When an affiliate tries to monetize traffic they meet the dilemma of how to do it properly. There are two common ways to do it – to use a smartlink, or to work with direct offers. In this article we will try to clear up which one of these two is better.
Smartlink
Smartlink is a URL that allows you to redirect traffic to relevant offers based on multiple types of targeting such as GEO, device, etc. The goal is to get the highest profit from worldwide traffic.
Let’s find out the advantages of Smartlink:
- Automatic traffic distribution according to country, device, operating system, mobile carrier, etc. An algorithm analyses this information and shows the user the top-performing product.
- Automatic offers’ selection in accordance with the type of traffic. This is also where the algorithm comes into play. It selects and proposes the best solutions for particular types of traffic. Remember, that we accept all types of traffic, so there are a lot of ways to monetise it.
- It saves your time. You don’t have to waste your time on endless split tests and optimisations.
- You don’t lose your traffic. The algorithm always sends traffic to active offers. If one offer is broken it is replaced with another.
- Additional traffic monetisation. Smartlink helps affiliates to get extra profit with the help of back buttons, push notifications, etc.
- Available pre-landers. Forget about splitting different creatives. Smartlink analyses your traffic and sets up the most suitable pre-landers to keep your results high and stable.
Despite the advantages, Smartlink has some drawbacks:
- Dynamic payouts. Smartlink includes offers from different advertisers, that’s why it happens when one conversion brings you 2$ and the next one brings $20. To compare results we highly recommend you to pay attention to the indicators EPC & EPM.
- You cannot work with a selection of particular brands. The exceptions are customised smartlinks.
- It takes time to find the best solution. The algorithm works with huge amounts of data, that’s why it needs some time to analyse the incoming information to find a top-performing solution. That means that a small part of your traffic will be used on offers that might not perform that well.
- You cannot work without pre-landers. The exceptions are customised smartlinks
Who Should Use Smartlinks?
However, Smartlinks will be effective for affiliates in instances where it is hard to manage offers manually.
The following scenarios can benefit from using Smartlinks:
- beginners who do not yet understand how to conduct affiliate marketing campaigns
- affiliates who have just moved into a new GEO without much data on the market
- publishers whose traffic originates from different nations
- marketers who need to test new traffic sources before selecting specific offers
- affiliates who wish to make money on traffic that fails to comply with certain criteria of the campaign
- media buyers who wish to conduct campaigns fast without creating individual funnels for each offer
Often, using Smartlinks makes it easier for affiliates to make money faster while doing minimal campaign management tasks.
Direct Offers
Direct offer is a link with a single particular product or service that works in a specific country.
There are several reasons why affiliates prefer direct offers:
- Fixed payouts. You’re always able to plan your profit based on the offers’ payouts.
- You can work with your bundles. If you like to use your own creatives to build an effective funnel for your traffic, here you can do this easily.
- Better chance to get a rate increase. If you deliver high-quality traffic to one brand, you have all the opportunities to get a higher payout.
As for disadvantages we have:
- No automatic traffic distribution in accordance with GEOs, devices, etc. Generally, all products have their own working conditions, in particular GEO, platforms, etc.
- Lots of split tests. You can have an enormous amount of split tests to find well-performing offers and creatives.
- No additional monetisation.
- Over capping. If you provide more traffic than the advertiser requires you will lose your profit.
- Time-consuming monitoring of the market in order to find new solutions.
When Direct Offers May Be the Better Choice
Direct offers are usually the best choice for affiliates who have defined their campaign strategy and know their traffic well. Unlike automated optimization, direct offers give 100% control of choosing offers and setting up campaigns.
Direct offers are the best choice in the following cases:
- you target specific GEOs
- your users always react well to specific niche/offers
- you have enough traffic to conduct tests and optimize your campaigns
- the long term campaign scaling is included in your strategy
- you want to create a unique funnel for a specific offer
- campaign choices are made by yourself, depending on the collected performance data
Experienced affiliates can benefit from using direct offers to gain greater control and run optimal campaigns as traffic volumes grow.
Common Mistakes When Choosing Between Smartlinks and Direct Offers
Selecting a proper monetization model can play an important role in determining the effectiveness of campaigns. However, there are numerous avoidable mistakes affiliates make when selecting between Smartlinks and direct offers.
These include:
- selecting direct offers without proper traffic statistics collection
- paying attention solely to payouts while calculating overall profit
- sending worldwide traffic to offers that do not have proper GEO
- replacing offers without collecting sufficient performance statistics
- neglecting crucial metrics like EPC and EPM in the analysis of results
- believing that the same monetization model works equally effectively for all types of traffic
In many cases, the optimal decision depends on several factors, such as traffic quality, GEOs, campaign objectives, and the optimization period. Proper testing and comparison of performance data will help find the most suitable solution.
As you can see, smartlinks and direct offers have their own pros and cons. It depends on your preference and which one works best for you.
If you still have any doubts as to which way is better for your traffic, you can ask Adverten.
Register on the website & contact your manager to get more information.
FAQ
Can affiliates switch from Smartlinks to direct offers later?
Yes. Most affiliates use Smartlinks to collect performance statistics, then switch to direct offers once they determine which traffic segments pay off.
Do Smartlinks work with both mobile and desktop traffic?
Yes. Smartlinks can be configured to send either mobile or desktop users to the corresponding offers. Adverten employs an automatic targeting mechanism to assist monetization.
How long should affiliates test a monetization model before making changes?
Affiliates need to collect sufficient traffic and conversion statistics before making any changes, since initial decisions may be made in error.
Can direct offers be used across multiple GEOs?
Some direct offers can work with multiple GEOs, while others are GEO-specific. Reviewing the details is a must before launching the offer.
Why is traffic quality more important than payout size?
A high payout does not mean higher earnings. Better traffic quality usually leads to higher conversion rates and income.
Is it possible to use Smartlinks and direct offers simultaneously?
Yes. Affiliates use both approaches simultaneously. Adverten enables testing monetization methods based on traffic type.