Fashion Affiliate Marketing Journey 2021 (SEO Traffic)

[Honeybadger]

Organic search traffic for my affiliate fashion site so far today is 42 visits
It's my highest daily count for the new site, and so near to my 50 visits in one day milestone
But bounce rate is 66% and I need to cap that FAST
Needs to be under 50%, which while an arbitrary figure but is my acceptable standard
Anything over 50% bounce rate is not acceptable - unless it's coming from a product page
Why? Because my affiliate links open a new window, so once the purchase is made they will close the referral page (my website)

Some tips for your optimization checklist

• The best way to improve (decrease) overall bounce rate is to look at individual pages with high bounce (using your analytics) and list ways to improve them
  1. Break content into headed sections (H2, H3, H4) with intro paragraphs that link to more detailed pages
  2. Improve the page loading speed by using the fastest-loading images (25-50kb, max 100kb)
  3. Make sure the publish date is visible and in the current month & year
  4. Add a "quick links" content menu at the top of the page (unless it's a product page)
  5. Use sub headings wherever possibe
  6. I break paragraph text down to 1-2 sentences, then create a new paragraph (this is 2021, most people are browsing on mobile)
  7. Make sure ALL external links open in new browser window, all internal links open in same browser window
  8. Include a relevant call to action in the middle and end of each post (make it clear --> "click here to ...... ")
  9. Add relevant internal links to content the user will almost certainly find useful
  10. Optimize content for mobile (use your mobile, an emulator or other developer tool)
  11. Don't be afraid the change the global navigation if it's in any way confusing
  12. Add relevant content to the global footer
  13. Include your latest news posts somewhere visible on every page to encourage internal clicks
  14. Check bounce rate of the "new users" report in Google Analytics - this tells you what new customers think of your content
  15. Look at your competitors pages for ideas how you can improve
  16. Always check for broken links and fix any that your find immediately
  17. Use a spell checker and also read your content to make sure there are no spelling or factual errors
  18. Use a link to a contact form instead of a plan text email address
  19. Add a list of links to additional internal information at the end of every post
  20. Use a very clear headline (H1 title)
  21. Write a concise opening paragraph explaining what the post/page is about
  22. Position your main image ABOVE the fold on ALL pages
  23. For posts and information pages position adverts BELOW the fold
  24. Check that your text (font) size is optimal for mobile and all users
  25. Add images throughout your pages to keep people stimulated
  26. Use Google Optimize to test multiple versions of the same page

Again, a high bounce rate on a product page is no always bad, as Google says on their website -->

"Is a high bounce rate a bad thing?"​

"It depends."

"If the success of your site depends on users viewing more than one page, then, yes, a high bounce rate is bad. For example, if your home page is the gateway to the rest of your site (e.g., news articles, product pages, your checkout process) and a high percentage of users are viewing only your home page, then you don’t want a high bounce rate."

"On the other hand, if you have a single-page site like a blog, or offer other types of content for which single-page sessions are expected, then a high bounce rate is perfectly normal."

Sources

• wordstream.com/blog/ws/2016/04/07/reduce-bounce-rate
• neilpatel.com/blog/13-ways-to-reduce-bounce-rate-and-increase-your-conversions
• support.google.com/analytics/answer/1009409
• my tired brain

 

[Honeybadger]

Quick update
Got to 46 visitors yesterday from organic
People arriving on random tag pages I didn't even think would be popular
Found untapped fashion niche keyword with 60,000 monthly searches and untapped long tails
Ruthless, registered exact match domain name and all exact match social media accounts within 30 minutes
That means I have 2 new sites, an 1 old site from last year
@azgold I really tried to have just 1 site !! Didn't work
Many irons in the fire - still focused on $67/day
Currently $30 avg/day

 

[Honeybadger]

New Site Update

Just made my first $10+ commission on a single sale
Customer in USA just bought a designer hoodie ( @SEOBlogPosts ) and designer socks

• Basket total --> $137.50
• Commission level --> 8%
• Payout --> $11

I need roughly 6 x sales at that level (per day) to meet my break-even target

Affiliate marketing --> it works

 

[azgold]

@azgold I really tried to have just 1 site !! Didn't work

I'm somehow not surprised. Thanks for trying, though.

Affiliate marketing --> it works

Yup, it does, you're proving it.

 

[Honeybadger]

This is what can happen when your website's SSL certificate expires, becomes invalid/broken (or you didn't have one in the first place )

 

[Aiden L]

This is what can happen when your website's SSL certificate expires, becomes invalid/broken (or you didn't have one in the first place )

View attachment 19250

that's why even on throw away lp's I always have my ssl enabled. Some traffic sources make it a requirement your lp's run with https.

 

[Honeybadger]

New Site Update

Just hit milestone 50 visits in 1 day

• 14 visits/day --> Achieved
• 25 visits/day --> Achieved
• 50 visits/day --> Today (so far 53)
• 100 visits/day --> Next milestone
• 200 visits/day
• 300 visits/day
• 400 visits/day
• 500 visits/day
• 600 visits/day
• 658 visits/day --> Daily target (before end of May)

Reward for reaching 100 visits -->
Make my 1st ever home baked pizza

 

[Honeybadger]

Now upto 66 visitors today all organic search traffic

I might need to buy pizza ingredients sooner than expected !!

What would it need for the dough?

• flour
• yeast
• water
• salt
• olive oil

What about for the toppings?

• tomatoes
• basil leaves
• broccoli
• garlic
• onion
• pepper flakes
• a pinch of dried oregano
• cheese (mozarella, cheddar, parmesan)
• pepperoni
• bacon
• ground beef

 

[azgold]

Congrats, Honeybadger! You might just make two milestones in one day.

