{"id":183990,"date":"2024-12-31T18:32:10","date_gmt":"2024-12-31T23:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=183990"},"modified":"2025-01-10T18:32:42","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T23:32:42","slug":"affiliate-marketing-is-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/affiliate-marketing-is-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I Wouldn\u2019t Start Affiliate Marketing in 2025 (And What I\u2019d Do Instead)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"intro-txt\">Back in the day, I ran a couple of semi-successful affiliate websites. I even once ranked #1 for \u201cbest protein powder.\u201d This was a pretty lucrative keyword given its commercial intent and high search volume.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1442\" height=\"1020\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/a-lucrative-affiliate-keyword-i-used-to-rank-for.png\" alt=\"A lucrative affiliate keyword I used to rank for\" class=\"wp-image-183991\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/a-lucrative-affiliate-keyword-i-used-to-rank-for.png 1442w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/a-lucrative-affiliate-keyword-i-used-to-rank-for-601x425.png 601w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/a-lucrative-affiliate-keyword-i-used-to-rank-for-768x543.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1442px) 100vw, 1442px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ever since then, the idea of starting another affiliate site and getting serious about it has always been in the back of my mind. I\u2019ve just never had the time due to my day to day work at Ahrefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But today? <strong>I don\u2019t think I\u2019d start one even if I had the time<\/strong>. It just isn\u2019t worth&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plenty of other online marketers seem to be echoing this sentiment lately, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1086\" height=\"254\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/im-seeing-this-sentiment-a-lot-among-marketers-at.png\" alt=\"I'm seeing this sentiment a lot among marketers at the moment\" class=\"wp-image-183992\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/im-seeing-this-sentiment-a-lot-among-marketers-at.png 1086w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/im-seeing-this-sentiment-a-lot-among-marketers-at-680x159.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/im-seeing-this-sentiment-a-lot-among-marketers-at-768x180.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1086px) 100vw, 1086px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Below are four reasons why I feel like this and wouldn\u2019t start a pure affiliate site in&nbsp;2025.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"intro-tok\" id=\"intro_tok\" style=\"display:none;\"><div class=\"intro-title\">Contents<\/div><a href=\"#\" class=\"expand-dots\"><span><\/span><span><\/span><span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Google would rather rank Reddit than you\" data-section=\"google-would-rather-rank-reddit-than-you\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-183990-_tvwnznuh5w4m\"><\/a>Google would rather rank Reddit than&nbsp;you<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Reddit seems to rank in the top five for pretty much every affiliate keyword these&nbsp;days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is even the case with <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/glossary\/ymyl-pages\">YMYL<\/a> keywords:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1264\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/reddit-ranks-for-pretty-much-everything.png\" alt=\"Reddit ranks for... pretty much everything\" class=\"wp-image-183993\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/reddit-ranks-for-pretty-much-everything.png 1264w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/reddit-ranks-for-pretty-much-everything-680x289.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/reddit-ranks-for-pretty-much-everything-768x327.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1264px) 100vw, 1264px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the problem is only getting worse\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Google recently penalized the affiliate directories of many big publications like CNN Underscored, it overwhelmingly gave that traffic to Reddit\u2014not independent publishers. I know this because <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/affiliate-publisher-site-reputation-abuse\/#reddit-wins\">we studied it<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How? We looked at 6,179 keywords that declined or had been completely lost for the directories below between November 18th and November 25th:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/buyside\/<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>https:\/\/reviewed.usatoday.com\/<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>www.independent.co.uk\/advisor<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>www.thesun.co.uk\/shopping\/<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>www.forbes.com\/advisor\/<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>www.newsweek.com\/vault\/<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>www.cnn.com\/cnn-underscored\/<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We then used the Traffic Share by Domain report in Keywords Explorer to see which sites get the most traffic from these keywords. <strong>Reddit was #1, taking 6% of traffic.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1373\" height=\"507\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/google-is-giving-reddit-more-and-more-traffic.png\" alt=\"Google is giving Reddit more and more traffic\" class=\"wp-image-183994\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/google-is-giving-reddit-more-and-more-traffic.png 1373w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/google-is-giving-reddit-more-and-more-traffic-680x251.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/google-is-giving-reddit-more-and-more-traffic-768x284.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1373px) 100vw, 1373px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Given that 51% of Reddit threads ranking for product review keywords have spam as the top comment (as per <a href=\"https:\/\/detailed.com\/forum-serps\/\">Glen Allsopp\u2019s incredible research<\/a>), this is a pretty dire state of affairs. For most product review keywords, there\u2019s almost always a niche affiliate site more deserving of ranking than Reddit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, take a term like \u201cbest air purifier for cigarette smoke.