What is a heat map?

The heat map is a technique that allows the graphical presentation of the most important information about the behavior of users visiting a specific website. Thanks to the use of a wide range of colors, we can check which areas of the website are most frequently visited, for example:
– red – the most popular elements;
– yellow – areas of less interest;
– blue or green – places visited least often.

In some cases, heatmaps are equally identified with clickmaps. According to Paraphrase Online experts, this is the correct reasoning, but to simplify it – it is nothing else than a method of presenting data collected using click tracking, scroll tracking and attention tracking. What do these terms mean?

– click tracking – tracking information related to user clicks using server logs;
– scroll tracking – a rule based on the depth of scrolling, i.e. places where Internet users will reach the farthest;
– attention tracking – research based on the analysis of website elements that attract potential visitors.

Remember not to confuse heat maps with eye tracking. Well, eye tracking tracks the movement of the eyeballs, and the mission of this study is to verify the most popular elements that Internet users look at. For this purpose, we need specialized equipment – dedicated glasses or a monitor equipped with special functionalities.

Heat maps developed on the basis of tools such as Hotjar track the cursor movements, and thus – in this case we use click tracking or scroll tracking technology. Eye tracking is a completely different, more advanced technique used much less frequently than classic solutions.

Heat map implementation – 3 most popular tools

The most popular tools for implementing a heat map include: Crazy EGG, Smartlook and HotJar. With their help, we will implement the tracking code for the website and we will be able to study all the factors affecting click-, scroll-, and attention tracking. Here are 3 heatmap apps!

Crazy EGG
Crazy EGG is a tool that shows the number of clicks and scrolls. Creates heat maps and presents additional statistics of clicks on specific areas, elements and functionalities. You can use it for free for 30 days in the demo version.

Smartlook
The Smartlook application offers click maps, scroll maps, and allows you to record the behavior of potential customers on the website (e.g. clicking between subpages of the website). In the free version, we will generate any number of heat maps, but the data on which our heat map is based will be quite limited.

HotJar
HotJar, a program that prepares click maps and cursor movement recordings. The free version of the application is very limited, but we can use all its functionalities for free for 15 days. In some cases, HotJar reduces site performance (e.g. increases loading time).

Types of heat maps – 5 examples

The different types of heat maps enable a comprehensive analysis of all visitor activities. Depending on our preferences, we can see, among others how far users scroll our website, what they most often pay attention to, and why they do not click on a given link or leave the site. Here are the types of heat maps! – 5 examples.

Click Map
Click Map allows you to carefully analyze all clicks made on our website by potential customers. It works on a simple principle – after the user’s activity (in the form of a click), he marks a specific area on the page with a bright dot. The larger the spot of white, the more active the visitors were in this place. Thanks to the appropriate identification, we can assess whether the guests have clicked on the appropriate space.

Page scroll map
The page scroll map allows you to see how far users are scrolling. That’s not all, because with its help we can also verify the most eye-catching functionalities and places that make visitors leave our site.

Map of the percentage of clicks
The click-through percentage map allows you to accurately count the number of clicks generated by using a specific element (e.g. a call to action) compared to other website functionalities. This is very important because it allows you to find out which areas of the website are most important to users.

Confetti map
The confetti map shows single clicks on the page. It also allows you to verify that potential customers are clicking inactive areas. Some may confuse it with the click percentage map, but the confetti type only demonstrates single clicks, not the click density.

Mouse tracking map
The mouse tracking map shows the most common places your visitors move around. It is a very useful type of map that facilitates the verification of where the user has reached with the mouse, but has not clicked on a given element or has left the site.

Heat maps in internet analytics

Heat maps can be perfectly used in internet analytics, e.g. to improve the visibility of priority buttons and icons or to detect the most problematic areas of a given website. They are also helpful for improving website navigation, moving individual elements as well as analyzing the volume of content. Below we present the use of heat maps in web analytics!

Detection of the most problematic areas of a given website
Appropriate use of clickmaps will allow you to verify which elements are inactive and still attract the attention of visitors. Additionally, you can eliminate places considered to be the most problematic – it is very useful in highly competitive industries (e.g. e-commerce, hosting, gambling).

