What should affiliates do to gain a competitive edge on Google Ads in the new year?

Sasha Vitez, a senior growth consultant at Google, shared invaluable insider tips at a recent Affiliate World event. We’ll dive into some key takeaways, including the value of compliance, how to leverage Google’s suite of tools, and why you need to optimize your product mix.

Compliance: The Cornerstone of Success

To thrive in affiliate marketing, it’s crucial to adhere to Google’s policies. And you can’t respect the compliance policy if you don’t understand the compliance policy, so take the time to familiarize yourself with the platform’s expectations.

Similarly, compliance with Google Ads policies demands the protection of your customers’ data, which includes delivering clear privacy controls.
Google Ads Policy

Finally, instead of trying to make a quick dollar using gray hat or black hat methods, you’ll achieve more success by focusing on long-term value generation. Spending your creative energy on ads and campaigns is much more rewarding, in every sense, than burning mental calories trying to circumvent Google’s policies.

Leveraging Google’s Tools for Optimal Performance

Google offers a suite of powerful tools to enhance your affiliate marketing efforts.

Some of these tools are well-known to marketers, such as using Google Ads to target specific keywords and audience segments, or looking into Google Analytics for valuable insights into website traffic and user behavior.

Google also helps advertisers select their optimum product mix based on market demand.
Google Product Mix

With Category Trends, marketers can see which topics are increasing or decreasing in terms of interest or search volume over time. And Query Level Ideas allow you to monitor which keywords or phrases are rising and falling over time so that you can leverage those insights for your content strategy.

Matching the Right Google Product with Your Offering

The right Google product can significantly impact your affiliate marketing success.

If you’re selling ecommerce products, for example, Google Shopping Ads are ideal because they can showcase your products directly in search results, increasing visibility and driving traffic to your store. This is particularly effective for products with strong visual appeal, such as fashion, electronics, or home goods.
Match the Right Product

For digital products or services, Google Search Ads are a better fit due to the ability to target specific keywords related to your product or service to attract highly qualified traffic. This is ideal for products or services that people actively search for, such as software, online courses, or consulting services.

Also, content-based offers can reach a wider audience with visually appealing ads on Google’s Display Network. This can be helpful for building brand awareness and driving traffic to your store, especially for products that might not be actively searched for.

To further optimize your campaigns, consider using Google Tag Manager to track user behavior, Google Optimize to A/B test different website variations, and Google Data Studio to visualize your marketing performance.

By following these guidelines and leveraging Google’s powerful tools, you can optimize your affiliate marketing efforts, drive more traffic, and increase your overall revenue.