Affiliate links: the pros and cons for your digital PR and SEO strategy

The news and media industries were once booming – and very profitable. Back in the day, before mobile apps, social media, and the expectation of on-demand, rolling news updates, all a paper really needed to do was tell good stories, sell advertising space and copies, and that was that. Job done. (Well, maybe not quite, but you see what I’m getting at?) Journalism was a safe, rewarding career, and newsrooms were growing and well resourced.

But over the last 10-15 years or so, that model has slowly been broken down. Digital platforms have snapped up advertising revenue, audiences now expect news for free (and instantly), and print circulation has been steadily shrinking. Social media has also stepped in as the main way people get their news, particularly amongst the younger generations – for better or worse. This means traditional outlets have had to fight harder than ever for attention, often with smaller staff teams and tighter budgets. 

To survive, newspapers and magazines have really had to rethink how they operate and find new ways to bring in money – without compromising their editorial integrity. That’s meant consolidating newsrooms and reducing print runs. In 2025 alone, over 3,000 journalists were made redundant, according to the Press Gazette! But it’s also resulted in them investing heavily in digital subscriptions and memberships, and leaning into content syndication and licensing deals. 

One revenue stream that’s really taken off over the last decade or so is affiliate marketing. Publishers can now monetise all kinds of content – from gift guides and reviews to “best of” lists and practical tips – by earning a commission on sales generated through backlinks in their articles. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved really. Readers get useful content, outlets generate revenue, and brands benefit from highly targeted exposure and performance based marketing, as they only pay commission when a sale is actually made. For many retailers, affiliate schemes offer a low risk way to reach engaged audiences and drive trackable conversions, which is why affiliate marketing programmes are now worth over $18.5 billion globally, according to Cognitive Market Research.

But – of course, there’s a ‘but’ – affiliate links come with their own challenges for digital PR, SEO, and link building. If you work in these fields, you’ll know how quickly your joy can turn to disappointment when your story places and hurrah – it’s got a link! But… you then go on to discover it’s an affiliate link. This means they’re likely tagged as nofollow or sponsored links, which means they don’t pass much SEO authority. That can limit the SEO value of placements, even if the content drives serious traffic or sales, which can be hard to explain and justify to clients, managers and stakeholders. Publishers that are focused on affiliate content also tend to prioritise products and revenue over thought leadership or storytelling, making it trickier to earn high quality coverage and backlinks that tell your brand’s story and genuinely boost its authority.

On the flip side, affiliate opportunities can still be really valuable. They can drive referral traffic and trackable conversions – particularly in lifestyle and consumer media. The trick is knowing when to chase affiliate placements and when to focus on editorial coverage that really strengthens SEO and credibility.

In this blog, we’ll delve more into all things affiliate links – from pros and cons, to how to actually identify an affiliate link.

What’s in this article:

• Why do publishers use affiliate links?
• How to identify an affiliate link 
• What are the benefits of affiliate links? 
• What are the downsides of affiliate links?
• Key takeaways

Why do publishers use affiliate links? 

Affiliate links have become a key revenue stream for modern publishers. With shrinking print circulation, smaller newsroom teams and tighter budgets, publishers have had to find new ways to fund their journalism – without undermining editorial standards. And affiliate marketing offers a really practical solution.

When a reader clicks an affiliate link and then goes on to make a purchase, the publisher earns a commission from the retailer at no extra cost to the user/customer. Commission from affiliate links varies widely depending on the retailer, product and affiliate network that’s being used. Here’s Diary Directory’s guide to a typical commission structure:

• Low Rates (1-5%): Electronics, appliances and high-cost/low-margin items tend to have lower commissions. For example, Amazon UK offers 1-3% on electronics.
• Mid Rates (5-10%): Fashion, beauty and home goods usually fall within this range. 
• High Rates (10-20%): Digital products, subscription services and health supplements with higher profit margins may offer more generous commissions. For example, luxury beauty products can attract rates of up to 12%.

This income helps support newsroom operations and offset the decline in revenue that has rippled through the industry over the last decade or more. That’s why, for many outlets, affiliate partnerships are now central to commercial strategy. Product reviews, buying guides, gift round-ups and “best of” lists allow publishers to monetise high-intent content while still providing useful recommendations to readers. This type of content also performs well in search engines and AI/large language model (LLM) results, as it directly answers common consumer questions and aligns closely with how people actually research products online.

Crucially, this process is automated. Journalists themselves rarely have control over whether a link is turned into an affiliate one. That means even fully earned links, published as a result of a press release or digital PR campaign, can be altered after publication, often without the actual journalist’s knowledge.

