KEI and R/S Will Help You Build an Effective Keyword List and Successful Affiliate Marketing Campaign

The ultimate purpose of keyword marketing for affiliates is to drive traffic to your offer. The majority of this traffic is from search engines, in particular Google.

In order to drive as much qualified traffic as possible:

1. It is necessary to rank on the first page of results. This means that you need to rank in the top 10 search engine results (SERPs).
2. The keyword or group of keywords should be popular enough to produce the traffic you expect.

Ranking in the top position on the first page of search results for your targeted keyword is the best case scenario. There are many factors that influence high rankings in search engine results.

Some keywords are easier to rank high for than others. This is a result of the intensity and quantity of the competition for a particular keyword. This competition is measured by the number of search results for your targeted keyword.

Popular keywords generate higher natural traffic. These keywords are searched for more and have a higher search count. The higher the search count for a keyword, the greater potential for higher affiliate commissions.

Popular keywords with high search counts are generally harder and costlier to rank high for because they have more competing pages. But popular keywords also offer the greater potential for high payouts and commissions.

Unpopular keywords with low search counts are generally easier and less expensive to rank high for because they have less competing pages. Keywords with low search counts generally offer less potential for high payouts and commissions.

The Keyword Effectiveness Indicator (KEI) and R/S ratios are used as a general indicator of the effectiveness of a keyword to obtain high search engine rankings. Using either (not both) of these ratios will help you build an effective keyword list.

The KEI is the search count squared divided by the number of search results. The higher a keyword’s KEI, the more effective it will be to rank high for that keyword. More keyword popularity and less competition results in a higher KEI.

R/S is the number of search results divided by the search count. The lower a keyword’s R/S, the more effective it will be to rank high for that keyword. More keyword popularity and less competition results in a lower R/S.

It is important to remember that KEI and R/S are general measures of the effectiveness to rank high for a keyword. These ratios don’t factor the quality of the competition. There may only be a few competitors for a keyword, but these competitors could be major SEOs with thousands of back links.

If you are serious about affiliate marketing, you must build a large and effective keyword list. KEI or R/S can help you pinpoint which keywords to target. But don’t rely solely on either of them and they shouldn’t be the only step when building your keyword list.