\u201d Reddit ranks in position #2, but the thread is a total spamfest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The top comment looks straight from ChatGPT:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/this-is-almost-certainly-chatgpt.png\" alt=\"This is almost certainly ChatGPT\" class=\"wp-image-183995\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/this-is-almost-certainly-chatgpt.png 1500w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/this-is-almost-certainly-chatgpt-680x191.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/this-is-almost-certainly-chatgpt-768x216.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The second looks like a disguised product pitch:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1470\" height=\"374\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/yeah-looks-legit.png\" alt=\"Yeah... looks legit\" class=\"wp-image-183996\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/yeah-looks-legit.png 1470w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/yeah-looks-legit-680x173.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/yeah-looks-legit-768x195.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1470px) 100vw, 1470px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The third again looks like a ChatGPT special:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1470\" height=\"862\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/another-chatgpt-special.png\" alt=\"Another ChatGPT special?\" class=\"wp-image-183997\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/another-chatgpt-special.png 1470w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/another-chatgpt-special-680x399.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/another-chatgpt-special-768x450.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1470px) 100vw, 1470px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now you could argue that most affiliate sites are no better\u2014and I would agree. But there are also plenty of niche site owners who invest heavily in their content, spend countless hours actually testing products, and actually deserve to&nbsp;rank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, take a site like HouseFresh which ranks #6 for the same&nbsp;query.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1256\" height=\"940\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/housefresh-ranking-for-best-air-purifier-for-ciga.png\" alt=\"Housefresh ranking for &quot;best air purifier for cigarette smoke&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-183998\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/housefresh-ranking-for-best-air-purifier-for-ciga.png 1256w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/housefresh-ranking-for-best-air-purifier-for-ciga-568x425.png 568w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/housefresh-ranking-for-best-air-purifier-for-ciga-768x575.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1256px) 100vw, 1256px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The guys behind this site <a href=\"https:\/\/housefresh.com\/how-we-test-air-purifiers\/\">thoroughly test<\/a> every product they recommend:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1696\" height=\"1142\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/example-of-in-depth-research-done-by-the-folks-at.png\" alt=\"Example of in-depth research done by the folks at Housefresh\" class=\"wp-image-183999\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/example-of-in-depth-research-done-by-the-folks-at.png 1696w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/example-of-in-depth-research-done-by-the-folks-at-631x425.png 631w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/example-of-in-depth-research-done-by-the-folks-at-768x517.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/example-of-in-depth-research-done-by-the-folks-at-1536x1034.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1696px) 100vw, 1696px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But if we take all the keywords this site ranks in the top 10 for, plug them into Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a> and check the Traffic Share by Domain report, we see that Google is still sending Reddit more traffic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"772\" height=\"564\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/reddit-gets-more-traffic-than-housefresh-for-the-k.png\" alt=\"Reddit gets more traffic than Housefresh for the keywords it ranks for... mindblowing\" class=\"wp-image-184000\" style=\"width:374px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/reddit-gets-more-traffic-than-housefresh-for-the-k.png 772w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/reddit-gets-more-traffic-than-housefresh-for-the-k-582x425.png 582w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/reddit-gets-more-traffic-than-housefresh-for-the-k-768x561.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 772px) 100vw, 772px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Given <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/technology\/reddit-ai-content-licensing-deal-with-google-sources-say-2024-02-22\/\">the deal<\/a> Google recently made with Reddit to use their content to train its AI models, this trend probably isn\u2019t going to change any time&nbsp;soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"People are starting to lose trust in Google and search other places for reviews\" data-section=\"people-are-starting-to-lose-trust-in-google-and-search-other-places-for-reviews\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-183990-_jzw0w0m2kiur\"><\/a>People are starting to lose trust in Google and search other places for reviews<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Be real: are you <em>really<\/em> searching Google for product recommendations these days? I hardly ever do. I just go straight to YouTube\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1894\" height=\"722\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/youtube-is-better-for-product-recommendations.jpg\" alt=\"YouTube is better for product recommendations\" class=\"wp-image-184001\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/youtube-is-better-for-product-recommendations.jpg 1894w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/youtube-is-better-for-product-recommendations-680x259.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/youtube-is-better-for-product-recommendations-768x293.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/youtube-is-better-for-product-recommendations-1536x586.