Content volume analysis
The content volume analysis is possible thanks to the scrollmap – then we will be able to check whether the user reads the entire text available on our website. If, on the other hand, we conclude that visitors only roll over half of the article, we should choose a different SEO strategy focused on, for example, shorter but more substantive content.

Improving the visibility of priority buttons and icons
Thanks to the click map, we will find out which functionalities of our website attract the most attention of users. If we come to the conclusion that individual elements in the current form (e.g. a subscription button or a basket icon) are not effective enough – we will be able to make significant changes.

Moving items within the site
Moving items within the site is a procedure performed primarily by online stores. What is it exactly about? Well, using scroll and attention maps, we will get to know the buttons that attract the special attention of visitors. Thanks to this, we will find out which of them should be moved higher to interest other Internet users.

Improving site navigation
The use of heat maps in web analytics is primarily the continuous testing of the functionality of a given website. Exactly the same is the case with improving the navigation on the site.

For example – if we provide our clients with two versions of the menu (vertical and horizontal), we should test which of them is used more often. We can then notice that the side navigation does not arouse any interest, and thus – we will insert additional buttons, banners or icons in its place.

Summary

Heatmaps are excellent SEO tools that improve website analytics. They look very effective, are transparent, and most importantly – they increase conversion and make the website more useful. Remember, however, that the necessary skill is to draw appropriate conclusions from the obtained maps, and then make well-thought-out and correct changes to the selected site.

FAQ

When to use heatmaps
Heatmaps are worth using to measure audience engagement in the context of your articles. According to Semcore experts, they can be additionally used to verify what elements attract the attention of recipients and check what Internet users click on most often.

What can be deduced from the heat map?
The heat map requires a careful analysis, thanks to which we can conclude, inter alia, where should we place the most important content, where visitors leave the website, and how to increase the effectiveness of priority functionalities and properly present your product or service.

Who should use heatmaps?
Heat maps are especially useful in highly competitive industries (e.g. e-commerce, gambling, hosting), where even the smallest details count. This does not change the fact that the so-called The heat map is useful in every field, for example to increase conversion or meet the requirements of Internet users (UX aspect).

To be completely honest – most of the problems include a high bounce rate and even too few entries from mobiles devices compared to stationary devices can be solved by correctly implementing the improvements that we have developed based on the data from the heat maps.

How to implement a heat map to your business?
The heat map should be implemented using appropriate applications (eg Crazy EGG, Smartlook, HotJar) that will facilitate the implementation of the tracking code on our website. Thanks to this, we will be able to study the elements affecting click-, scroll- and attention tracking.

How much does it cost to make a website and business needs

A website is a source of knowledge about our business. Its task is to inform about services or products, communicate transaction rules and provide contact details to the company. Just a few years ago, all goals would be met by a simple website consisting of several tabs. Today, however, the requirements associated with it are much higher – you should take into account trends in the industry and the network, and if you want to reach as many customers as possible – also the requirements of search engines.

How much it costs to make a website depends largely on its expected size and the technologies used. So let’s start by answering a few questions:

A. Size of the website – if you are planning a website for a small, very local business, all you have to do is build a simple website that will provide basic information for your customers – it will tell you about the business, who is behind it and where and at what times you can use the services. What does “simple site” mean?
These are several tabs – subpages.

These types of sites are intended for a small number of recipients. By placing the object on the map and adjusting the search to the locations of its user – those interested will easily find a website and gain access to the necessary information.

The site can be based on pure HTML and CSS, without a content management system. However, if you plan to frequently add entries to the news section and be able to change your course offer, for example, it is worth meeting people who are unfamiliar with the code and invest in one of the popular CMS. The simplest solution here is WordPress – popular, intuitive, with the ability to create users with different levels of access to the administration panel. The installation of CMS is, however, associated with higher costs and in the extended time of completion of the website design.

For this type of page, however, you can use alternative solutions – page builders. Google also provides this type of solution. Sites created using these solutions are usually cheap (costs are the subscription of the selected tool and the price of domain maintenance and hosting) and can be done on your own. Website builders have their limitations and creating large websites that have ambitions to storm the first positions in search results may not be very effective.

