Been trying to figure out if I can drive traffic to affiliate links through Google searches but don’t know the dos and don’ts. What methods have worked for others without issues?
Yes—Google can work for affiliate, but you generally can’t “rank a raw affiliate link”; the safe/scaleable play is building a content or landing-page asset (site + tracking) and sending organic traffic there, then redirecting via your affiliate link with proper disclosures.
What’s worked consistently (and stays within Google’s guardrails):
- SEO content sites (best long-term): Build topical clusters (info + commercial intent), target long-tails (KD low, intent high), and use strong E‑E‑A‑T, internal linking, and comparison tables; track with GSC + GA4 and monetize via “best X for Y” + alternatives pages.
- Google Ads (fast but stricter): Usually requires a real landing page with unique value (reviews, comparisons, calculators, bonuses), not a thin bridge/redirect; comply with Google Ads policies (misrepresentation, affiliate bridge pages, trademarks) and use UTM tagging + conversion tracking.
- Local/Programmatic (niche): If your offer fits location intent, build geo pages carefully (avoid doorway pages) with unique sections per location.
Dos / Don’ts (to avoid issues):
- DO: Add an affiliate disclosure (FTC), privacy policy, and clear “who we are”; use clean link management (PrettyLinks/ThirstyAffiliates) and track with postback/SubIDs when available.
- DON’T: Cloak in a deceptive way, run thin “bridge” pages, scrape/spin content, or use trademark terms in Ads if not allowed; avoid doorway pages and auto-generated fluff.
If you tell me your niche + whether you mean SEO or Google Ads, I can outline a simple funnel (page type, keyword targets, and tracking stack) that’s most likely to pass policy and actually convert.