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1894px) 100vw, 1894px\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Genuinely searched this a few days ago\u2026 I didn\u2019t even bother with Google<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now obviously, we\u2019re marketers. We know that most of the top Google results are often spammy and shouldn\u2019t be trusted. But what about everyone else?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don\u2019t have data on this, but I\u2019ve seen mainstream YouTubers talking about it countless times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=uSGVk2KVokQ\">this video on why Google search is falling apart<\/a> has 3.7 million views. In it, he talks about how searching for the best products is pointless because of how terrible Google results are for product searches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1916\" height=\"948\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/see-im-not-the-only-one-saying-it.jpg\" alt=\"See... I'm not the only one saying it\" class=\"wp-image-184002\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/see-im-not-the-only-one-saying-it.jpg 1916w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/see-im-not-the-only-one-saying-it-680x336.jpg 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/see-im-not-the-only-one-saying-it-768x380.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/see-im-not-the-only-one-saying-it-1536x760.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1916px) 100vw, 1916px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>It\u2019s got to a stage now where searching for the best of basically anything is pointless. Almost every single article is a top 10 of products not selected based on their merit but in fact just whether or not they\u2019ll get a kickback when you buy them. [\u2026] I guarantee that a large slice of these articles are written with the writer not actually having bought and tested all 10 products themselves.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>I think there are three main reasons why the results are so&nbsp;bad:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>The influx of AI spam. <\/strong>Ever since ChatGPT and generative AI came on the scene, it\u2019s become super easy and cheap to create affiliate content. Google seems to be struggling to filter out this spam at&nbsp;scale.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/parasite-seo\/\"><strong>Parasite SEO<\/strong><\/a><strong>.<\/strong> This is where marketers take advantage of the authority of an established website to rank for competitive keywords. It\u2019s why we\u2019ve been seeing sites like Forbes, CNN, and WSJ outranking independent sites for things they have absolutely no expertise in, like \u201cbest financial advisors.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Google ranking Reddit. <\/strong>Most of these threads are spamfests as I mentioned above.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>In my opinion, these three reasons are also interconnected\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Google dealt with the influx of AI spam by boosting the search presence of big brands that it thought it could trust. Those brands then took advantage of Google\u2019s favouritism to rank for terms where they had no expertise. Google then responded to criticism about the lack of diversity in search results (mostly from the SEO industry) by promoting user-generated content on Reddit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, it\u2019s still possible to promote affiliate links elsewhere like TikTok or YouTube\u2014but that\u2019s a whole different kettle of&nbsp;fish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Google is giving more and more traffic to big players, not independent publishers\" data-section=\"google-is-giving-more-and-more-traffic-to-big-players-not-independent-publishers\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-183990-_sjgz50vdkguk\"><\/a>Google is giving more and more traffic to big players, not independent publishers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>When Glen Allsopp <a href=\"https:\/\/detailed.com\/affiliate-serps\/\">analyzed 10,000 product review search results<\/a>, he found that only four of the top 100 ranking domains were independent sites. The rest were part of news organisations, public companies or large site networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even worse, 36 of the top 100 ranking domains were owned by just three different companies: Hearst, Dotdash Meredith, and Future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1300\" height=\"1376\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/top-36-ranking-domains-for-affiliate-keyword-accor.jpg\" alt=\"Top 36 ranking domains for affiliate keyword according to Glen Allsopp's research\" class=\"wp-image-184003\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/top-36-ranking-domains-for-affiliate-keyword-accor.jpg 1300w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/top-36-ranking-domains-for-affiliate-keyword-accor-402x425.jpg 402w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/top-36-ranking-domains-for-affiliate-keyword-accor-768x813.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1300px) 100vw, 1300px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I don\u2019t think this is going to get better anytime soon either\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Looking more closely at our research on affiliate publication drops, the sites reaping the biggest rewards alongside Reddit were all also big names, like Amazon, Business Insider, and&nbsp;CNET.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1373\" height=\"962\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/its-big-sites-that-are-winning-these-days.jpg\" alt=\"It's big sites that are winning these days\" class=\"wp-image-184004\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/its-big-sites-that-are-winning-these-days.jpg 1373w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/its-big-sites-that-are-winning-these-days-607x425.jpg 607w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/its-big-sites-that-are-winning-these-days-768x538.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1373px) 100vw, 1373px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And many of the independent publishers who saw their traffic decimated by Google updates still haven\u2019t recovered\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Take a look at Retrododo, for example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1604\" height=\"706\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/retrododo-still-hasnt-recovered.png\" alt=\"Retrododo still hasn't recovered\" class=\"wp-image-184005\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/retrododo-still-hasnt-recovered.png 1604w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/retrododo-still-hasnt-recovered-680x299.