How To Build Links To An Affiliate Site

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I’m going to be very honest with you; Google is STILL actively demoting affiliate sites, and I personally recommend that most people will get better results using parasite SEO unless they themselves own an authority site that can protect them vs. the various updates, classifiers and penalties that have been enacted in an effort to consolidate search.

So I’m going to mainly start by giving you the exact strategy that I would use on both a niche affiliate site and an authority affiliate site, as well as a bonus on how to build links and rank parasite pages too.

And whilst there are a lot of people in this industry that will tell you that you don’t need to build links, they have never ranked for any competitive affiliate term in their life then, as everyone who has will tell you that links are the #1 ranking signal. You NEED backlinks to rank in affiliate SERPs, even internationally, so without any further ado, let’s jump into it.

Which Pages Should You Build Links At?

You don’t just throw links randomly and hope for the best, strategic link building means focusing resources where you’ll see the highest and fastest ROI. The objective isn’t just traffic; its rapid returns that enable cash flow to fuel further growth.

Step 1: Forecasting Potential and ROI

  • Identify the cluster of money pages, topic clusters, or individual pages currently ranking on pages 1-3 that could deliver significant revenue growth with minimal additional resources.
  • Use these formulas:
    • Estimated Monthly Revenue: (Search Volume × CTR × Conversion Rate × Average Commission/Sale)
    • ROI Forecasting: (Estimated Revenue – SEO Investment) × 100 / SEO Investment
  • Prioritize pages with a high growth potential within a shorter period, ideally under three months. This allows for rapid capital reinvestment into other lucrative projects or pages.

Step 2: Strategic Link Targeting

  • Target your most impactful pages first, specifically those forecasted for high returns in the short term. For niche affiliate sites, this typically means commercial intent keywords or pages positioned to leapfrog onto page one with relatively few high-quality links.
  • For authority affiliate sites, you want to target pages that reinforce your topical clusters or category pages that lead to broad keyword visibility; these can compound traffic and revenue quickly when linked properly.

Step 3: Competitive SERP Analysis

  • Analyze the top 10 SERPs manually. Always evaluate:
    • Competitor domain authority and backlink profile.
    • Link velocity at the page level (how quickly they’re gaining links).
    • SERP features (snippets, PAA, image/video carousels) that could give you added advantages by winning those features faster.
  • Prioritize pages that competitors are weak in, if they have low quality or few links, that’s your chance to outrank them rapidly with minimal investment.

Example Page Level Opportunities

Here are some practical examples of pages that might benefit significantly from targeted link building:

  1. High-Value Commercial Intent Pages
    • Pages that rank just off page one (positions 11-20), where a small number of links (or even just one) could push them to top positions and significantly boost revenue. Optimize anchor texts to match and beat current top ranking pages.
  2. Topically Important Pillar Pages
    • Pages central to your topical authority, these typically are well built but often under linked. Direct links here can distribute equity effectively to cluster pages, improving overall topical authority and keyword coverage.
  3. Trending Topics with High Immediate Traffic
    • Newsjacking, event-jacking, or emerging niche topics that align closely with your existing content. These rank rapidly, attract strong backlinks naturally, and generate revenue almost instantly.

Link Building Strategies That Work For Affiliates

There are a ton of different techniques you can use as part of your overall strategy, but here are what has worked best for me over the years, in order of importance and approach.

Entity Stacking

Usually, entity stacking is pretty closely associated with “NAP” or Name/Address/Phone Number which is an easy validation technique taken from local SEO. Most affiliate sites aren’t trying to rank in Milwaukee… You’re trying to hit page one for global, high value buyer intent terms, often in verticals like finance, crypto, supplements, or gambling.

So entity stacking must evolve with that goal.

Unfortunately, most affiliate sites don’t have an address, and if they do, it is often in the wrong geo or wants to actually target international SERPs rather than just the USA or UK for example.

