- Nov 29, 2022
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In this article, we take an in-depth look at traffic quality—what it is, what factors influence it, how GEOs and campaigns are evaluated in terms of quality, and how affiliates can enhance it.
What Is Traffic Quality?
Traffic quality is a key metric that determines how valuable an audience is for advertisers.A high-quality audience consists of relevant users who are willing to spend more and make frequent purchases. For example, younger users from Latin America are generally considered lower-quality leads compared to an older audience from the United States.
This principle forms the basis of tier lists in marketing. When evaluating and selecting GEOs based on audience quality, several key factors are taken into account:
- Purchasing Power – The higher the average income in a region, the more valuable the audience. Apart from salaries, it's also important to consider living costs and taxes, as they significantly impact disposable income.
- Digital Adoption – If a region has strong internet penetration and a developed e-commerce ecosystem, its users are more likely to make online purchases. In contrast, users unfamiliar with online shopping might place orders by mistake, negatively affecting traffic quality.
- Standard of Living – Factors such as education level, median age, and infrastructure influence an audience’s financial capacity. Generally, higher standards of living correlate with higher revenue potential for advertisers.
- Accessibility – If users from a region face difficulties in placing or receiving orders, the traffic may be considered low-quality. Accessibility can be impacted by natural disasters, local conflicts, political instability, or unreliable internet infrastructure.
- Relevance – The audience must align with the specific niche. For instance, a particular GEO may generate high-quality traffic for nutra (health and wellness offers) but low-quality traffic for dating or gambling verticals.
How to Assess Audience Quality in Affiliate Campaigns
In affiliate campaigns, high-quality traffic consists of users who actively purchase, accept upsells, make repeat deposits, or otherwise generate revenue for advertisers. In contrast, low-quality traffic refers to segments that rarely convert, have low approval rates, or frequently cancel orders.When an advertiser flags traffic as low quality, it signals a serious issue. To diagnose the problem, evaluate the following key metrics:
- Conversion Rate (CR) – Measures the percentage of users who complete a desired action (e.g., submitting a lead or registering). A higher CR generally indicates a more engaged and purchase-ready audience.
- Approval Rate – The percentage of leads that advertisers accept. If this metric exceeds 50%, the audience from most GEOs can typically be considered high quality.
- Cancellation Rate – The proportion of users who abandon a purchase after submitting an order. This could include users who register but never engage further or those who fail to collect a product from a pickup location. Lower cancellation rates indicate higher quality.
- User Activity & Repeat Deposits – Particularly relevant for betting, gambling, trading, and financial verticals. Users who remain engaged and continue making transactions are highly valuable.
- Call Center Feedback – If possible, request insights from the advertiser’s call center team. They can provide localized data about connectivity issues, payment difficulties, or other hidden factors that affect audience quality.