Websites that are to contain more tabs – e.g. the offer category is to be developed for various types of services, and the site will allow customers to contact the company directly or book visits – it is worth building based on CMS. More subpages require agile administration, and this will definitely be facilitated by the installation of a content management system.

B. Technology – the bigger side is usually the need for more individual solutions. The simplest and cheapest solution is to put a static page, using HTML, CSS and simple JavaScript. How much does it cost to make a simple website? An efficient developer will code and – colloquially speaking – will “put” this type of website within a few days. The cost should also be increased by the work of the graphic designer responsible for creating the website layout and time related to making corrections to the project.

More complicated pages, extended with functionalities allowing for greater interaction with the page – e.g. using forms, creating accounts and logging in, require more advanced solutions. In these cases, the page is most often based on one of the CMS. Again, the most popular solution for medium-sized sites is WordPress, which thanks to the plug-in system can extend a regular website with almost any functionality.

The advantage of popular CMS are easily available documentation and forums, where you can find solutions for virtually any problem. Their definite downside – susceptibility to burglary. Lack of the current version of the system, unchecked plugins and add-ons may be the reason for slamming or hijacking. Therefore, if you choose this type of solution, their additional cost may be updating the version (which does not always go smoothly), and in the worst case … removing the effects of hacking.

Online stores also have a separate price list. Here, several solutions are involved – installing the engine on a server or using software in the Saas model.

Placing the store on your own server is associated with the need to take care not only of its appearance, but above all about security. It is not only about meeting security requirements, but also about the stability of servers, the security of your data and customers and the elimination of errors related to installed extensions. This solution, however, allows full access to the code of the website and full modification in accordance with your own vision.

The online store can also be opened using the offers of companies operating in the SaaS model – Software as a service. By choosing this solution, we sub-rent a cloud fragment and store software in exchange for a monthly fee. There are many companies operating in this system on the market. Each of the brands offers several subscription versions. Its amount depends on, among others on the number of accounts in the administrative panel, integration with other sales channels and wholesalers, the number of products and so on.

The costs associated with placing the store at the start may be smaller – the smallest subscription is around $ 10 / month. This, of course, brings limitations, e.g. the inability to match the appearance of the store’s vision or pasting the codes necessary to run a Google Ads campaign. Fees must be paid monthly, which can be quite painful for the entrepreneur in the event of a worse period.

How much does it cost to create a small page?

As mentioned above, making a website takes a few hours of work and graphics. The list of points in the cost estimate will look like this:
– domain cost,
– hosting cost,
– the cost of creating the page layout (graphics time),
– cost of coding the website (web developer time).

The total should be close to about $ 200-300.

These costs can be reduced by using, for example, one of the programs that allows you to create a page yourself. In this case, the main effort will be our time – necessary to choose the program, familiarize yourself with it and build a working website. The cost of domain and hosting will remain the same, you should also add a subscription to them resulting from the use of the wizard – the cheapest start from around $ 5 / month. Note – the use of wizards has its limitations – e.g. a smaller subscription requires you to agree to display ads on our site.

The small site is ideal for businesses that do not have the ambition to dominate search results.

How much does it cost to make a website for a medium-sized business?

A website, which is to be a tool for acquiring new customers, should meet a whole range of requirements – it should be fast, mobiles and accessible to recipients.

Building this type of site will be more complicated – the number of bookmarks increases and additional functions need to be added. Points that should be included in the cost estimate of such a project are similar to those of a small site, but their height will increase significantly. Depending on the planned functions and the expected traffic on the site, it may be necessary to choose a more expensive option or a dedicated server.

The cost of creating a medium-sized business website also has a CMS chosen. Installing it usually increases the price by around $ 150-300. Added to this are the costs of some solutions that need to be installed into the basic system.

Additional costs worth paying

CMS support requires familiarity with its limitations and capabilities. Unless it is planned to employ a separate employee to operate the website, it is worth considering the issue and, for example, adding a point related to the system training in the website contract. It is worth keeping this in mind – simple corrections that you can do yourself in a few minutes, the company will cost you a lot. Self-service of the system also saves time – delegating tasks in this case can postpone their execution for several days.