Sounds like good pizza. But where are the peppers? I like peppers on mine. Are you going to bring some in so we can all sample your creation?

 

[Honeybadger]

Strange news today ..

Most of my new site's organic traffic is coming from Bing
That has never happened before in 10 years on any of my affiliate or non-affiliate sites
Also seeing more than 10% each for Yahoo! and DuckDuckGo
Need to dive in and find out what's going down in Chinatown?

Traffic sources & mediums
(based on 200 visits in past 4 days)

38% --> Organic Search > Bing
23% --> Organic Search > Google
15% --> Organic Search > Yahoo!
11% --> Organic Search > DuckDuckGo
3% --> None > Direct (?)
3% --> Organic Search > Ecosia
3% --> Referral > Facebook
1% --> Referral > Twitter

Google Analytics Help website defines "direct traffic"

• Browser bookmark
• URL type-in
• URL redirect
• Email link referral (when no information is available about the source)
• Social media link referral from app (when no information is available about the source)
• Sometimes URL shorteners
• Visits from non-SSL site (when visit to non-SSL site came from SSL site)
• Bots
• Spam software
• Freshly cleared cookie (if a user has cleared their cookies then their next visit would show as "new user" in Analytics reports)
• Any other traffic source when no referral information is passed to Google Analytics

Source > support.google.com/analytics/thread/73583752/what-is-direct-traffic-and-what-traffic-type-can-be-fall-in-direct-how-direct-usere-can-be-new

 

[Honeybadger]

Today I created a new revenue chart to track affiliate commission
Focused on commission performance meeting targets
Doesn't show visitor traffic --> too time consuming
Showing 3 days random numbers as an example

Date	Network 1	Network 2	Network 3	Network 4	Total
Monthly Target	$500	$500	$500	$500	$2,000
Monthly Total	$32	$30	$38	$22	$122
Daily Target	$16.66	$16.66	$16.66	$16.66	$66.66
Daily Average	$10.66	$10	$12.66	$7.33	$10.16
05/15/2021	$15	$12	$29	$3	$59
05/14/2021	$8	$9	$2	$6	$25
05/13/2021	$9	$9	$7	$13	$38

 

[Aiden L]

Today I created a new revenue chart to track affiliate commission
Focused on commission performance meeting targets
Doesn't show visitor traffic --> too time consuming
Showing 3 days random numbers as an example

Date	Network 1	Network 2	Network 3	Network 4	Total
Monthly Target	$500	$500	$500	$500	$2,000
Monthly Total	$32	$30	$38	$22	$122
Daily Target	$16.66	$16.66	$16.66	$16.66	$66.66
Daily Average	$10.66	$10	$12.66	$7.33	$10.16
05/15/2021	$15	$12	$29	$3	$59
05/14/2021	$8	$9	$2	$6	$25
05/13/2021	$9	$9	$7	$13	$38

Sorry if I'm prying but can you afford to live on 2k a month? What part of Europe are you from because in the UK that would not be enough to live on. This is coming from someone who lives in the north where prices are vastly less than say London for example.
A pint of beer or soft drink up here costs £1.99 whereas down London it's around £6 per pint.

 

[Honeybadger]

That's how to live on $2k/month, friend !!

 

[Honeybadger]

Trying to make this thread more structured
In fact I'm trying to make everything more structured
Let's see how this works, scheduled updates?

Monday --> Screenshot last 7 days traffic (Mon-Sun)
Tuesday --> Sharing work templates
Wednesday --> Ubersuggest thread
Thursday --> New tools/technology I'm using
Friday --> Affiliate industry news
Saturday & Sunday --> yeah right !!

1st day in the month I'll post last month's earnings
This will be a painful experience until late summer
My fault for being lazy in spring

 

[azgold]

@Honeybadger , were you a professional organizer in a former life?

 

[Honeybadger]

Monday
Screenshot of last 7 days traffic (Mon-Sun)

Traffic for May 10-11 wasn't zero
I reset Google Site Kit (WP plug-in) because it was returning an error
GSC can have mood swings, but better solution than Monster Insights imo (connects directly to Google Analytics)
Need at least 1,000 visits and 1 month of data before drawing any real conclusions
10,000 visits will provide more advanced insights
That bounce rate is coming down slowly
I'm not focusing on affiliate ads right now, although there are some (not many) affiliate ads on the site
Main 1st month objective is organic rankings & traffic by satisfying the customer
Guys, obviously I'd like to share my URL
But too many smart people here (you know who you are !! )
@SEOBlogPosts site (coolesthoodies.com) has a very similar structure
Plug --> If you are buying a hoodie pls check it out !!

 

[Honeybadger]

@Honeybadger , were you a professional organizer in a former life?

Not really !!

Just got a thing for John Wick

 

[azgold]

Just got a thing for John Wick

Who doesn't?? Because puppies. He loves puppies. And his dead wife.

 

[Honeybadger]

Tuesday
Sharing work templates

I've mention this before but it's important
Hubspot has a free library of templates
They've got templates for email, social media, blog posts, SEO, sales scripts, alot more
Why I'm saying this is because you don't need to re-write the manual
Just take their template, use it, then adjust to your campaign
I've been using the free blog post template pack
They got my email address that's it
Next step I copied and pasted the template into Wordpress
Now I have a template for every post (with a checklist at the end of important things)
Saves my time & improves the content
Try it

 

[azgold]

Back to the subject at hand.....I think your most recent update looks promising. You've already got returning visitors and they are looking beyond the first page. Not a bad start!