Decision tree
Which money page gets the first link: a decision tree
Most affiliate sites have forty posts and four pages that pay. This tree sends your first backlink buy to the page where it can show a result.
The rule
Money follows the page that already almost ranks
Links lift pages that sit on positions 8 to 30 for a query that converts. They rarely rescue a page nobody can find. If you only remember one line, remember that.
- Indexed first, linked second.
- Narrow query before broad query.
- One page at a time, so you can read the result.
The tree, question by question
Is the page indexed?
Search the exact URL in Search Console. If it says discovered or crawled but not indexed, stop here. Fix the content and the internal links. A purchase now would pay for a page Google has not accepted.
Does it have impressions?
No impressions after a month means no query match. Rewrite around the phrase buyers actually type. Yes, with an average position between 8 and 30? Go on to question three.
Does the query make money?
Multiply monthly clicks you could win by click-through to the merchant and by commission per sale. If the product is a $12 accessory paying 3 percent, a $60 link order will take a long time to repay itself.
Who is above you?
Open the top five in Ahrefs, Semrush or Majestic and note referring domains per page, not per site. A gap of three or four is a small order. A gap of sixty is a different project.
Can you disclose cleanly?
Put the disclosure above the first affiliate link before any promotion. If you cannot do that, fix the page first. The disclosure list has the usual traps.
Where each answer lands
| Your situation | Do this | Rough first spend | Re-check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not indexed | Fix content and internal links | $0 | Two weeks |
| Indexed, no impressions | Rewrite for the buyer's query | $0 | Four weeks |
| Position 8 to 30, small gap | Order one or two placements | $20 to $80 | Six to eight weeks |
| Position 8 to 30, big gap | Pick a narrower query first | $0 until re-scoped | After the rewrite |
| Already top three | Leave it alone | $0 | Monthly |
Reading the tree on a real basket
Take a hypothetical page. It is a review of a standing desk with an average position of 14. Rivals above it hold six, eight and eleven referring domains. That is a small gap, so two relevant placements at about $25 each make a fair test.
Choose donors like a reader would. Open three articles on each site, check that the niche is furniture, home office or ergonomics, and look at Domain Rating and traffic together. A $4 link on a dead blog is cheap and still wasted.
Then wait. Write down the date, the position and the clicks, and give Google six to eight weeks before judging. If the page moves, the budget plans show how to scale. If it does not, the myth list lists the usual reasons.
It cannot see your content quality, your brand searches or a Google update landing next week. Positions are never promised, by us or anyone. Treat each order as a small experiment, and stop when the numbers say stop.
Two exits that save money
Sometimes the tree ends in a rewrite, and that is a win. A page that gets impressions but no clicks needs a better title, not a link. Fix it in an hour.
Another common exit is to merge two weak reviews into one stronger page, then redirect the old URL. Links, whether bought or earned, then land on a single target. You also stop splitting your internal links across near-duplicates.