Note – submission of the page by the web developer is not synonymous with its full preparation for active activities on the Internet. If you start positioning or Google Ads, you may need to make corrections. This does not mean, however, that the “site was bad”, but only not fully adapted to Google’s guidelines. Optimization, however, may involve the need for additional changes, especially if the site is managed by a proprietary CMS system that does not have full documentation on the Internet.

Store – virtual store shelves, salesman and cash register

One of the more complex types of websites are certainly online stores. This translates directly into how much it costs to make them. What should be considered?

In addition to basic costs – domain and hosting, there is the cost of the engine. As I mentioned above – its issue can be solved in two ways – by installing open source options or choosing a SaaS solution.

Store prices start at around $ 2-3 thousand and increase depending on the solutions and integration used.

SaaS for those who like “fast”

At first glance, it may seem that how much it costs to make a website and store on open source engines is incomparably greater than using the store options in the SaaS model. Subscription allows us to set up a fully functional store, but depending on the height limits the possibility of customizing its appearance and optimization. These types of solutions will not work for large e-commers trading thousands of products. This solution will be appreciated by small companies that do not have financial expenses to build their own sales platform.

(Not) Perfect solution

The biggest drawback of this type of solutions is the inability to modify the code and make changes, including those that would be required during optimization for running an advertising campaign. Of course, many of them have the option of more advanced customization, but this is an additional cost that the company must take on. Many suppliers of ready stores emphasize the possibility of giving websites a unique look, unfortunately, most projects – especially in lower subscription plans – do not differ much.

SaaS also has its advantages – the responsibility for maintaining the continuity of the correct operation of the site and ensuring data and transaction security, falls on the service provider. In the case of multi-person activities, the delegation of these tasks allows you to focus on creating the product and running the brand.

The cost of placing a store in a SaaS model starts at around $ 15 / month. Prices for more advanced packages start from around $ 70.

Content marketing and its impact on SEO

Content marketing is one of the main factors affecting rankings in organic search results. Its use allows:

– tell Google robots what the page or subpage is about,
– contain key phrases with high potential, important from the point of view of positioning,
– increase website traffic,
– provide users with valuable and useful content,
– build the image of an expert in a given industry,
– increase conversion.

Publishing the content gives search engine robots a signal that the site is still working and is constantly updated. Unfortunately, creating new content, optimizing it in terms of search engine algorithms, and then assessing the potential in terms of profit take a long time. Therefore, before we undertake any content activities affecting website positioning, it is worth finding out what content is worth investing in.

Fresh content – does it affect positioning?

Users like not only valuable, but also current content. For the same reason, they are also valued by Google search algorithms. What is the so-called fresh content? This is content that:

– is associated with recent events that are gaining popularity (e.g. natural disasters, individual sporting events, presidential elections, information on celebrities),
– applies to events that are repeated periodically (Olympic Games, TV programs – e.g. Dancing with the Stars),
– it is updated frequently and is subject to numerous changes (e.g. product reviews, lists and rankings of the best equipment, which are updated at specified intervals).

The emergence of new, popular content arouses the interest of both current and new users – regularly published content increases website traffic and clickthrough rate (CTR), which can also affect positioning and position in organic search results.

What content should you choose? In an electronics store, attention should be drawn to an article about the most popular smartphoness or useful home gadgets that improve everyday life. In turn, in the gadget store, an article about 5 best gifts for a partner may turn out to be interesting. What’s more, such content, although related to a specific event, will also be current next year.

Fresh content – what content is it?

However, it turns out that “fresh content” is not always closely associated with the date of publication. It is the search engine algorithms that decide which content will be matched to the user’s query. It may turn out that the “fresh content” will be an article from a few minutes or hours ago, but also from a dozen or so days ago or from the previous month. Example? In the case of the password associated with the presidential election, the search results appear published several dozen minutes ago, a few hours earlier and a few days earlier. In turn, the slogan “the best smartphoness” we see both articles from a few days ago, and 2-3 months ago. Matching the most current results to queries related to current events is the result of two updates – from 2009 on indexing and from 2011 (the so-called Freshness Update), which affected about 35% of searches, and thanks to which today in the search engine we find content recently published.

