The decline in organic traffic for numerous affiliate sites has been a cause for concern since Google’s March 2024 core update. Some sites have experienced a significant decrease in rankings, leading to layoffs and budget cuts. However, many of these sites believe they are following Google’s guidelines by providing “helpful content” based on their experience. But what are they missing?
According to Danny Ashton, founder of the air purifier review site HouseFresh, Google’s updates can make or break a website. Ashton emphasizes that they prioritize editorial decisions based on their readers’ interests rather than writing solely for Google’s robots. Despite this approach, HouseFresh lost 91% of its Google traffic and its business suffered as a result.
So, what has changed after the March 2024 core update? It seems that many affiliate sites without significant brand search have lost traffic. However, the issue is not that smaller sites cannot outrank larger brands due to overall authority. The problem lies in the fact that smaller sites are not driving brand search.
Brand search, which refers to how an audience searches for a specific website or offering after engaging with messaging about a product or service on another platform, plays a crucial role in rankings. For example, in the case of air purifier reviews, Google replaced affiliate sites like HouseFresh with sites like The Spruce, which covers various home and garden topics. The key difference is that The Spruce has a significant brand search, while HouseFresh has none.
This trend is also evident when searching for other keywords like “best treadmills.” TreadmillReviews.net lost all its traffic for treadmill-related keywords, but Garage Gym Reviews’ article on the best treadmills ranks in position 1 and is growing. Garage Gym Reviews benefits from both general brand search and specific searches for “garage gym reviews treadmills.”
The importance of brand search in SEO has become increasingly evident. Research shows a correlation between brand search volume and top-ranking keywords in Google. This indicates that Google places value on brand search.
As a result, anyone involved in SEO must focus on building brand search traffic rather than solely aiming to rank for non-brand keywords. The two aspects are now interconnected and cannot be separated.
Affiliate sites, along with any other type of site, can adapt to the growing importance of brand search by developing an integrated PR and SEO strategy. By influencing audience search behavior through content and expertise, these sites can drive brand-specific searches and improve their search visibility.
To influence audience search behavior, site owners can create PR studies around interesting trends, become expert sources for journalists, or run tests to drive brand search for specific phrases. These efforts can lead to increased brand recognition and targeted search behavior.
In conclusion, the latest decline in organic traffic for affiliate sites highlights the significance of brand search in SEO. Smaller sites lose visibility not because they lack authority, but because they fail to drive brand search. To overcome this challenge, affiliate sites must adopt integrated PR and SEO strategies to influence audience search behavior and boost brand-specific searches. The evolving landscape of SEO necessitates a shift in approach to prioritize brand search and its impact on rankings.
