Verticals in CPA marketing: what are they and what are they

In addition to the source of traffic in which a beginner will launch advertising campaigns and generate leads, a young webmaster also needs to decide on the vertical in which he will work. What is it in general, what they are, why such a division in general, and most importantly - why you need to work with a certain vertical - we tell in this wiki material.
 

What is a vertical in CPA and what are they 

Let's start with the main one. An affiliate marketing vertical is a group of offers united by one topic. 

They are also called niches, categories, and destinations, but this is not entirely true, as many CPA networks mix verticals, categories, conversion points, and offer business models into one bunch, trying to create their own classification, focusing on the products of their network. Because of this, the webmaster often cannot find the right offer in the catalog.

We have decided on this, let's now directly look at what a beginner can choose from, what he is working on. The selection is quite impressive:

• Adult — category of services 18+ and goods for adults;
• Betting —sports betting;
• Dating / Adult Dating — dating / dating 18+;
• E-Commerce — goods that can be categorized as “shop on the couch”;
• Cash-on-Delivery E-commerce — goods for everyday needs;
• Travel — niche of travel, tours, hotels, air tickets and booking;
• Forex / Binary Options — trading and binary options;
• Finance — financial brokers, microloans, loans and mortgages;
• Biz ops — niche of offers for earnings on the Internet, job offers and employment;
• Legal — a large niche of offers in Tier-1 for any legal services;
• Entertainment — niche with entertainment services (music and video);
• Services / Online Services — niche of online services, consultations, trainers and other specialists;
• Crypto — cryptocurrencies, cloud mining and crypto trading;
• Gambling — gambling;
• Gaming — mobile games;
• Nutra — beauty products, dietary supplements;
• Education / Essay — niche about education, tests and coursework.

Why are these verticals highlighted? Any online business is suitable for CPA marketing, but not every niche is suitable specifically for buying and reselling traffic.

White, gray and black verticals (whitehat/blackhat)

Also, the conversation about verticals will be incomplete if we do not touch on the issue of whitehat and blackhat directions. 

Webmasters conditionally divide verticals into “white”, “gray” and “black”. This is not entirely correct, since it all depends on the approach that is used when working with the offer. If you come across a division of verticals by color, this is what is usually meant:

• “White” refers to the categories of offers, the promotion of which does not violate the rules of advertising networks. The goods themselves are not included in the list of prohibited goods, but the income from them is relatively lower, and the competition is quite high. These are, for example, dating, e-commerce, finance.
• “Gray” verticals are controversial offers, “limitedly allowed” for advertising on sites, some of them violate the publication rules. Working with them is not prohibited by law. These include gambling and nutra.
• "Black" - carding, fraud, viruses and everything else that violates the law. Black verticals do not necessarily imply crime. For example, the promotion of any drugs without a license is a black subject, and the pharmaceutical partners themselves violate the law in all countries.

Editorial comment AffJournal

The selected vertical determines all further work. Each CPA marketing niche has its own approaches, they all require different expertise and are focused on a specific audience. Their diversity allows you to try yourself in everything, but it is unlikely that you will be able to master all verticals in general. The average webmaster is usually well versed in one or two verticals. Test all available white and gray offers. Sooner or later, you will discover the niche that is perfect for you.