Query Deserves Freshness – what does this mean?

Therefore, it turns out that Google algorithms prefer “fresh content” only for some queries. They are so-called Query Deserves Freshness (QDF). If Google considers the password to be “fresh”, the results will show recent material, but the time may vary – from a few minutes to several months, depending on the type of query. You can use such searches to create relevant content and increase website traffic, but it’s worth remembering that in the future, when the increased popularity of the query passes, the traffic generated by the material will also be limited. This does not mean, however, to opt out of fresh content, because they can be a source of many valuable links. What’s more, it’s worth choosing the right title for them – the year of publication visible in the search results can affect the increase in the clickthrough rate (CTR), which already has a direct impact on the position in organic results.

For queries outside Query Deserves Freshness, the date of publication of the article will not have a major impact on your search engine rankings. Examples of content for which publication time is not important include:
– recipe for pancakes,
– blog entry titled Which phones case should I choose?
– blog entry titled 5 ways to get a better night’s sleep.

In the above cases, not the date of publication will be relevant, but:
– value of user information provided,
– use of relevant key phrases in appropriate density,
– traffic generated by the subpage,
– authority of the site,
– popularity among recipients),
– valuable links to the site
– and many other factors.

Evergreen content in positioning – how to use eternally live content?

Somehow in opposition to dynamic content associated with current or cyclical events, stands the so-called evergreen content, which is eternally live content that does not become outdated despite the passage of days, months and even years and in the long run generates constant, valuable traffic. This type of content contains universal advice, tips and information that is not affected by the passage of time. The carrot cake recipe from 2020 is no different from the one from a few years ago. What materials are covered by evergreen content? Primarily:

– guides (how to choose an exterior door for your home, how to create a happy relationship),
– industry lists (5 ways to better sleep, 3 methods of coping with stress, 7 best natural cosmetics),
– case study,
– dictionaries of terms,
– answers to user questions and FAQ sections.

However, this does not mean that the content that users are looking for at all times, regardless of the season or season, does not require editing. Why? Because technology also changes over time. An example is the marketing and internet and positioning industry – the article on SEO myths from 5 years ago will look completely different from the one published in 2020. Therefore, if we have already created a text on such subjects some time ago, it is worth keeping a finger on the pulse and adapting it to the changing information and ways of positioners.

Fresh and evergreen content and SEO

Publishing new content usually involves either creating new subpages or updating existing ones. It is worth remembering, however, that adding content or updating it must be a thoughtful strategy, not “art for art’s sake.” If the newly published content does not bring value to the user, it probably will not bring you the expected benefits (more traffic, higher conversions). Therefore, when updating content, you should avoid practices such as:
– changing the publication date to keep the content up to date,
– cosmetic, minor changes on the page (in ads, user comments, JavaScript, etc.).

The higher frequency of updates of a given subpage and website generally causes Google robots to index it more often. A larger number of articles on a page or blog in this way generates more traffic, which indirectly affects positioning, but if this traffic is of little value (e.g. it will increase the bounce rate), then it does not have to be associated with an improvement in the position in organic search results. What’s more, SEO experts are multiplying examples of entries in top10 searches from pages that have not been updated for a long time. Therefore, the frequency of publication can affect website positioning, but does not have to, and there are so many ranking factors that it is difficult to predict the effects.

If the updates are not valuable to the user, then probably Google’s algorithms will not display them in high positions, and the content will not generate the increased traffic or conversions that we care about. Such actions do not make sense, because the content is created in order to achieve specific business goals.

Content recycling

Who said that created content can be used only once? The growing popularity of various forms of communication with users means that the existing material can be transformed into a slightly different one with little effort and reused. Examples?

– A tutorial entry on a blog can be a great base for an infographics or a podcast, and a series of tutorials material for an ebook.
– Multimedia presentation for training participants can be converted into a PDF guide (or vice versa).
– Graphics prepared for social media can also be found as an illustration of a blog post.

This reuse of already existing content is what we call recycling. These activities involve creating new content that is valuable to the user, based on existing content and has nothing to do with duplication. Content recycling can also consist of:
– article update, which we already have on the site,
– combining several old articles into one larger material (remember to redirect to avoid losing links to the material),
– extension of the guide,
– re-sharing the article on social media (containing content that does not become outdated).