So, here is my 4 step guide for affiliate sites:

Step 1: Entity Recognition

Google doesn’t fully trust your site unless it sees it mentioned 30–50 times on what it considers trusted sources. That means profiles, citations, references, and mentions that match your brand or author entity across the web.

Use the Kalicube Trusted Sources List as your starting point. These include:

  • Reference Sites: Crunchbase, About.me, ProductHunt, Glassdoor, AngelList etc

  • Social Media Profiles: LinkedIn Pages, Twitter/X, Facebook Pages, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit (even profile bios) etc

  • Press Releases: PRWeb, Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, Business Insider (if syndicated), EIN Presswire etc

  • UGC Mentions: Quora answers, Reddit threads, niche forums (especially in YMYL spaces) etc

Make sure these properties use identical entity language: Brand name, founder and senior team names, tagline, site URL, and even the same logo/branding/icons where possible.

You can use our own brand as an example! Just search us on Google…

Step 2: Layered Stacking

Once the initial stack is built, interlink them in a logical, hierarchical structure:

  • Link citations and profiles back to your about/author pages

  • Link press releases to your homepage or pillar content

  • Link your LinkedIn Page → Reddit Profile → Crunchbase → ProductHunt → Homepage

  • Use IFTTT-style syndication to automate amplification through tiered linking between UGC and profile properties

You’re not just trying to rank pages, you’re trying to convince Google that your entire brand is real, relevant, trusted and even respected in your niche.

Step 3: Power Up with Branded Anchor Link Building

Don’t stop at citations. You need actual backlinks to these entity assets to trigger recognition faster.

  • Build Tier 2 links to your Crunchbase, About.me, Reddit bio, and any UGC responses

  • Use low risk platforms like SlideShare, Medium, LinkedIn Pulse, even DocDroid or Scribd to embed your brand language

  • Point low authority guest posts or niche edits at these assets (especially if you’re tiering with automation or PBNs)

The goal is velocity and volume, not just link quality. Google isn’t going to check if your About.me page has a DA 80 link, it just needs to see the network of trust.

Step 4: Inject Entities into On-Page & Schema

Google reads structured data to reinforce entity identity. Every affiliate page, especially money pages, should reference the main brand entity in:

  • Organization, Person, or Author schema

  • Internal link mentions to your /about or /author/[name] page

  • Image alt tags that include your brand (Google reads these now more than ever)

You’re not just “optimizing pages”, you’re creating semantic coherence across your entire digital footprint.

Optional: AI Entity Stacking

If you’re automating this for scale (or running 10+ affiliate sites), build out:

  • Bots (using tools like Axiom.ai if you can’t code) to sign up and populate bio fields on 50+ entity sources.

  • Use Make.com to post press releases, trigger Google News crawl, post to profiles and then push to Tier 2 syndication.

  • AI-powered prompt stacks to create consistent brand bios across all platforms, with synonym control to avoid over-optimization.

For a deeper rundown on entity stacking, watch my video here –

Though just make sure to take everything onboard that is relative to your own sites situation.

Why This Still Works in 2025

Despite all the Helpful Content & Classifier Updates, Google still can’t fully determine author identity without external corroboration. If you want to survive the next update, build the same digital trust graph that enterprise brands are accidentally getting… But do it tactically, manually, and with link velocity in mind.

Link Bait Content

If you want to build real authority, not just rank pages, you need to stop chasing backlinks and start attracting them. That means crafting link bait content deliberately, early, and strategically.

Forget about content just for traffic. You’re publishing these pieces to farm backlinks, accelerate domain authority, and power up your entire SEO ecosystem, especially your money pages!

Here’s how to actually do that:

Step 1: Frontload “Naturally Linkable” Assets

The best time to publish your most linkable content is before your affiliate pages go live.

Why? Because once your domain starts building passive links from journalists, bloggers, forums, social posts, and resource pages, it changes Google’s perception. You’re not just “another affiliate site” anymore. You’re a source.

