Let me start with a quote from the last post where I ended by stating . . .
Now let us come to the question of how specificity is crucial in affiliate marketing. Here, the issue is not just well written material but also well written material containing specific words that rank high on, say, Google searches. Long-form content must be SEO-friendly (search engine optimisation friendly).
This can be tricky for at least two reasons — first, how to use key words? — second, where to find them?
Let me address them in my next post.
Let me now address these two issues in their same order.
A typical mistake that long-form content writers can make is stuffing their content with key words to such an extent that it becomes unreadable. Please remember the human reader at the other end. If it does not make sense to them, then your effort is wasted. With the wide availability of automation, readers might reject your content thinking that it is AI-generated and therefore lacks authenticity. One thing you need to bear in mind: the reader does not want to be taken for a ride.
It could be that as AI consolidates itself as mainstream, accomplished writers will be in even greater demand and thus able to demand a premium for their services — they could market themselves simply on the claim that their content is ‘handcrafted.’ The size of the artisanal market on sites such as Etsy should tell us where things might be going in the future.
Interlude — A Small Demonstration
Imagine that you are promoting a brand that sells fast fashion . . . “In the last three years, Brand X has won first place consecutively for environment friendly clothing” — provided of course such a claim is factually true.
Now look at the bolded words, environmentally friendly.
Let us also assume for this exercise that those two words — as a single phrase — rank very highly on Google. Just using that phrase effectively in a sentence such as, for example, “When most of us buy clothes, how often do we ask ourselves whether it is environment friendly?” can lead to another logically connecting statement such as . . .
“This is all the more urgent since this and the next generation will live under conditions of increasing global warming.”
Global warming could also be high ranking key words for the niche you are targeting — environment friendly fashion aimed at Gen XYZ.
Now notice something else — how in completing the first sentence, its succeeding one suggests itself, unbidden. This is what I mean by the process of writing showing the writer what to say. It is a dynamic process — which is why completing a first unedited draft is so vital.
One writer who never really worried about editing and sober second thoughts about his material was Charles Bukowsky (of the Post Office fame) — not many have his courage, to write in one draft — such writers would argue that a writer finds their true voice only that way . . . by taking risks. Not that I am suggesting that you should not edit but that finding your voice is important, too.
How To Find High Ranking Keywords?
The quickest way would be to subscribe to a third party service and you are free to choose whatever you like. I am happy to share with you what I use — it’s called Jaaxy. Feel free to have a look.
The best advice I can provide in this regard is this: never sign up for anything without, first, trying. Remove risk, in other words. And, Wealthy Affiliate offer a free starter pack. Check under “Pricing” (third from left in menu bar at the top) on their website. Grab Here: Wealthy Affiliate.
Many of these services will provide a free subscription package with limited features but sufficient for you to try out the service. You might also want to try out a few different ones before deciding on one. However, please do not make this is a habit — the habit of endless postponements that will lead to analysis paralysis. Best way to avoid this pitfall — setting yourself time limits. Just choose one that you feel reasonably comfortable with at the moment and see how you go.
And, while yearly subscriptions for anything will save you money over the long term, many may not refund you if you choose to cancel. So, please check out the refund policy, first, before signing on the dotted line.
Now that we have covered the issue of how to use key words judiciously without making the content unreadable and how to find effective key words, what remains to be discussed further is . . .
The Concept Of Value
Simply put, Google does not rank highly just any long-form content — unless it has value.
So, to define the next (learning) task: we need to understand what is meant by value — what are its criteria?
In short form, these would be ate least these three attributes —
- Well researched
- Factual
- Coherent
More elaborately this means good research and a visible effort to empower the reader to carry out some action based on it. In the case of affiliate marketing — your chosen niche — it might be how the reader can start their project. Ask yourself, what is important to them at this stage?
Try empathy — what was it like when you started?
Be genuine — that somehow comes across positively to the algorithms, possibly because it presents to the reader. One way of doing this might be to provide CTAs (call to actions). What do you want your reader to do? It may come down to clicking on a link. And, this is where good faith comes in. Although as an affiliate marketer your goal is to promote brands, it comes with the responsibility of promoting brands that you might want to purchase yourself even though you actually do not do that. Make the process transparent. Provide disclaimers.
The ultimate product you might selling is trust — cultivate it.
But just because of that, you do not have to dull either.
What can you say to liven up the party? This is where originality comes in and I have already referred to it earlier. Bring your personal insights, however dismissive you might feel about them, to bear on the relevant issues.
In the digital age content vies for attention — shorter attention spans have become the norm. Is your content engaging? How can you make yours engaging — more to the point? Short answer: Exposure.
Can you think of something that grabbed your attention recently? Why did it work, do you think? Be analytical. Also remember, not to simply copy but develop your own strategies whatever they might be at this time. The idea of exposure is not aping the target text but using it as an instigation, a provocation to thought.
It is challenging, I agree.
My suggestion: wide reading on a variety of subjects. Try Blinkist, for starters. Google searches themselves are a good way of developing your insights. And, of course there is always the newest kid on the block: Chatgpt.
Read, write, reflect . . . rinse and repeat. Make this your daily routine.
In the next post I discuss some AI-options — not as a substitute for but as an extension of the human intellect.
If you would like me to cover anything else in this series, please leave me a note below.
In the meantime, prosper.
Cheers.