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If someone asks what the best traffic source for affiliate marketing is, what pops first to your mind? Is it the free type, like social media, SEO, email marketing, or do you automatically equate it to paid traffic such as PPC? There are tons of traffic sources out there, and due to the variety of your ad copy possibilities, the results are unique to you, and only through testing will you know which suits you best.

The truth is that testing, new traffic types and sources, is part of the DNA of every affiliate in the never-ending quest for better conversions. To help you out in that quest here’s a little something about zero-click campaigns, and affiliates drool over them more than over a steamy Cinnabon after going on a sugar-free four-day diet.

Tasty.
Image credit: Flickr | audrey_sel

What Makes zero-click Campaigns so Tempting

Zero-click (a.k.a. Domain Redirect for those familiar with the “other” name) is a type of traffic that has a fairly simple route: it comes from a user who erroneously mistypes a particular domain and immediately gets redirected to a page with an affiliate’s offer on it. Because the user gets redirected to the landing page right after entering the wrong domain address (or the “correct” one, looking from an affiliate’s perspective), there’s no need for further user interaction or ad creative.

That’s only a small part of what makes this type of traffic more tempting than a sweet roll of cinnamon goodness. First off, the name might be a dead giveaway. The ad is displayed to users without them clicking anywhere, hence the zero-click moniker. Then, there’s the aspect of the overall look which resembles a natural webpage. This, in turn, eliminates any intrusive or potentially adsy feel that puts off viewers. Most importantly, the campaigns convert wonderfully because the offer is displayed to users who have shown an interest in a product by actively searching for it. As such, they have a high intention to convert.

The bottom line is that the visitor is yours instantly, not being disturbed or distracted by other ads, banners, windows, and such, raising the level of user engagement compared to some other traffic types.

Let’s say someone types in boooking.com. What do you think is the likelihood that this person is looking to book a flight or a hotel? Seems pretty high, right? Are you already drooling?

So instead of scratching your head to find the best creative and most inviting CTA, hoping that someone who visits a certain website is looking for a flight, will see your ad, click on it and complete a conversion, you gently redirecting this person to a landing page that offers flights or hotels. It might even have a similar look to the branded page. Whoa! You just cut the steps to making a conversion by a lot.

Multiple Uses

You’ll often read a uniform description of zero-click that it’s great for buying a lot of clicks. That’s true, but it’s only one side of the coin. If properly set to target the right market and audiences, zero-click campaigns can deliver very high conversion rates due to their targeted nature. Here at SelfAdvertiser, we offer two types of domain redirect campaigns:

• Run Of Network (RON) – competing against other RON zero-click campaigns and will get traffic from all zero-click opportunities
• Keyword Targeted – getting traffic only from zero-click opportunities with the predefined keywords

The difference between these two types lies in the user’s intended nature. Settling for a RON campaign is usually done for maximum exposure to the entire ad inventory, targeting all the publishers within the network. It has a broad reach and easy campaign management, representing a go-to option for increases in traffic.

On the other hand, the Keyword Targeted campaign is considered to be highly targeted and aims at a more relevant audience, proving to be a better option if you’re promoting to a particular niche. Due to their high effectiveness, there is a fierce competition on Keyword Targeted campaigns, which is why it’s of the utmost importance to use your keywords correctly to get the most out of your traffic. It’s a common misconception that zero-click keywords follow the general principle behind this type of campaign and use mistyped forms. This is wrong because visitors usually don’t search for shoos but rather shoes. Instead, the traffic itself will supply relevant keywords that, for the most part, won’t include the misspelled keywords nor the domain or URL.

Additional Stuff You Need to Know

To maximize your effort, you first need to know where your most significant traffic and revenue are, which is where zero-click campaigns are super useful. Generally speaking, the more keywords you add to a campaign, the more volume it is likely to get, but that doesn’t mean you should target any keyword for the sake of mass. Note that short-tail keywords target a wider range than long-tail variants, which makes an excellent option if you want to get impressions.

Otherwise, try to be more specific and include phrases when targeting your audience to really peak their interest. In that regard, SelfAdvertiser has a rich inventory of zero-click keywords for some of the hottest Geos, as well as an inventory based on volume per Geo. That way, you can immediately get a scoop and know you’ll get quality traffic with brands that attract visitors like a magnet attracts metals.

Another reason why SelfAdvertiser’s zero-click tool is more enticing than a Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Roll is its domain inventory, which reads like who’s who of the most popular brands in the world. When you have misspelled variations of names like YouTube, Hyundai, Adidas, Nike or booking.com, you can expect VIP-caliber traffic landing at your landing pages (pun intended).

Our credentials include being in business for over a decade now, developing a network that caters to more than 20,000 direct publishers. We have an ad reach of 2 billion impressions on a daily basis, so you just know there won’t be any trouble finding the right audience. Additionally, we have our own reliable and accurate conversion tracking and reporting, as well as built-in tools on our self-serve platform. Specifically, you can track zero-click campaigns using dynamic URL tags/tokens, so users can learn which keywords are being matched through their targeting.

Finally, another important aspect is your landing page, that despite all the effort you’ve put in, can easily ruin all your hard work. A shady or amateur looking webpage can easily scare off or repel visitors. Quality traffic demands a quality landing page that will be relevant, user-friendly, and look good. That’s one thing we can’t help you with, but there are lots of examples and tools available to use if you’re not sure how to create a winning landing page.

Final Words

For affiliates trying to achieve positive ROI, promoting an offer via a zero-click campaign could be the saving grace in the increasingly competitive world of affiliate marketing. High level of relevancy and intent to convert, grouped with the non-disruptive look and feel of the ad format, almost guarantee you the best value for your hard-earned bucks. It’s up to you to give it a try.