Themes That Work Across Every Niche:

  • Numbers & Stats (e.g. “87 Affiliate Marketing Statistics You Need To Know”)

  • History (e.g. “The Evolution of [Niche] Affiliate Programs Since 2003”)

  • People (e.g. “Top 25 Influential Voices in [Niche] You Should Follow”)

  • Scams or Controversy (e.g. “EVERY Crypto Scam So Far in 2025”)

  • Comparisons (e.g. “Ahrefs vs. SEMRush”)

  • Tools & Templates (e.g. “Free Insurance Calculator for Digital Nomads”)

  • Global Data Maps / Industry Benchmarks

  • Listicles for Outreach (e.g. “100+ Blogs That Still Accept Guest Posts in [Niche]”)

These are timeless and repeatable assets that get linked again and again. They’re also the easiest content to include in HARO/journo outreach because they’re referenceable.

Step 2: Anchor Internal Links to Money Pages

Just because it’s link bait doesn’t mean it should be a siloed island.

Make sure every piece of link bait strategically links to your money content:

  • Use contextual internal links in the first 300 words.

  • Link with partial match anchors targeting cluster pages or commercial intent hubs.

  • Add FAQ sections at the bottom with embedded links to relevant reviews or comparisons.

This lets your link equity flow directly to revenue generating content.

Step 3: Optimize to Rank 

Most SEOs think “link bait” means throwaway content. That’s lazy and outdated.

Every bait piece should:

  • Target long-tail queries with at least 5-10 links already on page 1

  • Be structured to win snippet / PAA features

  • Be schema-optimized with FAQ, HowTo, or Article markup

  • Be designed to rank top 3 itself

Because the higher it ranks, the more people see it, and the more links it earns. The goal is passive acquisition over years, not one time outreach.

Use Surfer SEO, Frase, Keyword Insights or MarketMuse (my preferred tool) with a strong preset to match or exceed top 3 averages for:

  • Word count

  • Heading depth

  • NLP term coverage

  • Image inclusion

  • Link density

Step 4: Outreach Amplification 

Once live, don’t just pray for links, send the bait:

  • Reddit & Quora drops (in answers, not posts)

  • Niche newsletters (“Hey I just published this, could be a nice resource for your next piece”)

  • Direct cold email to bloggers/journalists in that space (1:1, not mass)

But remember: even if you don’t do outreach, these pages still attract links organically over time if they rank and get traffic.

Step 5: Recycle the Link Bait

Once a page stops attracting links:

  • Rewrite it with updated data (and submit to Google as updated content)

  • Repost on Medium, LinkedIn, Reddit with backlinks to original.

  • Reposition with a new headline for seasonal/trending angle.

  • Redirect it to another stronger bait page if it’s beyond saving.

Don’t waste aged equity, repurpose it to feed the ecosystem and grow even more.

A lot of these pages are also great for Google Discover, and can earn the cost to build them back in dividends.

Guest Posts

Let’s get this out the way now, guest posts aren’t dead, they’re just abused by every lazy Fiverr vendor on Earth. If you’re buying $30 DR50 links on recycled domains with zero traffic and orphaned pages, then yes, guest posting is dead for you.

But when done strategically and ROI-focused, guest posting remains one of the most consistent, controllable, and scalable ways to inject power into your affiliate SEO sites and campaigns.

Here’s how to do it properly in 2025 without wasting your time or budget:

Step 1: The Only Guest Posts Worth Paying For

There are three types of guest posts that actually move the needle:

  1. High DR + Relevant Category + Real Traffic
    • Minimum DR 50, but only if the page has real category relevance (same vertical, actual topical overlap).
    • The page you’re posting on should have real organic traffic, if Ahrefs says 0, treat it like it’s radioactive.
  2. Inner Page Posts with Internal Links
    • Don’t publish orphaned guest posts. You want posts that are either:
      • Linked from the homepage, category, or other powerful internal pages
      • Included in recent articles or “featured in” roundups
    • Ask for internal links from their articles to your post, pay extra for it if you have to.
  3. Linkable Content as a Trojan Horse
    • Instead of going in with a pure affiliate intent, use a link bait-style guest post (e.g. stats, trends, predictions) and sneak in internal links to your commercial pages via anchor-rich CTAs or in-text references.
    • This gets you better acceptance and better syndication opportunities.