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/retrododo-still-hasnt-recovered-768x338.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/retrododo-still-hasnt-recovered-1536x676.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1604px) 100vw, 1604px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sure, they\u2019ve recovered a bit\u2014but their traffic is still a shadow of its former self.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Housefresh is about the only site I\u2019ve seen make a near-full recovery, and I can\u2019t help but feel that might have something to do with the amount of fuss they (quite rightly) kicked up about being penalized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1602\" height=\"716\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/housefresh-made-a-near-full-recovery-i-wonder-w.png\" alt=\"Housefresh made a near-full recovery... I wonder why\" class=\"wp-image-184006\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/housefresh-made-a-near-full-recovery-i-wonder-w.png 1602w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/housefresh-made-a-near-full-recovery-i-wonder-w-680x304.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/housefresh-made-a-near-full-recovery-i-wonder-w-768x343.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/housefresh-made-a-near-full-recovery-i-wonder-w-1536x687.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1602px) 100vw, 1602px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But this uncertainty is precisely the problem\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maybe I\u2019m misremembering, but I\u2019m sure that things didn\u2019t used to be this way. Back in the day, if you put a ton of effort into creating a quality niche site, you could be pretty sure that Google would reward you. You wouldn\u2019t be scared of the time, effort and money you invested being taken away at any given moment by a Google penalty and your traffic handed to big brands (or Reddit) with mediocre content\u2014at least not to the same extent as&nbsp;today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This doesn\u2019t mean that the whole thing is Google\u2019s fault. It also seems to be happening because the <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/orchard-seo-strategy\/\">SEO strategies<\/a> of big brands are getting more sophisticated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, <a href=\"https:\/\/housefresh.com\/how-google-decimated-housefresh\/\">this post<\/a> from HouseFresh talks about a strategy called keyword swarming allegedly used by Dotdash Meredith to push down smaller sites in the&nbsp;SERPs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>\u201cSwarming is about drowning out a competitor,\u201d said the person who reached out. The objective is to \u201cswarm a smaller site\u2019s foothold on one or two articles by essentially publishing 10 articles [on the topic] and beefing up [Dotdash Meredith sites\u2019] authority.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Bottomline? I just wouldn\u2019t have the confidence these days to invest significantly in an affiliate site. Even if I created industry-leading content, I wouldn\u2019t have faith that Google would actually rank it above big&nbsp;sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Google could use AI to recommend products in the SERP\" data-section=\"google-could-use-ai-to-recommend-products-in-the-serp\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-183990-_tqpenafrggp1\"><\/a>Google could use AI to recommend products in the&nbsp;SERP<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Okay, this one is more of a predication\u2026 but I think there\u2019s a very real possibility of it happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Affiliate sites have worked well historically because of how people search. If you want to find the best air purifier, you go to Google, search for \u201cbest air purifier,\u201d click a listicle in the search results, click one of their affiliate links, and\u2026 BINGO, the site makes&nbsp;money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what if Google adds AI overviews with product recommendations to affiliate searches?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think this has the potential to cut out affiliate marketers altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if you type \u201cbest air purifier\u201d into Gemini or ChatGPT right now, you get a list of recommendations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1190\" height=\"1058\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/product-recommendations-in-chatgpt.jpg\" alt=\"Product recommendations in ChatGPT\" class=\"wp-image-184007\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/product-recommendations-in-chatgpt.jpg 1190w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/product-recommendations-in-chatgpt-478x425.jpg 478w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/product-recommendations-in-chatgpt-768x683.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1190px) 100vw, 1190px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s pretty easy to then research these recommendations yourself on YouTube or TikTok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If Google adds these kinds of AI overviews to product review searches, people wouldn\u2019t really need to click on a search result anymore. They could just research the products AI recommends themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, they may still choose to research those products in Google, so affiliate marketers could still make money from product reviews. But I think it\u2019s more likely that they head to YouTube or TikTok for the reasons I mentioned earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for why Google would bother, it\u2019s arguably a better user experience\u2014but <strong>they could also monetize these AI overviews with PPC&nbsp;ads.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, Google already shows sponsored results when you search for most products:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1012\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/google-could-easily-charge-these-brands-for-blocks.png\" alt=\"Google could easily charge these brands for blocks in AI overviews\" class=\"wp-image-184008\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/google-could-easily-charge-these-brands-for-blocks.png 2048w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/google-could-easily-charge-these-brands-for-blocks-680x336.