In this transcript from Episode 043, Mark shares his detailed 2013 plans for Late Night Internet Marketing, reviews two affiliate marketing courses, and provides a masterclass on keyword research fundamentals based on his phone call with listener Chase.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• How to set meaningful internet marketing goals as a part-time entrepreneur
• The three conversions every affiliate site must make to generate revenue
• Why Google's competition metric does not mean what most people think it means
• How to evaluate keywords by putting yourself in the searcher's mindset

Mark's 2013 Vision for Late Night IM

Mark has been soul-searching about what he wants to accomplish and admits that comparing his results to his goals in 2011 and 2012 is “not a great story.” He attributes this partly to lacking a clear vision. After working with a lifestyle coach named Farnoosh, he has crystallized his goals:

• What he wants to have: The premier free resource on the internet for people building affiliate marketing businesses on the side.
• What he wants to be: The go-to person in that space.
• What he wants to do: Build the blog as an inverted pyramid of content where beginners can start with five foundational articles and dig deeper into any subtopic without leaving the site.

For the podcast, Mark plans a four-episode monthly rotation: a solo marketing episode, an interview, another solo episode, and a listener feedback show. His stretch goal is reaching Episode 100 by January 1, 2014, requiring roughly 60 episodes in 2013.

The third leg of the plan is building 5 to 10 profitable affiliate sites during the year, using both the Micro Site Profits course and Andrew Hansen's upcoming Forever Affiliate course. The sites would earn between $50 and $500 per month, providing case study material for the podcast.

Keyword Research Fundamentals

The bulk of the episode is Mark's recap of a 45-minute phone call with listener Chase, who had impressive traffic but poor monetization. Mark distills the conversation into essential keyword research principles.

Understanding Search Volume

The amount of search traffic you need depends entirely on what you plan to do with it. If your affiliate offer pays $100 per sale, you need far less traffic than if you are earning $0.35 per AdSense click. For a number one ranking, expect to capture roughly 30 to 40 percent of the exact-match local search volume for your target keyword.

The Competition Metric Trap

A critical misconception: when the Google Keyword Tool shows “low competition,” it means few advertisers are bidding on that keyword, not that it is easy to rank for organically. Low advertiser competition is actually a warning sign. It likely means people have tried to monetize that keyword and failed. If no one is buying ads, there may be no money in that niche.

To evaluate organic competition, simply search the keyword while logged out of Google and examine the top 10 results. If you see WebMD, government sites, or other massive authorities, you are unlikely to outrank them.

The Three Conversions

Mark describes three sequential conversions that every affiliate page must make:

Conversion 1: The search results page click. When your site appears in Google results, does the title, URL, and meta description compel the searcher to click? A compelling description that addresses the search intent directly outperforms a random WordPress excerpt.

Conversion 2: Meeting page expectations. When the visitor lands on your page, does the content match what they expected based on their search? Google tracks this through bounce rate. If visitors immediately hit the back button, Google interprets that as a poor result and will eventually replace your listing with a better one.

Conversion 3: The desired action. What do you want the visitor to do? Click an AdSense ad? Click an affiliate link? Sign up for a newsletter? You must know this answer and optimize the page for that specific action.

Buyer Keywords vs. Research Keywords

Mark emphasizes targeting buyer keywords: search terms that indicate someone is close to making a purchase. “Faucet review” or “faucet discount” signals a buyer who has already decided to purchase and is choosing where. “Faucet types” signals someone still in research mode.

The more specific the search term, the closer the person is to buying. “European vacation ideas” is far from a purchase. “Best bed and breakfast in Tuscany for July” is very close to a booking.

Key Takeaways

• Set goals based on what you want to be, do, and have, not just revenue targets
• Low competition in Google's Keyword Tool means few advertisers, not easy rankings
• Every affiliate page must convert at three stages: search results click, page experience, and desired action
• Target buyer keywords that indicate purchase intent rather than research intent
• Google tracks bounce rates from search results and uses that data to adjust rankings

What's Changed Since This Episode

Mark recorded this in January 2013. The keyword research principles are remarkably durable.

The Google External Keyword Tool was replaced by Google Keyword Planner shortly after this episode. Modern tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Ubersuggest provide far more detailed competition analysis, including keyword difficulty scores, SERP feature analysis, and estimated traffic potential. The core principle of understanding search intent remains unchanged.

The three conversions framework is more important than ever. Google's RankBrain and BERT updates have made user engagement signals even more central to rankings. Click-through rate from search results, time on page, and bounce rate all influence how Google evaluates your content. Featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, and AI overviews have added new layers to the search results page conversion.

Buyer intent keywords have become the foundation of affiliate SEO. Google's Helpful Content Updates specifically reward content that serves a clear purpose. Pages targeting buyer keywords with genuine review content, comparison data, and purchasing guidance are exactly what Google wants to rank.

Resources Mentioned

• Google Keyword Planner
• LNIM Podcast

Listen and Subscribe

Listen to Late Night Internet Marketing on Apple Podcasts or subscribe at latenightim.com/internet-marketing-podcast/.