TL;DR: If your guest post lives on a zombie site with zero internal or external visibility, it’s not a link, it’s a glorified web grave.

Step 2: Anchor Strategy Matters More Than Ever

Guest posting is still your best shot at manipulating anchor text naturally, but abuse this and your site’s toast.

Use a rotational anchor system:

  • Branded Anchors (50%) – e.g. “via [YourSite]”, “as published on [YourBrand]”
  • Partial Match Anchors (30%) – e.g. “best protein powders for women” → link to your women’s fitness supplements roundup
  • Generic Anchors (10%) – “click here”, “this guide”, “read more”
  • Exact Match (Max 10%) – ONLY on tier 1 editorial sites or as second links in a post (not first link, not first 100 words)

You’re building trust and topical consistency, not screaming “money keyword” at Google with every placement.

Step 3: Link Direct vs. Link Through

This depends on your risk tolerance and whether you’re running a churn & burn or building a long term asset.

For lower-risk, long-term affiliate sites:

  • Guest post → informational page (supporting content or link bait)
  • That page → internally links to money pages with optimized anchors
  • You build link funnels into your cash cows without attracting penalties

For mid-risk affiliate sites (grey hat style):

  • Guest post → money page, but…
  • Mix it with pillow links, brand anchors, and velocity-controlled edits
  • Layer with a tier 2 PBN or niche edit if needed (but know what you’re doing)

Avoid:

  • Linking guest posts directly to YMYL affiliate pages with thin content
  • Using spun content or outsourced junk, especially with AI-generated footprints
  • Paying for guest posts that don’t allow you to pick anchor/URL combo, what’s the point?

Step 4: Where to Get High-ROI Guest Posts

Here’s where I actually get guest posts from:

  • PressWhizz (obviously) – Use filters. DR, niche, traffic, and URL-level analysis are your friends. Also hit up account managers for private inventory.
  • Authority Builders / Get Me Links – But only when you cherry pick with Ahrefs open.
  • Direct Outreach (Cold Email or Twitter/X) – Still insanely underrated. Most bloggers still accept guest posts if you:
    • Mention a previous post by name
    • Offer a topic that compliments their strategy
    • Pitch it like it’ll make them money

Tip: Search queries like:

intitle:"write for us" + [your niche]
inurl:/guest-post/ + [your keyword]

Use tools like Scrapebox if you want to scale this beyond a few hundred emails.

We have built-in tools where you can find the exact types of sites you want to guest post on though –

A screenshot of the presswhizz link marketplace.
Example of USA Guest Post Sites Listed on the PressWhizz Link Marketplace.

That’s enough promoting us for though!

Step 5: Don’t Just Buy. Leverage.

Treat guest posting like real estate. Each post is a potential traffic asset and brand mention. So:

  • Negotiate author bios with dofollow homepage links
  • Ask for long-term syndication opportunities (e.g. newsletter placements or blogroll links)
  • Track which sites bring referral traffic and rank movement (SEOCrawl or Ahrefs assisted)
  • Build relationships with publishers, this unlocks bundle deals, bulk pricing, and internal link injections later

Niche Edits / Link Insertions

Niche Edits / Link Insertions

Let’s call it what it is: niche edits are the link builder’s cheat code. You’re piggybacking on aged content, live pages, indexed URLs, and existing authority, without waiting weeks for editorial review or hoping a new post gets indexed and linked.

