Smart links are pretty easy to use, but they can help you earn considerably more out of your affiliate marketing campaigns. This post will explain what a smartlink is, explain how it functions, and show you how to use it to increase the profitability and manageability of your affiliate marketing programs.
1. What are smart links?
Since they are relatively new, not everyone is aware of smart linkages. They are the outcome of advancements in algorithms and data science. So let’s start with an introduction before discussing their applications and devices.
As an improvement over standard links, smart link are an effective tool for affiliate marketers. They are URLs that you can share, just like any other links. They do, however, provide more tracking and personalization options. Affiliate marketers’ jobs are made easier and with less labor by smart links. Affiliates can make a single Smartlink and utilize it in all of their campaigns, as opposed to using several offer links in various campaigns.
When a person clicks on an affiliate referral link, Smartlinks chooses an offer for them individually. Additionally, ads are automatically generated based on affiliate links. Put differently, affiliate links that do not specifically mention a single product are called smartlinks.
2. What Do They Look Like?
Ordinary links are unsightly because they are jumbled with letters, numbers, and symbols. An ordinary URL is impossible to remember. That being said, you can add real words to Smartlinks. They are easier to remember and far shorter.
Users find a URL that resembles smartlinks considerably more appealing. People find it simpler to trust smart links because they click on branded links with greater confidence, which sweetens the bargain.
3. Affiliate Networks SmartLink
You must register with an affiliate network that offers smartlinks in order to set up your Smartlink. Depending on the affiliate network you select, creating smart connections is a simple process.
Since breaking the regulations may result in non-payment, you must consent to the ones regarding unlawful traffic. Another stage in setting up a Smartlink is selecting the sort of traffic; some common verticals are Adult, Push, and Mainstream. There can be more alternatives available on some networks. Sub-ids can also be used in your tracker to monitor the effectiveness of your links across different placements.
4. How SmartLinks Operate
Knowing how something operates is necessary to make the best use of it. These days, we don’t use the word “smart” too conservatively; there is an intelligent equivalent for practically anything. However, why are smart linkages so intelligent?
They identify the source of your traffic and reroute it appropriately to present the consumer with the greatest deal. This is done using factors including GEO, browser, carrier, operating system, and kind of device. As a result, you can easily and much more effectively monetize all of your traffic.
By directing each visitor to the offer that has statistically had the most impact and is most likely to convert, smartlinks are used to increase revenue. As a result, you may maximize revenue using smartlinks, which is not possible with standard links.
The most effective Smartlinks affiliate networks offer strong algorithms that enable this redirecting. Based on the information provided by the affiliate when setting up their Smartlink, which includes, among other things, the users’ operating system, device kind, vertical (adult or mainstream), and GEO, the algorithm will sift through the traffic and select the most appropriate alternative.
The user who clicks on your Smartlink will be forwarded to the specified location if the parameters you’ve selected are met.
The default URL will be used to reroute customers in the event that no destination UL satisfies their device, GEO, or other settings you’ve provided.
The user will be sent to the URL with the highest rank if they meet the requirements for more than one of your offers.
5. Why make use of SmartLinks?
What occurs when you are unable to direct traffic to your offer? Users frequently click on URLs intended for different GEOs from one another. It’s unfortunate that this traffic is squandered. To divert this traffic to a different offer, you could configure filters in your trackers. However, it would be excessively difficult to accomplish this for you if you’re having problems making money off of some of your traffic.
A Smartlink can be set up to automatically identify the best deal for your traffic source, which will simplify your life. You can make money from traffic that isn’t the best fit for your targeting by doing this.
A smartlink can be set up far more quickly and easily than a traditional webpage. You can quickly and easily develop a landing page that looks professional, even if you have no coding or design knowledge.
6. The Reasons Against Using Smartlinks
Perhaps you’re thinking, “This is fantastic! However, shouldn’t everyone be using smartlinks in place of their outdated links?”
Excellent query. Smartlinks have drawbacks, even though they simplify affiliate marketing and maximize traffic. The majority of offers and landing sites that you find utilizing Smartlink pay out less than if you run them directly, as you will quickly see. You cannot control how your Smartlink optimizes your traffic; therefore, it is challenging to keep an eye on the quality of the traffic you transmit. Affiliate networks have lowered payouts as a result.
It’s difficult to make sure that each landing page and offer satisfies the ad quality requirements of the majority of traffic sources. This leads us to one of the primary drawbacks associated with smartlinks. Getting the approval of a SmartLink campaign can be challenging. Many of the landing pages and offer combos inside of SmartLinks end up being aggressive since they produce the highest EPC.
As a result, seasoned affiliate marketers rarely use smart links.
7. The Optimal Approach to Utilizing SmartLinks
As you may undoubtedly anticipate, affiliate marketers typically employ smartlinks to reroute residual traffic. That means you can even profit from accidental traffic coming from other devices or nations.
For instance, traffic from Android or desktop devices will be squandered if directed to your initial offer if you are promoting a mobile app that is exclusive to US iPhones. Regardless of the GEO or device being used, you can ensure that even those people, when using smartlinks, find an offer that meets their criteria.
One immediate advantage is that conversions can occur without highly targeted visitors. This takes us to the second application of smartlinks: opportunity and test-finding.
Simply purchase RON (Run of Network) traffic, then watch as smartlinks perform their magic. Directly route all of that traffic to an affiliate campaign for SmartLink. You will be able to find new KPI combinations that are converting as a result. Once you get the data from the Smartlink run, continue with your improvements.