84% of Americans are shopping for something at any given time, and in up to six different categories. Shopping across so many categories can be overwhelming - they need as much help as possible.

Many newsrooms see affiliate marketing as a part of service journalism - helping audiences solve real, day-to-day problems and giving them information to make their lives easier.

Affiliate marketing is when you refer a product or service on your website, social media, podcast, or other news products, to drive traffic or sales.

Help your audiences make the best purchasing decisions with these best practices:

• Share reviews transparently
• Help audiences discover your reviews
• Make decisions easy

Pages with affiliate links where the product descriptions and reviews are copied directly from the original merchant without any original content or added value can create a frustrating shopping experience, and are against Google’s spam policies.

Track how many people click on affiliate links or buttons:

1. Go to Google Analytics 4
2. Go to Admin
3. Under Property, go to Events
4. Select Create Event
5. Select Create
6. Name your event starting with a letter and using underscores, like affiliate_clicks. Event names are case-sensitive, and can't include some names.
7. Under Matching, enter the event name from the previous step.
8. Select Add Condition and specify what will trigger the new event

53% of shoppers say they always do research before they buy to ensure they are making the best possible choices.

Publishing high quality product reviews can help shoppers learn more about a product before purchase.

💡 Best practices

• Create a “Shop” or “Reviews” section of your site
• Share why you are reviewing the product, how you reviewed it, and be transparent that you may receive a percentage of sales
• Show which products you compared at the top of the page
• Use a consistent rating system, like stars
• Provide visuals, audios, or other links of your experience with the product
• Explain what sets a product apart from its competitors

Over 55% of people surveyed search for a product on Google, and then learn more by going to YouTube before they buy it.

Search aims to reward reviews that provide insight analysis and original research, written by experts or enthusiasts who know the topic well.

💡 Best practices

• Write titles using "best" and the product category, like "best dishwashers"
• Add a search bar to the top of your page
• Display at least one review on the screen
• Create “Recommended” sections with images on the left, and titles at the top
• Advertise your “Shop” sections in your house ads

80% of smartphone users are more likely to purchase from companies with mobile sites or apps that help them easily answer their questions.

💡 Best practices

• Rank products, with your top choice first
• Choose one product as your top choice
• Label your top choice with a banner or other visual indicator like “Our Pick”
• Explain what makes a product your first choice with first-hand supporting evidence
• Explain key decision-making factors for the product’s category, and how the product performs in those areas
• List up to 10 benefits and drawbacks of a particular product in bullet points, based on your own original research
• Add a “Buy” button that lists the price
• Rank products