But there’s a catch: most people do this completely wrong. They slap links into irrelevant, dead pages and hope Google doesn’t notice. It does.

Used correctly though? Niche edits are one of the most powerful tools in the affiliate SEO arsenal, you just need to follow the right playbook:

Step 1: Don’t Just Look at DR

The reason most niche edits flop is because people only care about domain metrics. Here’s what you should care about:

  • URL-level traffic: The exact URL you’re editing must have organic traffic, ideally 50+ monthly according to Ahrefs. Otherwise, what’s the point?
  • Indexation longevity: Check with the site:yoururl.com command. If the page hasn’t been updated in 3+ months in Google’s index, it’s probably dead weight.
  • Internal linking: The edited page should be internally linked from the homepage or a main category. Or you’re literally hiding your link in a cave.

Pro Tip: Use Ahrefs’ Top Pages report > sort by traffic > filter for pages with relevant topics. That’s your niche edit hit list.

Step 2: Relevance > Everything

It’s 2025. Google’s semantic NLP is real. Don’t just insert links on semi-related articles. The content must match your money page’s topic as tightly as possible.

✅ Good:

  • Insert link to your “Best Testosterone Boosters” page on a 2022 post about “How To Naturally Increase Testosterone”

❌ Bad:

  • Insert that same link on a post about “Men’s Skin Care Tips” because it’s the only DR70 health blog you could find

If there’s no direct topical overlap, build a top-of-funnel informational page and insert to that instead, then funnel to your money page with internal links.

Step 3: Anchor Text Rules (Still Apply)

Niche edits are even more scrutinized for anchor text because they modify existing content.

Here’s the best-performing anchor ratios I’ve used for niche edits over the past year:

  • Branded / URL anchors – 50%
  • Generic (click here, read more) – 20%
  • Partial match (especially longtail) – 20%
  • Exact match – 10% or less

And NEVER force the anchor in unnaturally. Google tracks text changes, HTML diffs, and anchor context. If your anchor shows up randomly mid-paragraph, it’s a red flag.

Step 4: Use PressWhizz’s Niche Edit Search Engine (This is where the magic happens)

Here’s where PressWhizz flexes hard. We built a niche edit search engine inside the platform that lets you:

  • Search through 25,000+ publisher sites
  • Find exact pages across those domains that already exist
  • Filter by:
    • Page topic (e.g. “VPN security”)
    • URL contains (e.g. /blog/)
    • DR, traffic, language, GEO
    • Last indexed date

And then request insertion directly into those specific pages.

Example Niche Edit Search inside the PressWhizz Marketplace.

It’s like sniper targeting niche edits instead of blind-buying “DR 60 insert on tech site.”

Whether you want to find:

  • A fitness blog post published in 2022 about testosterone and sleep
  • A finance article from a UK domain with 1,000+ monthly visitors
  • A travel post that’s internally linked from the homepage…

You can locate it, verify the page metrics, and get the edit all in one place.

Use the PressWhizz dashboard, go to “Niche Edit Search” → filter → insert. Done.

This is how you scale niche edits without blowing budget on irrelevant junk.

Step 5: Track Like a Freak

Every niche edit should be tracked like this:

  • Page URL
  • Date inserted
  • Anchor text used
  • Ahrefs traffic/DR at time of placement
  • Target page rank at time of placement
  • Rank 30/60/90 days later

Because this lets you double down on the edit types that actually move rankings, and avoid wasting time with nice looking links that don’t deliver.

Building A Strategy

You know all the types of links you can and SHOULD build, but unfortunately, putting it altogether into a strategy is the part where most affiliate SEOs fail…

They buy a few links. Launch a dozen random pages. Complain that rankings don’t move. Then blame Google…

Reality check: If you don’t have a structured strategy based on revenue potential, SERP gaps, and scalable link velocity, you’re flying blind.

