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Niche affiliate website designs strike back: May the SEO be with you

Fay Roe

Are you looking for a way to earn a passive income online? If so, you have likely come across affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is a popular way for website owners to monetise content and generate profit. It is low-risk, inexpensive, and easy to scale.


But what do you need for affiliate marketing success?


The key ingredients are:


·    A professional website design

·    Researched product selection

·    Targeted traffic

·    Tracking and analysis

·    A cohesive digital marketing strategy

·    Patience and persistence


When it comes to building a successful affiliate website, one of the biggest decisions you'll face is

whether to go with a niche industry or take a generic approach.


What do we mean by ‘niche’ and ‘generic’ websites?

A niche website focuses on one specific industry or topic. In contrast, a generic website covers a variety of topics. Digital Presence specialises in digital marketing specifically for Christchurch NZ businesses.


In contrast, a generic website might cover topics such as news, tv, lifestyle and fashion. While both options have their pros and cons, there are some compelling reasons to consider a niche website, especially when it comes to search engine optimisation (SEO).


This article was written with affiliate websites in mind, but the same principles apply to business websites. After all, they are the ultimate niche websites.



The happy marriage of website design and SEO

Success of an affiliate website depends on how easily it can be found by website searchers. It is also important for the website to make it easy for people to buy from you. This is what SEO and website designs aim to achieve. They unite digital marketing techniques to help you make money.


SEO is a collection of tactics and techniques applied to a website to make it rank higher on the search engine results pages (SERPs) through organic (unpaid for) search. The higher the position, the more visible it is to searchers and the more likely they will visit the website and make that purchase. However, even the best SEO alone is not sufficient to drive online business success without a killer website design. 


Stunning mobile web design

Why does website design matter in affiliate marketing?

Website design is a critical component of any online business and has a significant impact on its success. The design of a website is crucial. It can either attract potential customers or deter them. Investing in website design and focusing on design elements can generate leads, sales and conversions.

 

5 website design elements to increase sales


1.   Visually appealing and professional

Images, videos and other visual elements convey the uniqueness of the brand and are key to developing an emotional connection with visitors. Emotions create actions and results. The design should be relevant to the target audience and reflect the tone and branding.


Eye-pleasing website designs that are contemporary and easy to navigate lead visitors to take desired actions. This could include clicking through to checkout or subscribing to your newsletter.


2.   Responsive website design

This is not optional. It is crucial your website adapts to different screen sizes without function and looks being compromised. In 2021, 58% of all online visits were from smartphones.


However, the average value of transactions on desktops was 28% more than on mobile online shopping. You must not neglect this fact!


3.   User-friendly navigation

Visitors should be able to access information and products quickly and be signposted with ease to other relevant website pages/ products/ services. Think of internal website links, navigation breadcrumbs, and back buttons – features to help visitors achieve their goals.


4.   Clear calls to action

Clear calls to action are important for any website. Prominent and easy to find, they are a hook to reel in visitors, whether that’s to sign up for a newsletter, or apply for a promo code – use simple clear language.


5.   On-page SEO

On-page SEO refers to the techy side of website SEO within the webpage or its source code that helps the search engines understand what your website is about. Some examples of on-page SEO are content, headings, image optimisation, title tags, meta descriptions, structured data, and other related elements.


A plant that looks like a growth arrow

Why are niche websites a powerhouse for SEO?

If you want to create an affiliate website to get traffic and money, SEO is a key factor to think about. Search engine optimisation can help your website appear in search engine results.

This makes it easier for potential customers to find you. And when it comes to SEO, targeting a narrow niche is a smart digital marketing strategy:

Less competition for keywords

Focussing on a narrow topic means there is likely less competition in the digital space, so there is a greater opportunity to rank highly for specific target keywords in the SEO content.


Consider a searcher Googling for ‘size 6 boot’. The results pages will display every style known to mankind and pages and upon pages of results. That same searcher then searches for ‘8 eyelet combat boots’.

The results return the exact item they were looking for and only a handful of results. There is no throwing pasta at the wall and hoping some will stick; you mean business. You are not simply targeting someone who wants size 6 boots, you are using laser-like precision.


More targeted traffic

Because you are ranking for very specific keywords, the searchers who come to your website are already warm. They are actively searching for products or services and are more likely to make a purchase. Niche websites usually have fewer visitors than general websites.


However, their conversion rate is often higher. This depends on how well the website meets the demands and expectations of its target audience.


Easier to optimise

If you are focused on one topic, it’s easier to optimise the website content for SEO. Keywords that get you to the first page of search engine result pages (SERPs) are not always easy to find. You need to do some research to uncover them.


Once you have the right keywords, you can create SEO content and blog posts for Google Ads campaigns and Facebook marketing.


Establish the website as a subject authority

With high-quality SEO content, a niche website helps the business establish itself as an authority on the subject. The aim is to become a valuable resource of information for the audience which builds trust and credibility with the visitors. This can lead to an increase in website awareness, a loyal following, and ultimately, more sales.


Niche websites are an effective way to create leads and sales. They can be used as an affiliate model or to promote a business's products and services. SEO and web design are essential for success. Digital Presence is a champion of online marketing for niche websites and small business search engine marketing.


Do you want to learn more? Reach out to us now for SEO and web design services. We are based in Christchurch but serve all of New Zealand.


We'll guide you through the design process. We'll also do keyword research and track the metrics. This will help you stay on top. Click here to message or call 0274 278047.

Get a free consultation

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