Where affiliates can get traffic beyond Google search

Google’s AI Overviews frequently surface affiliate content without sending traffic or clicks back to publishers.

The good news for publishers is that affiliate businesses do not need to rely on Google alone.

To kick off the new year, here are other sources of traffic and ways to diversify income while sticking to what you do and love.

These are strategies I help partners with regularly. 

This article was inspired by a podcast conversation about whether this was the end of affiliate marketing. It isn’t. Affiliate marketing is more than Google, and it will continue to thrive.

Skool and educational platforms

Skool and similar platforms let you launch a course or build a community, complete with text, video, newsletters, and interactive features. 

Because of their flexibility and focus on creators and educators, they have been taking up market share quickly.

Unlike the big-name players, these smaller platforms let you monetize the way you want. 

They’re more creator-friendly by giving you the flexibility to create and own a community, while helping you build your brand and business.

You can create and sell courses on everything from starting a photography business or learning calligraphy to cooking classes and preparation for a test or certification. 

You control whether the courses are free or paid, and you control the types of content students receive.

Even better, you’re allowed to use affiliate links, and an email system is included. 

These emails can be used to convert free trials to paying students, sell additional courses after completion, or keep students coming back to finish the course they paid for.

From what I’ve seen, these platforms support just about any niche, including credit repair, starting a business, learning a new skill, or anything else you can think of. 

According to Semrush data from Dec. 27, 2025, there are 110,000 monthly branded searches, with 33,000 going to the login page, indicating a substantial user base and opportunities to grow your course using their established network.

Dig deeper: How AI answers are disrupting publisher revenue and advertising

Discord, Reddit, Medium, and streaming communities

Reddit’s climb to one of the highest-traffic websites and communities has been visible since Google began including Reddit results in virtually every search. 

Medium and niche forums have seen similar boosts.

Some affiliates have begun using these platforms to gain access to high-volume queries their blogs and websites could not reach. 

They then keep the community on the platform and funnel users back to their own sites.

Smart affiliates are using these UGC platforms to:

• Gain access to high search-volume queries by participating with affiliate links, ideally with proper advertising disclosures.
• Funnel traffic to email and SMS lists.
• Share solutions and include affiliate links within that content.
• Run banner ads in forum sidebars, which communities like Reddit may allow.
• Create a community around a blog, website, or social channel, using the existing platform audience to grow brand awareness and following.
• Host AMAs and interviews to gain exposure and build trust with subscriber bases, including email lists and subforums, within existing communities.

Dig deeper: A smarter Reddit strategy for organic and AI search visibility

Going offline and using QR codes, coupon codes, and email

I’m seeing a return of offline advertising in the affiliate channel. 

Beyond what larger affiliates do with linked credit cards, affiliate sites are running TV ads and traditional media buys to build traffic.

I’m also seeing more consultants, conference speakers, and small businesses get involved by using QR code links for upsells or complementary companies in retail locations. 

I even saw affiliate links on bulletin board flyers, though I didn’t scan them. I was in a rush.

Workshop leaders and conference speakers are including affiliate links in presentations. 

When someone frequently recommends a product or service, some partners place links on business cards because they are already sending referrals to the brand. They may as well get paid for it.

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One tactic I haven’t seen, but that could be effective, is placing a QR code with a link on the back of a T-shirt. 

This could work for something humorous or an impulse buy, especially in airports or other high-traffic areas. It plays into people’s natural curiosity.

That link could lead to a page selling funny T-shirts, impulse-buy products, a joke-of-the-day subscription, or a free download to help pass time on a flight if you wear the shirt through an airport or train station. 

It could even promote an app for popular travel games on tablets and smartphones. The offline opportunities are almost endless.

Dig deeper: The best affiliate networks by need and use case

Partner portals

Brands have reentered the affiliate channel en masse by reinvesting in perks and partner portals. 

They list complementary companies and use affiliate links to refer users while earning commissions. 

These portals also allow businesses to identify partners for cross-promotions via email, blog posts, social media, and other forms of co-marketing.

• Banks are promoting insurance and web hosting. 
• Web hosting companies are recommending LLC formations and legal documents such as privacy policies or terms of use. 
• Food companies are promoting tools and accessories.

I’m also seeing affiliates advertise software and cashback platforms on post-checkout thank-you pages through ad networks.

There are few better places to reach a shopper than inside a brand’s own shopping cart. If the brand allows it, they allow it.

Dig deeper: How amplifying creator content strengthens trust and lowers media costs

So, how does this generate traffic when brands are featuring other brands? 

If you already have an audience, work with them on a cross-promotion. 

Develop a course that complements a brand’s offering and explore opportunities to be featured in its partner portal.

In return for being featured, you can promote the brand’s products to your audience, or run an email campaign in exchange for a few months of visibility in the portal.

As a niche or industry expert, you can add value for a brand’s users, particularly if your course supports an upsell the brand struggles to convert. 

Brands can leverage your credibility as a trust builder, while their nonconverting audience may convert as you guide them through the process. 

They gain higher-value customers without having to solve conversion challenges on their own.

When search sends fewer clicks, creativity matters

There’s no shortage of traditional platforms like social media and SEO. 

But when search engines send fewer clicks, it’s time to get creative. 

Think about where you can find traffic and how you can direct visitors to your links. You’re limited only by your creativity.