For the past few months, there has been a major hot topic within the affiliate marketing world – RSOC arbitrage.
If you’ve been to affiliate conferences, online forums, or talked to peers in the industry, you’ve most likely heard of RSOC.
It’s still a fairly new topic, especially within the context of search arbitrage, so there is very little useful information about it online.
This article tells you everything you need to know about RSOC, how it works, why you should care about it, how to track it, and how to make it work.
What is RSOC?
RSOC stands for related search for content, and it’s a feature from Google that allows website owners to show their visitors relevant search terms based on the page they’re on. These relevant search terms are displayed inside the content page, generally after the introduction paragraph, like in this image from Google:
This setup improves user experience, because it helps them find more information related to the topic they’re reading about. This can attract more traffic, keep visitors engaged for longer, and expose them to more relevant ads that blend in with the content.
If you’ve been running search arbitrage with AFD feeds, you can probably tell that this feature is a huge improvement in user experience compared to the classic parked domains. This is a win-win situation for both users and content creators, and that’s why it’s currently such a hot topic in the industry.
But how does it actually work?
How Does RSOC Arbitrage Work?
First, you’ll need to create a content website and publish a few articles to increase the chance of getting your site approved.
Then, you’ll have to apply with an RSOC search feed provider such as Google or other monetizers. We’ll give an overview of some of the major RSOC search feed providers below.
After you have implemented the feed offers on your page, you can drive traffic to your website through paid ads via platforms such as Google Ads, Facebook / Meta Ads, TikTok Ads, native ads (Taboola, Outbrain) and more.
RSOC can have anywhere from 1 to 3-click flows depending on the provider, but generally a user will click on your ad on one of the advertising platforms and land on your content page. There, they’ll be able to click on a keyword from your relevant keyword block. Usually, this will take them to a search result or monetization page.
What Are the Benefits of RSOC?
As we mentioned above, the user experience with RSOC pages is much better compared to landing on a parked domain.
Since users engage with the content before clicking on the ads, they are likely more informed about the topic and thus more highly qualified. Also, this kind of setup allows Google to deliver higher quality ads that match the content of the page. These factors typically result in higher RPCs (revenue-per-click).
Another improvement for the website owner is the possibility to add more monetization options (e.g., affiliate links, AdSense), which was not possible previously with search arbitrage.
Finally, content pages also lead to less compliance issues, and they are suitable for more traffic sources. This overall improved experience for all parties is a strong indication that Google will continue moving in this direction going forward.
The Top RSOC Search Feed Providers
Up until a few months ago, the main approach to get started with RSOC was to start running with Google AdSense.
Since the beginning of 2024, many other search feed providers have either started offering RSOC solutions, or are currently working on developing it. This includes many of the major AFD search feed providers. So, if you have a contact within any of the AFD providers, you can ask them about getting started with RSOC.
Some of the top RSOC feed providers are:
More companies are working on bringing out their own RSOC solutions. While the key functionality will be the same, the different players are taking slightly different approaches.
Choosing between Google and other providers comes down to this – you stand to potentially benefit from a higher rev-share with Google, but you have less control over tracking data.
Challenges with Tracking RSOC Campaigns
We probably don’t need to tell you why limited tracking capabilities present a huge challenge to your scaling strategy. Without knowing what’s working and what isn’t, you can’t optimize your campaigns properly.
If you’re one of the early RSOC adopters, you’re most likely struggling to track your performance right now. The main challenge is that Google doesn’t provide revenue insights on a click ID level, making it difficult to accurately attribute revenue on a click level.
There are also limitations imposed by RSOC providers on the number of unique channel names you can use daily.
How to Track RSOC Campaigns with ClickFlare
At ClickFlare, we’ve come up with a way to attribute revenue on a click level!
If you’re not familiar with ClickFlare, it’s a click-based tracking software that works for any business model (affiliate, ecom, lead gen and more), but it offers many unique features specifically for search arbitrage, and now RSOC as well.
ClickFlare is one of the first trackers to establish a direct API integration with System1 and ExplorAds RSOC feeds. We’re already in contact with other providers to be able to offer more RSOC integrations soon.
This direct integration means that we will automatically import revenue from these monetization platforms. All you need to do is input your account details (e.g., username, authentication key).
So, how accurate is revenue attribution on ClickFlare? Well, we surely didn’t reinvent the wheel. The revenue attribution limitations are very well-known by everyone running RSOC. We just came up with a way to estimate revenue on a click ID level utilizing the feeds’ revenue data breakdowns for dimensions such as GEO, channel name, and device.
This method makes it easier for you to understand the data and attribute conversions to ads and adsets. You can then use this data to optimize and scale your campaigns with more confidence.
RSOC Best Practices
We’ve put together some best practices based on Google’s recommendations, as well as our general experience.
Throughout this article, we’ve highlighted how important the user experience is within RSOC. This should be your main focus when optimizing your content page. If you have control over the page, you need to strive to create high quality content. This means having an attention-grabbing headline and writing text that actually brings value to your visitors and is informative (e.g., sharing tips, reviews). You also need to write a good amount of content per article to improve performance.
You need to update your content consistently – while quality is the most important element, quantity also matters. You need to be able to create articles fast, and publish them on a regular basis. Also, make sure that your articles are getting indexed on Google.
The related keyword block also needs to be optimized for better results. After all, you ultimately want users to click on one of these keywords. They should be interesting enough to drive clicks, but avoid misleading or deceiving the user. The keyword block should be placed somewhere visible, generally after the introduction to the article.
Finally, the website should appear professional and have an intuitive layout that will keep the user engaged. Below, we give some tips on how to create such a page with LanderLab.
How to Build Content Pages
LanderLab.io is a drag-and-drop page builder that requires no coding or design skills. You can use it to build any kind of landing pages or websites, but for the purpose of this article we will highlight features related to content pages.
LanderLab offers a tested content page template to simplify your work. This template already includes the main pages you’ll need (e.g., Homepage, About Us, Terms, and a sample content page).
Apart from being super easy to edit, these pages also have a fast loading speed to ensure you don’t lose any traffic (very important for RSOC). LanderLab also has a built-in AI translator that automatically translates the content on your page (better than Google Translate can), and helps you test multiple GEOs quickly. You can also easily split-test different elements to constantly optimize your page.
LanderLab has a direct integration with ClickFlare, which means your page data will be automatically imported to ClickFlare.
For a live demo on how to create a content website from scratch with LanderLab, watch our webinar How to Build a Content Website for Search Arbitrage.
Conclusion
RSOC is still relatively new within the arbitrage space, which brings its own challenges and opportunities. While tracking is not as accurate as AFD, trackers like ClickFlare are here to guide you and provide fast solutions to this problem.
We already know that RSOC provides a better user experience, so it seems like it’s here to stay. The fact that it’s relatively new also means more opportunities to make money before the market becomes too saturated.
Stay tuned for more exciting updates from ClickFlare on this topic!
