When a shopper types “[Brand] coupon” into Google, the results are almost always dominated by coupon sites, not the brand itself. Only about 3% of those coupon ads get clicked and lead to the brand’s own coupon, while the other 97% of traffic is captured by affiliate coupon sites that rank higher and monetize the clicks. This creates a dilemma for small brands: should you run your own coupon ads, or let affiliates handle the coupon searches?
Why Coupon Sites Dominate Brand Coupon Searches
Affiliate coupon sites dominate because they have massive SEO authority. They optimize for “brand + coupon” keywords, refresh their pages daily, and build backlinks that push them to the top of search results. Even if you launch your own coupon ad campaign, competing against these giants is tough.
Benefits of Running Your Own Coupon Ads
Small brands may still find value in creating official coupon ads. Running your own ads can deliver brand trust and control, ensuring shoppers see a valid, on-brand offer. It can improve the customer experience by avoiding expired or fake discounts, and it allows for first-party data collection that supports remarketing and email campaigns.
The Downsides of Competing With Coupon Affiliates
The downside is cost. Coupon ads can be expensive—you may end up paying for traffic you would have converted anyway. At best, you’ll capture about 3% of coupon search traffic. Affiliates already dominate the 97%, so fighting them is rarely cost-effective. For a deeper look at common pitfalls, see Top 9 Affiliate Marketing Traps.
Why Small Brands Should Avoid Third-Party Coupon Abuse
Unapproved third-party coupon listings also carry risks. Expired or fake coupons frustrate customers, inflated discounts mislead buyers, and auto-applied codes allow affiliates to claim credit for sales they didn’t truly drive. These practices hurt brand trust and squeeze margins unnecessarily.
The Coupon Affiliate Honesty Problem
Transparency is another issue. Not all coupon sites are honest. Some publish offers that don’t exist or refresh pages with irrelevant deals simply to maintain SEO rankings. Browser extensions can be even worse—see The Hidden Cost of Coupon Extensions for an in-depth breakdown of how they can steal commissions and inflate affiliate costs.
Read here: Why Small Brands Shouldn’t Ignore Affiliate Marketing
Are Coupon Ads Worth It for Small Businesses?
So, are coupon ads worth it for small businesses? For most, the answer is no. Running coupon ads directly may be useful if you need strict control over messaging and discounts or want to test offers and capture data. But the smarter strategy is often partnering with trusted coupon affiliates. They already capture the lion’s share of searches, and you only pay when they deliver sales.
Uptake Affiliate Services: Smarter Coupon Affiliate Management
At Uptake Affiliate Services, we help small and mid-sized brands whitelist only trusted coupon affiliates, prevent unauthorized coupon ads, and negotiate placements that actually drive incremental sales. If you’re asking whether coupon ads are worth it for your brand, let’s talk. We’ll show you how to turn “brand + coupon” searches into a profitable, controlled affiliate channel—without letting coupon sites run the show.