What are the benefits of recycling content? Primarily:
– we save time – creating completely new materials would definitely require more energy,
– we attract recipients interested in a given medium (some prefer to listen to podcasts, others read blog entries),
– we are increasing the number of potential recipients,
– we support SEO and conversion – modern forms of content marketing, if properly optimized, also affect positioning,
– we “remind” the content of search engine algorithms that re-index the page, i.e. evalsuate its content.

How to choose subpages that need updating?

It is worth betting on updating the content if:
– the content can (and even should) be supplemented with new, valuable information,
– the site has collected valuable links and you don’t want to lose them,
– the material ranks in the top 10 search results for interesting phrases, but does not generate conversions,
– The site has several articles on a given topic, but only one of them generates relevant traffic.

When to create a new article and when to update an existing one?

Why is it not always profitable to create a new article? Because new content, unlike existing content, doesn’t have valuable links (e.g. from social media). If we want to use their potential, and at the same time we have no idea for new material, then a good solution may be to supplement the content of an existing entry. In the case of new pages that do not yet have a lot of content, it is worth focusing on new content, because these expand the catalog of keywords, which will be visible in search results.

Step by step content update on the page

To assess which pages we should update, it’s worth focusing on a content audit. Thanks to this you will be able to verify which subpages bring the expected results, which do nothing for you, and which are potentially harmful. To this end, you can use tools that analyze the traffic generated by individual URLs. Among them are:

– Google Analytics, which shows, among others bounce rate for a given subpage and the time spent by the user on a given subpage,
– Google Search Console, indicating the number of views; if there are many views and the time spent on the subpage is short, it is a signal that the content may be unattractive.

Updating content can be divided into several stages:
A. Log in to the Google Analytics account and go to the Behavior-> Website Content-> All Pages section, where we will find the most popular entries on our blog. On this basis, we preselect pages that are worth analyzing in more detail. It is worth to read them again, compare them with similar materials available from competing companies or stores and think about whether we can expand, enrich or change our own content.
B. We use popular tools – Google Analytics and Google Search Console. The data stored in them will help us choose the elements to improve. If:
– you have a high bounce rate, increase the attractiveness of the content – for example, supplement it with eye-catching graphics, tables, charts;
– the data shows that the specific subpage has a low CTR (Click Through Rate), it is worth considering changing the meta data – title, meta description;
 – the subpage generates very few conversions, focus on visually attractive CTA (call to action).
C. After making any changes, it is worth following the results in the above-mentioned tools – in this way you will find out whether the implemented changes and enriched content actually brought the expected results.

There are content that will always be up to date. However, because technology is moving forward in many areas of information, current a few years ago, today is useless. Therefore, it is worth looking at your site in this respect and checking whether we can improve, update or improve the previously created content. To this end, you can bet on:
– interesting combinations (e.g. data in a table or in the form of diagrams),
– infographics,
– updating statistical data,
– posting the opinions of other industry experts.

It may also be necessary to verify keywords – phrases popular in the past do not have to be today. It is also worth interfering with internal linking. Why? Because while we often place links to existing entries in new content, we often forget to update existing entries with links to new subpages or blog content.

Content update and conversions

One way to increase conversions is to update and enrich the content. Many SEO experts have achieved amazing results in this way. Ireneusz Iwański (Paraphrase-Online.com) increased the conversion rate from 0.54% to 4.82% in one day. An important content update can also be condensing information in one place. Lists with interesting links also attract users and increase conversions. How can this trend be used? If you’re writing an article about featured groups on Facebook, provide links to them. If you create a post about tools for a positioner, put in it links to pages of specific tools.

Use the potential of content in positioning.

