Search panic! Affiliate links are taking over Google and other search engines!
Red alert! We’ve been invaded by affiliate links!
What are affiliate links, exactly?
Affiliate content on a search engine typically refers to web pages or online content that includes affiliate marketing links. Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing strategy where a business rewards affiliates (partners) for each visitor or customer brought by the affiliate’s marketing efforts. When it comes to search engines, affiliate content may include:
Affiliate links
These are special URLs that contain an affiliate ID. When users click on these links and make a purchase or perform a desired action, the affiliate earns a commission.
Product reviews and recommendations
To be fair, not all affiliate links are bad. Web pages that provide reviews, recommendations, or comparisons of products or services, often with affiliate links embedded, can be very instructive to one’s potential purchasing journey. Affiliates may (often) earn a commission for sales generated through these links. Know who’s bread is being buttered before you take their word on anything.
Promotional content
Yes, this is vague. But you know a promotion when you see one. You’re going to see more than one. Briefly, it’s content created to promote products or services with affiliate links, such as special offers, discounts, or limited-time deals.
Banner ads
Graphic advertisements that include affiliate links. Clicking on the banner may take users to a merchant’s website, and the affiliate earns a commission for resulting sales.
Coupon and deal sites
Websites that aggregate and share promotional codes, discounts, or deals, often with affiliate links. Affiliates earn a commission when users click through and make a purchase using these links.
Search engines like Google, Bing, Tik Tok, YouTube, and all the other platforms the purport to be one thing but are at their very core, a monstrously powerful search engine, aim to provide users with relevant and high-quality content. They also have guidelines and algorithms in place to ensure that the search results are not manipulated or filled with low-quality affiliate content. Sometimes these work. Other times it’s clear all kinds of hinky stuff is going on.
Search engines may penalize or de-rank websites that engage in practices considered spammy or manipulative, such as keyword stuffing, hidden text, or irrelevant content. These black hat tactics never work for long.
It’s important for website owners and affiliates to follow best practices, provide valuable content, and comply with search engine guidelines to maintain a positive online presence and visibility. Additionally, disclosing the use of affiliate links is often recommended for transparency with users and compliance with regulatory requirements.
