How much longer will affiliate programs last?

[Infomaid]

From my vantage point, I can generalize that Google shopping ads are prevalent more than ever. Shills might say search is so personalized that I'm special and one of the lucky ones seeing. To suggest that Google shopping ads are NOT proliferating seems like an irrational thought. I've seen shopping ads appear below YouTube videos on typical videos where people try to monetize in the description box with their own affiliate links. I think the reality of this is that we are now competing with Google for affiliate income. That's not a winnable battle obviously.

Affiliate programs rely on organic traffic, or at least did for me. Why pay for traffic when that expense likely won't cover affiliate income? The point is another challenge I have is just maintaining enough traffic that might convert.

I think though this circles back to us competing with Google for affiliate income. On the searches that are likely to convert? You bet they are ahead of the line. My site will be second, third or fourth option. That's not winnable. The shopping ads are coming to those searches that are convertible. The Google knows when people might be considering buying and YouTube wise, those are precisely when the shopping ads show.

I've noticed drops in affiliate payout which again is discouraging. I think this is about three negatives right now.

People are slow to react. CJ and Linkshare? At some point the average webmaster like myself is going to wake up to these challenges and simply move on. I think right now the affiliate programs are skating on thin ice. The isn't temporary, this is real.

Does anyone dispute that now, more than ever, we are trying to compete directly with Google on the traffic that is considering a product or service?

 

[pepeneo]

Aff marketing will be always alive, as long as people are selling shit there will be a middleman
The problem is with google, which has the main goal of keeping people on the search page or sending traffic to YT, there is simply way too much shit on the first page. The organic listings are pushed back on the second page

 

[breiden.poet]

I wouldn't say it would go away anytime soon. It would just be harder to earn and compete against google. I see the same thing with Adult Affiliates. There are free adult contents on the internet now more than ever and the percentage of people who pay for adult content are getting lower. Who would pay for premium content when you can find it for free everywhere on the internet. This of course excludes cam cpa and dating cpa.

 

[wanessmark]

From my vantage point, I can generalize that Google shopping ads are prevalent more than ever. Shills might say search is so personalized that I'm special and one of the lucky ones seeing. To suggest that Google shopping ads are NOT proliferating seems like an irrational thought. I've seen shopping ads appear below YouTube videos on typical videos where people try to monetize in the description box with their own affiliate links. I think the reality of this is that we are now competing with Google for affiliate income. That's not a winnable battle obviously.

Affiliate programs rely on organic traffic, or at least did for me. Why pay for traffic when that expense likely won't cover affiliate income? The point is another challenge I have is just maintaining enough traffic that might convert.

I think though this circles back to us competing with Google for affiliate income. On the searches that are likely to convert? You bet they are ahead of the line. My site will be second, third or fourth option. That's not winnable. The shopping ads are coming to those searches that are convertible. The Google knows when people might be considering buying and YouTube wise, those are precisely when the shopping ads show.

I've noticed drops in affiliate payout which again is discouraging. I think this is about three negatives right now.

People are slow to react. CJ and Linkshare? At some point the average webmaster like myself is going to wake up to these challenges and simply move on. I think right now the affiliate programs are skating on thin ice. The isn't temporary, this is real.

Does anyone dispute that now, more than ever, we are trying to compete directly with Google on the traffic that is considering a product or service?

I feel ya.
This happened to me back in 2016 when I had a website related to forex affiliate and it made me tens of thousands of dollars!
Now with all that google algs around its harder and harder but still if you know how to write a good content and provide value to users.

but still there is social media so you dont need to rely on just google but also social media

 

[SEOMadHatter]

Affiliate marketing was around before Google and it'll still be around afterward. In the meantime, yes you'll be competing with Google to rank for product names but that is very very far from "affiliate marketing is dead".

 

[Elvlin]

Affiliate program will always exist, it's basicly earning commision, with selling others product, This exist even before internet is invented.
what make it different is only the media, before you do it offline, now you can do it online.