The Content is King slogan is still alive, but in order for content published on our website to have a positive impact on positioning, you need to spend a lot of time and work. What’s more, user preferences and technologies are constantly changing, and website and blog owners must keep up with them. If we do not have time to create content on our website and update it, as well as regularly enrich or supplement and analyze the results, it is worth focusing on cooperation with an SEO agency. It employs both positioners responsible for technical optimization of the site, as well as content marketing specialists. Thanks to this, the team of experts will not only create valuable materials for the user, but will also update and enrich them as well as analyze their effectiveness. What’s more, by working with a marketing agency, you’ll also get a valuable profile of links that lead to your site. Only in this way – by focusing on comprehensive actions – can you count on the effects of positioning. Because content, although very important, is only one of the elements of SEO strategy.

Affiliate Programs – What is it?

Affiliate programs are nothing more than affiliate marketing. It is an efficiency channel based on the relationship: seller (advertiser) – partner (publisher / affiliate). The specificity of this channel means that it is not a direct marketing technique. Closer to the model of employing independent marketers, who – motivated by a commission system – take the most effective actions to attract the largest number of customers performing the desired actions.

Participants of partner programs

Before you implement affiliate marketing, you should know the essence of its functioning. In this case, four “links” play an important role.

Seller (advertiser)
The salesperson is the main element in affiliate marketing – it is he who “launches” the affiliate program, wanting to promote his products and acquire customers in order to achieve his business goals.

Partner (publisher)
The partner has an advertising space that can be used to promote specific products / services. Any publisher or social media users who, as part of the affiliate program, intend to present the seller’s offer can become a publisher.

User
The user is simply a potential customer who clicks on a special affiliate link. As a result, he is redirected to the advertiser’s website and makes a purchase or performs any other desired action there.

Affiliate Network
An affiliate network is a platform that provides technology that allows collaboration between the seller and the partner. Its role is also to control the correctness of cooperation and optimization of activities carried out by advertisers and publishers.

Affiliate programs – types

All affiliate programs operate on similar principles. However, their types may be different, taking into account, for example, how advertisers are billed with publishers and the affiliate network. So let’s explore the available options to choose the most favorable and best suited to your needs

Pay per sale
Pay per sale (PPS) is a method of accounting for participants of affiliate programs, which consists in granting a specific amount on sales. It can also be a percentage of the amount of the final purchase made by the user. Accounting in the PPS model is the most popular in partner programs. Due to the fact that they are characterized by a relatively low conversion, the paid commissions are quite high – often up to 50% (in the case of services, software).

Pay per lead
Pay per lead (PPL) means the specific amount paid for each specific action taken by the user. In this case, it does not have to be only a customer’s purchase. Acquiring leads may include, among others to sign up for the mailing list, fill out the contact form. This type of affiliate program allows advertisers to measure the performance of specific ads. By calculating the average income in relation to the leads obtained, it can estimate the amount of profits made.

Pay per click
Pay per click (PPC) is a method of accounting for affiliate programs, the essence of which is to pay a specific amount for each click on an ad – similar to Google Ads. The number of products sold does not matter. Of the available types of affiliate programs, settlement in the PPC model enjoys the least popularity.

Affiliate programs are mutual benefits?

Affiliate programs are gaining popularity year by year. According to the latest Paraphrase-Online.com report, total investment in affiliate marketing in Europe has exceeded EUR 12 trillion. Although it is primarily popular among top advertisers, it really benefits every seller. This is due to the simple fact – affiliate programs are a model based on high performance and profitability. The biggest advantage of affiliate marketing are mutual benefits – especially when settling in the PPS model.

The advertiser is sure that the partner will take the most effective actions translating into increased sales of products. The publisher is highly motivated because his dedication depends on how much he can earn. It can also use any marketing methods that are most effective in acquiring customers.

Low cost to the advertiser
Participation in the affiliate program requires advertisers to bear the costs. However, they are relatively low, taking into account the payment of commission only when, for example, there is a sale.

Attractive earnings for the publisher
In the case of affiliate programs settled on the basis of PPL or PPS, the publisher has a chance to earn well. Much, however, depends on his activities. The more thought-out the campaigns, the greater the chance for profit.

Affiliate marketing – where to start?

Are you a salesman and want to run affiliate marketing? You need to start by creating an affiliate program and then invite publishers, e.g. through an affiliate network. Are you the owner of an advertising space and want to start earning? Join selected partner programs to receive sales and lead generation commissions through properly conducted marketing activities.