Let’s fix that with a super simple process you can copy directly from me:

Step 1: Define Your Tier System

Every affiliate site should have a Tier 1, 2, and 3 page system:

  • Tier 1 – Money pages (best [X], reviews, commercial intent)
  • Tier 2 – Link bait / top-of-funnel content (stats, tools, trends)
  • Tier 3 – Supporting content (informational how-to’s, comparisons)

You build links to Tiers 2 & 3 and funnel that equity into your Tier 1s.

This creates a scalable structure where:

  • Link velocity looks natural
  • Topic coverage improves EEAT
  • You have full control over anchor text routing

Step 2: 3-Month Sprints > Year-Long Guesswork

Plan in 90-day link and content sprints. Every sprint should target:

  • 3–5 money pages to rank
  • 5–10 link bait assets to publish
  • 20–30 supporting articles to interlink and expand topical clusters
  • 15–20 links (mix of guest posts, edits, bait backlinks)

Track movement every 30 days and adjust.

What moved?
What didn’t?
Double down on what actually works.

Step 3: Map Links to Intent

Every link you build must serve a function:

  • Parasite links? Use them for testing and quick wins around emerging keywords.
  • Guest posts? Point them at Tier 2/3 link bait or info pages with contextual funnels.
  • Niche edits? Hit money pages—but only if you’ve got safe anchors and tight topical match.
  • Press links? Point to homepage or about page to strengthen brand entity.

No wasted links. No “just because” placements.

Step 4: Track Everything or Die Trying

Use something—anything—to track:

  • Keyword ranking movement
  • Link placements by URL + anchor + page type
  • Internal link flow to money pages
  • Content publication velocity

Whether it’s a Notion dashboard, or a jacked up Google Sheet, data is how you scale and stop second guessing every Google update.

Step 5: Adjust Risk Based on Domain Type

  • Brand new site? Start with link bait + guest posts to build trust.
  • Sandboxed or stuck site? Hit with aggressive niche edits + parasites to force movement.
  • Authority site? Slow drip of strategic edits, digital PR, and entity stacking to dominate topically.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but there is always a system.

Shouldering Niches & Revenue Diversification

And finally, don’t just rely on affiliate commissions; diversify your revenue by “shouldering” niches.

  • Monetize Across Niches:
    • For every visitor, identify additional revenue streams (window cleaning services, gardening, home insurance, pet services, etc.).
  • Email & Retargeting Pixels:
    • Capture leads through email marketing and retargeting campaigns for upsells and cross-sells.
  • Digital Products & Courses:
    • High multipliers are possible when digital products or courses make up a portion of your revenue.

This approach secures long term profitability and builds genuine resilience against updates targeting pure affiliate sites.

Final Thoughts: As We Move Towards AI…

The game’s not dead, it’s just different… Affiliate SEO isn’t “dying.” It’s evolving. Harder? Yes. More nuanced? Absolutely. Less clicks? Sure. But more lucrative than ever if you play it smart AND competitors are dropping like flies.

The future of affiliate SEO is hybrid. You need:

  • Parasites for speed

  • Authority sites for longevity

  • Automation for scale

  • Entities for survival

  • Links for everything

AI isn’t the death of affiliate, it’s the greatest leverage multiplier we’ve ever had. Use it to pump out high quality bait, train SOPs, streamline audits, scale outreach, and identify SERP shifts before your competitors do.

But here’s the caveat: AI amplifies your strategy, but it can’t replace one. Garbage inputs still give garbage outputs.

So if you’re relying on prompts without precision, or content without targeting, you’re just automating failure.

What wins in 2025 and beyond?

  • Ruthless ROI forecasting

  • Fast-moving topical coverage

  • Link-first execution

  • Entity-backed authority

  • Consistent sprint-based scaling

  • And the ability to pivot before the rest of the industry even notices the shift

The SEOs who win now are the ones who build like engineers and attack like marketers.

That’s your edge. That’s your advantage. That’s the whole damn playbook.

Now go execute.

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