO efforts start picking up. And building a responsive email list is not instant. PPC advertising is a quick fix for driving target traffic and generating revenue.
However, there is a problem with running PPC ads for beginners.
You can’t get it right the first time. Running pay-per-click advertising takes a lot of testing, adjustments, and analyzing marketing data.
It requires that you spend money to learn how PPC advertising works.
It would be best to run ads multiple times to see what works from what does not. It takes a lot of patience and targeting options to run successful PPC advertising.
You’ll keep learning how to better your next ad campaign. There is never an end to learning in digital marketing.
I have tried a couple of PPC ad agencies. Microsoft advertising (formerly Bing) has been more effective than others.
Although the traffic you could get from the Microsoft search network might not be as massive as the Google ads network. But it is worth it, and I advise you to try Bing ads today, especially if you’re just getting started with PPC ads.
Microsoft ads are cheaper and more affordable than Google ads for beginners.
Microsoft Ads has been responsible for about 20% of my email subscribers list. This has also contributed to the traffic to my affiliate content.
Setting up your Microsoft ads account is not complicated. It’s straightforward.
Here is a list of search engine marketing PPC advertising to consider:
- Google Ads.
- Microsoft Ads
- Yahoo Gemini.
- Baidu.
- YouTube.
3. Email List Subscribers
No matter what year you’re doing affiliate marketing, email marketing is a MUST-have traffic channel to explore opportunities and increase commission.
Email list subscribers are your utmost guarantee of on-demand traffic channels for affiliate product marketing if done right.
But building an engaged email list is not as easy as saying. However, it is not difficult either. You have to start with the correct email marketing tools.
Since blogging in 2012, I have used as many as a dozen email marketing service providers.
Based on personal experience, not every email marketing tool will benefit your business’s growth.
You need more than just the basics of email marketing services. It would help if you had a tool to collect, organize, manage, and segment your email list without stress.
It is a piece of safety advice to start with free email marketing services like MailChimp for beginners. But as I said above, you need more than just the basics.
What email marketing services like MailChimp offer are just the basics. I used MailChimp for more than three years before moving to GetResponse.
You won’t build your email list faster with free email marketing services like MailChimp. This is because you will be limited to exploring advanced marketing tools to build compelling lead magnet forms that attract signups.
There are lots of advanced marketing tools in GetResponse to build your email list faster.
From professional email form templates to audience engagement to selling your product. Hosting a webinar, Survey, beautiful landing pages, running ads right inside your GetResponse account, etc.
You can do a lot of things with GetResponse email marketing services. You will find a list of all the GetResponse marketing features on this page.
No matter what type of signup form you want to build, you can do it with GetResponse.
4. Facebook Ads
Facebook has been essential to the growth of CyberNaira. But that’s not to say it brings direct affiliate sales.
Social media use may differ in every industry, website, or affiliate offer. I haven’t successfully used social media to drive more sales. But it has helped in brand awareness and lead generation.
Social media has also helped build engagement, which might lead to other business opportunities, like getting business deals from merchants.
Regularly, I run Facebook ads for some of the revenue-focused content to create awareness. Get more relevant eyeballs to the content and possibly generate more hits to the affiliate links.
While this hasn’t generated direct sales, it has helped drive more traffic, social shares, awareness, and subscribers.
These metrics may not directly generate sales but are good future sales opportunities.
If you haven’t tried Facebook ads before, maybe it’s time you dive in and see the growth they can bring to your business.
Besides, Facebook advertising cost is one of the cheapest among major ad agencies. Relatively cheaper than Microsoft and Google Ads.
But the conversion rate, too, can’t be compared to Google or Microsoft ads. In my experience, Facebook ads’ conversion rate is low compared to paid search engine marketing.
But if you want to drive massive traffic to a page on your website fast, try Facebook ads.
Here is a list of social media advertising channels you can give a try:
- Facebook.
- LinkedIn.
- Reddit.
- Pinterest.
- Instagram.
- Snapchat
Consider reading this article to learn more about effective tactics for affiliate marketing on Twitter.
5. Instagram
Facebook owns Instagram; this makes it seamlessly possible to place ads on Instagram without having an account there.
If you run Facebook ads, and your affiliate products appeal to an audience on Instagram, run your ads on Instagram too. It brings your affiliate product to the forefront of a massive audience.
But in my experience, not every affiliate offer would do well among the Instagram audience.
Products and services related to fashion, entertainment, Women, health, Skincare products, mobile device accessories, and things like these will probably do well on Instagram.
If you’re into any of these niches, try Instagram ads.
You only need to set up your ad on Facebook. It will automatically run on both Facebook and Instagram news feeds.
Conclusion – Free Traffic For Affiliate Marketing
Promoting your affiliate marketing content will take more planning, aggressiveness, and carefully worked-out strategies. Plus, it will require more resources than when you’re promoting non-revenue focus content.
