Google’s AI overview often shows affiliate content without sending traffic or clicks back to publishers.
The good news for publishers is that affiliate businesses don’t need to rely solely on Google.
To kick off the new year, here are some traffic sources and ways to diversify your income while sticking to what you do and love.
These are strategies that I help my colleagues with regularly.
This article was inspired by a podcast discussion about whether this was the end of organizational marketing. That’s not the case. Affiliate marketing is beyond Google, and it will continue to thrive.
School and education grounds
Skool and other similar platforms allow you to start a course or build a community, complete with text, video, newsletters, and interactive features.
Because of their flexibility and focus on creators and educators, they were quickly taking market share.
Unlike the big name players, these small platforms allow you to make money the way you want.
They are great for creators by empowering you to create and own a community, while helping you build your brand and business.
You can create and sell courses on everything from starting a photography business or learning calligraphy to cooking classes and preparing for an exam or certification.
You control whether the courses are free or paid, and you control the types of content students receive.
Even better, you are allowed to use affiliate links, and an email system is included.
These emails can be used to convert free trials into paying students, sell additional courses after completion, or keep students coming back to complete paid courses.
From what I’ve seen, these platforms support almost any niche, including debt settlement, starting a business, learning a new skill, and anything else you can think of.
According to Semrush data as of Dec. 27, 2025, there are 110,000 monthly indexed searches, 33,000 of which go to the login page, indicating a large user base and opportunities to grow your course using their established network.
Dive deep: How AI solutions are disrupting publisher and advertising revenue
Discord, Reddit, Medium, and streaming communities
Reddit’s rise to one of the highest traffic websites and communities has been evident since Google started including Reddit results in almost every search.
Medium and niche platforms have seen similar improvements.
Some affiliates have started using these platforms to gain access to high volume inquiries that their blogs and websites cannot access.
Then they keep the community on the platform and funnel users back to their sites.
Smart affiliates use these UGC platforms to:
- Gain access to search volume queries by participating in affiliate links, ideally with appropriate advertising disclosures.
- Funnel traffic to email and SMS lists.
- Share solutions and include affiliate links within that content.
- Run banner ads in forum sidebars, which communities like Reddit may allow.
- Create a community around a blog, website, or social channel, using the platform’s existing audience to increase brand awareness and following.
- Hold AMAs and interviews to gain exposure and build trust with subscriber bases, including email lists and micro-forums, in existing communities.
Dig deep: Reddit’s smart strategy for organic search visibility and AI
Going offline and using QR codes, coupon codes, and email
I see the return of offline advertising in the interactive channel.
Beyond what major affiliates do with linked credit cards, affiliate sites use TV ads and traditional media buys to generate traffic.
I’m also seeing more consultants, conference speakers, and small businesses getting involved by using QR code links to retail or affiliate companies in the sales areas.
I even saw affiliate links on bulletin board flyers, though I didn’t scan them. I was in a hurry.
Workshop leaders and conference speakers include affiliate links to presentations.
When someone often recommends a product or service, some partners put links on business cards because they are already sending referrals to the product. They may also get paid for it.
Get the newsletter search marketers rely on.
One trick I haven’t seen, but might work, is to put a QR code with a link on the back of the t-shirt.
This may work for a whim or an impromptu purchase, especially in airports or other crowded areas. It plays on people’s natural curiosity.
That link could lead to a page that sells funny t-shirts, shopping sprees, a subscription to the joke of the day, or a free download to help you pass the time on the plane if you’re wearing a shirt at the airport or train station.
It might even inspire an app for popular travel games on tablets and smartphones. The offline possibilities are almost endless.
Dig deep: Affiliate networks are best for the need and use case
Partner sites
Brands have also entered the affiliate channel in greater numbers by reinvesting in profits and partner sites.
They list affiliate companies and use affiliate links to refer users while earning commissions.
These sites also allow businesses to identify partners for promotion via email, blog posts, social media, and other forms of affiliate marketing.
- Banks promote insurance and web hosting.
- Web hosting companies recommend LLC structures and legal documents such as privacy policies or terms of use.
- Food companies advertise equipment and supplies.
I also see affiliates promoting software and cashback platforms on thank you pages after opting out of ad networks.
There are few better places to reach a consumer than within a product’s shopping cart. If the product allows it, they allow it.
Dig deep: How promoting content for creators builds trust and lowers media costs
So, how does this generate traffic when brands have other brands?
Once you have an audience, work with them on promotion.
Create a course that complements the product offering and explore opportunities to be featured on the partner portal.
In return for inclusion, you can promote the brand’s products to your audience, or run an email campaign in exchange for a few months of visibility on the portal.
As a niche or industry expert, you can add value to a product’s users, especially if your subject supports the product’s struggling sales to convert.
Brands can increase your credibility as a trusted builder, while their fixed audience may convert as you guide them through the process.
They win high-value customers without solving conversion challenges themselves.
If the search is sending a few clicks, creativity is important
There is no shortage of traditional platforms like social media and SEO.
But if the search engines are sending a few clicks, it’s time to get creative.
Think about where you can get traffic and how to direct visitors to your links. You are only limited by your creativity.
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