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/google-could-easily-charge-these-brands-for-blocks-768x380.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/google-could-easily-charge-these-brands-for-blocks-1536x759.png 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Google could easily just charge these brands for clicks when the product is recommended in AI overviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"So\u2026 what would I do instead?\" data-section=\"what-would-i-do-instead\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a id=\"post-183990-_h7ilp8mzs8xa\"><\/a>So\u2026 what would I do instead?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>I think Matt Diggity has the right idea: switch to ecommerce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1068\" height=\"222\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/matt-diggitys-advice-i-have-to-agree.png\" alt=\"Matt Diggity's advice... I have to agree\" class=\"wp-image-184009\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/matt-diggitys-advice-i-have-to-agree.png 1068w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/matt-diggitys-advice-i-have-to-agree-680x141.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/matt-diggitys-advice-i-have-to-agree-768x160.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1068px) 100vw, 1068px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you read <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/carmats-case-study\/\">my takeaways from interviewing Ash Young of CarMats.co.uk<\/a>, you\u2019ll know that ecommerce can be extremely lucrative\u2014even in boring niches. Ash is on track to do \u00a310M in total sales in under 5&nbsp;years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s a simple way to find ecommerce niches in Ahrefs, too:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Run a blank search in <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Filter for non-local and non-branded keywords with transactional intent<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Filter for low difficulty keywords, KD &lt;=&nbsp;10<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Filter for keywords with low DR sites ranking, DR &lt;=&nbsp;40<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1276\" height=\"948\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/simple-way-to-find-ecommerce-niches-in-ahrefs.png\" alt=\"Simple way to find ecommerce niches in Ahrefs\" class=\"wp-image-184010\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/simple-way-to-find-ecommerce-niches-in-ahrefs.png 1276w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/simple-way-to-find-ecommerce-niches-in-ahrefs-572x425.png 572w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/simple-way-to-find-ecommerce-niches-in-ahrefs-768x571.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1276px) 100vw, 1276px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s then simply a case of looking for interesting niches in the results\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, there are 33K estimated monthly searches for \u201cleg warmers\u201d in the US, and plenty of pages from low DR websites ranking with few or no backlinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1528\" height=\"962\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/pages-with-few-links-on-low-dr-sites-easy-compe.png\" alt=\"Pages with few links on low DR sites... easy competition\" class=\"wp-image-184011\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/pages-with-few-links-on-low-dr-sites-easy-compe.png 1528w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/pages-with-few-links-on-low-dr-sites-easy-compe-675x425.png 675w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/pages-with-few-links-on-low-dr-sites-easy-compe-768x484.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1528px) 100vw, 1528px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we plug \u201cleg warmers\u201d into Keywords Explorer as our seed keyword, go to the Matching terms report, apply the same filters, and then cluster by Parent Topic, we have a low-competition ecommerce niche pretty much ready to&nbsp;go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1516\" height=\"1280\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/looks-like-a-decent-niche.jpg\" alt=\"Looks like a decent niche!\" class=\"wp-image-184012\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/looks-like-a-decent-niche.jpg 1516w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/looks-like-a-decent-niche-503x425.jpg 503w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/looks-like-a-decent-niche-768x648.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1516px) 100vw, 1516px\"><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m sure you wouldn\u2019t need to move mountains to rank for most of these terms. It would probably just take some <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/seo\/seo-basics\" data-ahr=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/seo-basics\/\">basic SEO<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to learn more, read <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/ecommerce-seo\/\">our guide to ecommerce SEO<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Got questions? Ping me on <a href=\"https:\/\/uk.linkedin.com\/in\/joshuahardwick28\">LinkedIn<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/joshuachardwick?lang=en\">X<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ever since then, the idea of starting another affiliate site and getting serious about it has always been in the back of my mind. I\u2019ve just never had the time due to my day to day work at Ahrefs. But<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[379],"tags":[],"coauthors":[336],"class_list":["post-183990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-affiliate-marketing","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why I Wouldn&#039;t Start Affiliate Marketing in 2025 (And What I&#039;d Do Instead)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is affiliate marketing dying? I think so, and others seem to agree. Here are four why I wouldn&#039;t start a pure affiliate site anymore.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/affiliate-marketing-is-dead\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why I Wouldn&#039;t Start Affiliate Marketing in 2025 (And What I&#039;d Do Instead)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is affiliate marketing dying? I think so, and others seem to agree. 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