How to Take a Mobile-First Strategy to Affiliate Program Work
Most consumers – around 96.3% of internet users – now access content primarily through their mobile devices. This makes taking a mobile-first strategy integral to the success of your affiliate program work. But what does it actually mean to take a mobile-first strategy? And how can you go about the process?
Taking a Mobile-First Strategy to Your Affiliate Program Work
What is a mobile-first strategy?
When working with affiliate programs, taking a mobile-first strategy means designing your entire affiliate funnel – from content to conversion – for mobile users. While desktop compatibility remains important, optimizing for mobile should now be the priority. So, how do you do that?
How to implement a mobile-first approach
Optimize website and landing pages for mobile
Whether you’re working with a pay per signup dating site or a pay per sale retailer, it’s your content that converts interest into money. So, you must ensure that all of your content – website, blog, landing pages – is suited to mobile viewing. This means:
- Using responsive design that adapts to any screen size.
- Ensuring fast load times, by using lightweight images and minimizing scripts.
- Choosing thumb-friendly navigation, through the use of buttons that are large enough for all thumbs and easily clickable.
- Displaying critical calls to action (CTAs) prominently, without users needing to scroll excessively.
Create mobile-friendly content
If you want to avoid a high bounce rate, you need to ensure that your content is easy to view on a mobile interface. This can mean using vertical video formats for platforms like TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Keeping text content concise and scannable. Using bullet points and short paragraphs is particularly useful here. And choosing mobile-optimized images. Also, keeping your pages clean and clutter-free.
Choose mobile-optimized affiliate programs
Some affiliate partnership programs are more mobile-friendly than others. Partnering with merchants whose checkout processes are smooth on mobile can instantly improve your conversion rates. Particularly if you’re working with a pay per sale program. Because it reduces the risk of users dropping out. It can also help if you test your affiliate links on different devices to ensure compatibility and tracking integrity.
Use mobile-first platforms
Away from your blog, think carefully about where you post your content. All of the social media sites are now mobile-first, but the likes of Instagram and TikTok are truly mobile optimized. You can take advantage of this further by using in-app affiliate links when possible. Tools such as Linktree or Skimlinks can help with this.
Track mobile user behavior
One of the best ways to improve your affiliate program performance is to watch how visitors interact with your site and content. Using tools like Google Analytics or Hotjar to analyze mobile interactions can help you to see where you can improve your performance. So, monitor bounce rates and time-on-page specifically for mobile traffic. And A/B test mobile CTAs and page layouts.
Focus on speed and user experience
You’ve got just three seconds to persuade your visitors to stay. If your page doesn’t open in that time, you’re likely to lose them. Using Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) – pages designed to open quickly – can help to give you the edge in a mobile-first world. It also enhances user experience (UX). Another thing you can do to improve UX is to avoid the use of intrusive pop-ups.
Taking a mobile-first strategy is increasingly important for anyone looking to make money by working with an internet marketing affiliate program. As more and more people become increasingly reliant upon their mobile devices, laptops and desktops are being relegated to the workplace. So, if you want your content to be seen by recreational browsers, mobile has to be your first priority.