This is true because, with affiliate marketing, your primary objective is to earn a commission.
The five traffic channels discussed in this post are enough to get you on the right path to driving massive traffic to your website.
Nice post, I want to drive traffic to my website and aslo need good Adsense account. Where is your office I wish to learn more from you.
wow , really very exhaustive and detailed step by step guide on affiliate marketing .
many thanks for sharing this valuable information for free.
Thanks, all the best.
Affiliate marketing is a trendy way to make money online. In this article, you have composed your inner thoughts on affiliate marketing. Thank you for sharing your important ideas.
Many thanks for sharing terrific informations. Your webpage is very great.
H, Singh,
Glad you find it helpful, thanks for reading through.
Hello Shamsudeen. Great post. The facts you have written about the affiliate marketing is really good and informational and relevant too. Thank you very much for the post.
Glad you like it, Valibhav.
Hey SHAMSUDEEN,
You are right affiliate marketing is a trendy way to make money online.
In this article you have mention all the important things about affiliate marketing which is really good information and relevant too. Promoting affiliate marketing content will take more planning ,carefully worked and aggressiveness, it also require more resources compared to when we are promoting non-revenue focus content.
thank you,
-sweety
Hi, Sweety,
Thnaks for your valuable inputs. I’m glad to read you liked it. Thanks.
Hey SHAMSUDEEN,
In this article you have mentioned all the important things about The idea behind it is that you promote other people’s products, often through an affiliate network, earning a commission if people actually end up buying thanks to your marketing.
Hi, Anamika,
Thanks for reading through, I’m glad you like it.
Thank you Shamsudeen, for sharing your important ideas about affiliates marketing traffic channels and of cause now affiliate marketing is a trendy way to make money online. It is really useful content for us.
Thank you, Tarundeep,
Glad you find it useful.
Hey SHAMSUDEEN,
Very Informative and Relevant Content for affiliation. Do I have to ask about what measure should we take for a successful campaign ? please reply me
Hi, Ayush,
Do more content promotion than writing itself, and try paid ads if you haven’t run with it. It helps bring your content to the forefront of relevant audiences. I hope this helps?
Hi, thanks for your sharing. I really interested on affiliate marketing, but how to make an affiliate blog or website that the product is really needed someone. How to research it? Thanks
Hi, Syaffi,
Affiliate marketing is a profitable business if done right. You only need to approach it from a business perceptive. If you search through this blog, there are many other posts on affiliate marketing you’ll find helpful.
And thanks for reading through.
Thanks a lot for the amazing affiliate marketing tips and tricks. Your blog was definitely worth reading.
Thanks, Jessica, glad you liked it.
Thanks a lot for the amazing affiliate marketing tips and tricks. Your blog was definitely worth reading.
Hey Shamsudeen,
Thank you for sharing this amazing ideas about affiliate marketing. This marketing is really profitable if you have complete knowledge of doing it in a right way. It represent the complete information of making money online using affiliate marketing.
I am glad to say that all the tips mention by you in this post is suitable for beginners and pro affiliate marketers alike. It is really useful content for us. I am genuinely grateful for your valuable efforts.
Have a good day ahead!!!
Thanks,
Ruhee
Hi, Ruhee,
I’m so glad you find the tips here helpful. Thanks for reading through and hope to read from you again soon.
Thanks for your time here.
You have shared such informative posts with the audience. this is a vital topic to discuss in today’s modern era. Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to promote your valuable content and achieve your business goals. This article helps me understand this topic as you have covered every bit of affiliate marketing in this. Keep sharing more informative posts for us.
Glad you like it.
WOW. how awesome tip you have given here. Just loved them. Never though affiliate marketing can be that easy. Thanks a lot for providing us the insights and knowlegde. Much appreciated.
You’re welcome, Harsh, and glad you find it helpful.
You shared a useful & informative article as usual, You cleared many bridges for my affiliate career. I picked up a couple of things I didn’t know, Thank you for sharing.
Those are great tips shamsudeen, I’ve used them to help grow my blog. If I may ask what are your thoughts on the importance of H1 on the blog?
Hi, Jamie,
Thanks for reading through. Back to your question…primarily, the page title is wrapped up in H1 tag and this has been the best practice for web development since I can remember.
Search engines like Bing will flag a URL for SEO error if the page title is missing the H1 tag. The best practice is to put your page title in the H1 tag and any sub-heading in the body article can take the h2, h3 tag.
I hope this helps?
If you want a more in-depth understanding of how the H tags are implemented on a page, read this: https://yoast.com/how-to-use-headings-on-your-site/
I am doing affiliate marketing, I used these strategies, it really works, well explained SHAMSUDEEN