How to identify an affiliate link 

While they often look like normal backlinks, there are a few clear signs that give affiliate links away, as they usually have tracking built into the URL so the brand can see where a sale or click came from. And once you know what to look for, they’re pretty easy to spot.

Most commonly, affiliate links include tracking information in the URL. This might appear as extra letters and numbers at the end of the link, or parameters such as ref, aff, partner or utm_source. Clean product URLs rarely contain this kind of thing.

You can easily see the anatomy of a URL by right clicking on a link on desktop and selecting “Inspect” or “Inspect element” from the menu.

Some links will also pass through a third party tracking domain before landing on the brand’s website. Skimlinks is a really popular one that we see all the time, which you can see in the example above. These programmes use their own redirect links to record clicks and conversions.

Publishers are also required to disclose when content contains affiliate links, so you can look for statements such as “this article contains affiliate links” or “we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases”, usually placed at the top or bottom of the page.

Finally, context can be a strong indicator. Affiliate links most often appear in product round-ups, gift guides, reviews and “best of” lists, where the intent is to drive readers towards making a purchase.

What are the benefits of affiliate links?

Affiliate backlinks from news and media sites can offer strategic value for brands. They're especially valuable in lifestyle and consumer driven sectors where conversions are the primary goal. Here are three key benefits of affiliate links: 

1. Targeted traffic

Affiliate links typically appear in product reviews, round-ups and buying guides – basically, content designed to help readers make purchasing decisions. Readers arriving via these articles are often already researching products or comparing options, which means they are further along the buying journey. This means the traffic you receive is more likely to convert, compared with generic referral traffic, delivering higher quality leads and stronger return on investment.

2. Improved online visibility (and credibility!)

Being featured on a reputable news outlet, even with an affiliate link, associates your brand with authority and trust. Having your brand name appear alongside established journalists and well known titles increases brand recognition and signals credibility to potential customers. Readers are also more likely to notice and consider products recommended by publications they already follow, which influences purchasing decisions and strengthens long term brand perception.

3. Measurable impact

Affiliate tracking allows brands to see exactly which placements generate clicks, conversions and revenue. This visibility makes it easier to assess the true value of coverage, rather than relying on estimated reach or impressions alone. These insights help refine marketing campaigns and inform future PR and partnership strategies.

Opting in can also create challenges for PR teams. If you’re regularly earning coverage in major publications, but those links are being converted into affiliate links via Skimlinks or similar platforms, you’ll likely see reduced SEO impact. Requesting changes or removals can also risk straining relationships with journalists, who often have no control over how links are handled after publication.

If you’re not sure what the right approach is, start by benchmarking against your competitors. A competitor analysis can help you understand who in your niche is using affiliate partnerships to drive traffic. 

What are the downsides of affiliate links for brands?

Affiliate links can be a powerful tool for brands, but (like most things) they do come with some limitations. Even in sectors or campaigns where conversions are the primary focus, it’s important to understand the potential drawbacks before relying too heavily on them. Here are three main downsides of affiliate links for brands:

1. Limited SEO value

Most affiliate links are tagged as nofollow or sponsored, which means they don’t pass much, if any, search engine authority. While they can drive traffic and sales, brands relying heavily on affiliate backlinks won’t see a significant boost in domain authority or organic search rankings. 

2. Less control over content

Brands often have limited input on how their products are presented in affiliate content. Even if the link drives sales, the surrounding copy may emphasise price, discounts, or comparisons rather than brand values or unique selling points. This can dilute messaging and make it harder to shape the story around a product in the same way a press release or editorial feature would.

3. Performance variability

Affiliate link performance can be unpredictable. Conversions depend on both the quality of the traffic and the publisher’s priorities, which may change over time. A product that performs well one month may underperform the next, and publishers may prioritise items with higher commissions or stronger conversion potential over strategic products a brand wants to push.

Key takeaways

1. Tracking matters. One of the biggest perks for brands is being able to see exactly which links drive clicks and sales.
2. Affiliate links are everywhere in product content. Think gift guides, reviews, and “best of” lists – basically anywhere someone might be deciding what to buy.
3. Publishers use them to make money, brands use them to reach the right audience. Everyone wins… as long as you understand the rules.
4. They drive targeted traffic that’s more likely to convert. Readers clicking affiliate links are often already researching or comparing products, making them “high-intent” visitors.
5. Not all links are created equal. Most affiliate links are nofollow or sponsored, so they don’t boost SEO the same way editorial links do.

Want to know if affiliate links are affecting your coverage? Speak to our team about running a backlink audit.

© MOTIVE