Of course Forbes, USA Today, Glamour, CNN, etc. are doing affiliate spam.
In a world where 90% of the results for a keyword like “best creatine” is affiliate spam though, users seem to click the “known” affiliate over the unknown SEO’s website.
Why are you better?
Did you do a scientific double-blind study?
Did you do lab work to examine the ingredients?
Did you consult multiple health professionals?
If you created that site, users would click your listing.
But even if someone made a site that meets the qualifications you laid out, users would still click Forbes.
Why?
Because humans are social creatures, and nothing is more powerful than social proof.
You can’t beat a large brand by doing just as good as said brand.
It seems that, in 2024, you simply can’t beat a large brand regardless of what you do.
You could have an entire lab setup, with pictures of you testing it, and it wouldn’t matter.
You’re not outranking Forbes/NYT/TimesUnion/Yahoo/etc.
Even getting into a position to compete in some markets is practically impossible.
Let’s look at “best online casinos.”
Both before & after the update, it’s 100% parasites.
AskGamblers has actual player reviews, is probably the most powerful site in the industry.
It ranks #11.
Sure, Google will give you concession prize, #11, atta boy.
But if there are parasites (or other major brands) you’re almost certainly not getting to #1-3, even if a million people click your site.