Changing GEO in Affiliate: How to Test and Scale Offers When Conversions Dip

levidkerington
Oct 20
10 min read

Relationships don't last forever. Creative that yesterday confidently maintained a high CTR and provided stable profits may suddenly drop today: traffic becomes more expensive, the audience burns out, CR falls, and approval rates cease to be encouraging. In arbitrage, this is not an exception, but a pattern — the market is becoming saturated, competition is growing, and offers are losing their edge. At times like these, it is not panic that saves the day, but strategy. One of the most effective ways to restore conversions is to change the GEO and enter a new market.

If an offer has already been "squeezed" in Europe, it can find a second life in Asia or Latin America. A new audience means new behaviour patterns, a different competitive environment, and fresh interest. Such a step makes it possible not only to revive the campaign, but also to open up additional points of scaling and achieve sustainable growth.

Why GEO affects the effectiveness of offers

Different regions are not just points on a map, but completely different audiences, behaviours, and perceptions of offers. What works well in one region may not yield half the results in another. The reason is simple: cultural habits, the level of digitalisation, competition and the way users make decisions differ. Therefore, when a bundle "dies" in one country, it can "resurrect" in another, where the audience reacts differently and traffic is cheaper.

For example, in Europe, users are accustomed to transparency and analytics: they value clear landing pages, concise offers, and confirmation of product legality. Here, neat, logically structured chains with analytics and understandable UX work well. In Asia, on the contrary, visuals often play a decisive role – short video formats, storytelling, and dynamics. The simpler and faster the creative conveys the essence, the higher the response.

In Africa, landing pages without unnecessary elements and with a minimum number of steps to the target action provide the best conversion. The simpler the UX, the better the result. In South America, the audience is emotional: social proof, live reviews, vivid visuals and an emphasis on personal benefit work well here. In such conditions, the offer is perceived as something "familiar", close and understandable – and this is a direct path to increased CTR and conversions.

Algorithm for selecting a new GEO

Choosing a new GEO is not a matter of intuition, but a controlled process. First, evaluate the economics of entry: cost per click, CPM/CPV, competitor density, auction buyout share. Your task is to understand whether you will be able to get enough targeted traffic at a price that leaves room for profit after approval and logistics.

Next, check the infrastructure: are the usual payment methods available, how fast are transactions processed, are there any restrictions on banks/wallets, do local aggregators work? Even a strong connection will fall apart if it is inconvenient for the user to pay or the system rejects applications. Step-by-step algorithm for choosing a GEO:

Assess the cost of traffic and competition. CPC/CPM by source, share of impressions, saturation, seasonality.
Check the availability of payment methods. Cards, local wallets, cash on delivery/split payments, commissions.
Consider cultural characteristics and language. Requirements for tone, visuals, date/currency formats, trust triggers.
Compare with the availability of offers on the network. Make sure the bundle is "region-specific," with reasonable caps and SLAs for support.

After the initial test, select 1-2 regions to start with, rather than spreading yourself across 5-7 directions. This will allow you to focus your budget and attention on quickly testing hypotheses, obtaining meaningful metrics (CTR, CR, EPC, approve rate) faster, and quickly tweaking creatives and landing pages.

At the pilot stage, set a clear checklist: lead price, expected approval, ROI, and time to reach stable income. If the GEO fits within the framework, bring the processes to perfection and prepare for scaling; if not, quickly close the test and move on to the next candidate without emotional decisions.

You may also be interested in the article – Best sources of native traffic for advertisers and media buyers

Localisation of offers and creatives for a new GEO

Localising your offer is the foundation for good conversion in a new region. Even the perfect offer may not work if it does not reflect the language, visual style and local realities familiar to the user. People respond better to what they understand, which means that adapting the text, currency, and interface directly affects CTR and CR.

The first step is to work with the text. Machine translation is not always suitable: it can break the logic, make the message sound unnatural and reduce trust. It is better to use the local language, taking into account the slang and speech characteristics of the region. It is important to adapt not only the landing page, but also creatives, call-to-action, automated emails and push notifications. Specifying the local currency, time and date format, and familiar units of measurement brings the product closer to the user. Here are the main elements of offer and creative localisation:

translate all text into the local language;
specify the region's currency, time and date formats that are familiar to the audience;
add reviews from local users (real or adapted) to increase trust;
adjust visuals: use familiar images, colours, and design styles;
check forms and UX – buttons, fields, and payment forms should be understandable at first glance.

Such simple adaptation removes barriers to perception and adds 20-30% to CR even without changing creatives or traffic sources. This works especially well in countries with strong cultural identity, such as Latin America or Asia.

After initial localisation, be sure to test the perception of creatives: how users react to visuals, whether there is any distrust of the currency or language, whether literally translated phrases are jarring. The more natural the combination looks to local users, the higher the likelihood that they will convert. Localisation is not a costly process, but a way to quickly increase the effectiveness of a campaign and extend the life of an offer.

How to test correctly in a new region

Scaling is based on testing in a new GEO. Many media buyers make the mistake of perceiving the first launch as an opportunity to "immediately recoup the budget". In fact, the goal of testing is different: to understand what works in a new market, identify strong combinations, and optimise costs. The more systematic the approach, the higher the probability of achieving stable conversion at the next stage.

It is worth starting the test with a limited number of creatives and a controlled budget. This will allow you to quickly weed out weak options without wasting your budget. This approach is especially important when changing GEO, where the audience's reaction may be completely different from that in a familiar region. We suggest that you familiarise yourself with the basic structure of the test:

Launch 3-5 creatives on small budgets to collect initial data.
Track key metrics — CTR, CR, and EPC — for 48-72 hours without making rash decisions.
Record the approve rate and traffic behaviour in different sources.
Disable weak combinations and reallocate the budget in favour of those that show growth.
Keep 1-2 strong options that can be optimised and scaled.

This approach helps not only to determine the winner, but also to collect data that makes it possible to scale the campaign without sudden jumps and mistakes. This is especially important when entering new markets, where the cost of a lead and the response to an offer may differ from what you are used to.

Once the combination has proven itself in testing, you can gradually increase budgets, adjust creatives, and test additional audience segments. A well-conducted test saves tens of thousands of dollars at the scaling stage and reduces the time to reach a stable ROI. And if you want to build a testing strategy together with an experienced team, consider partnership with ENSO TRAFFIC — we help arbitrageurs adapt more quickly to new GEOs and launch successful campaigns.

Join ENSO TRAFFIC now!

Want to consistently find new growth points and increase your ROI? Join ENSO TRAFFIC to get access to current offers for different GEOs, personalised support, and analytics. We work with arbitrageurs who strive for systematic growth and are looking for a reliable partner.

Scaling: when and how to increase volume

Scaling is a key stage in the development of any bundle. If the test showed stable CR and ROI, the next step is to increase volume without losing efficiency. A mistake that many arbitrageurs make is a sharp increase in budget, which causes the offer to quickly "burn out" and metrics to fall. To avoid this, scaling should be gradual and controlled.

The first step is to ensure the stability of the bundle in the selected GEO: make sure that the metrics do not fluctuate, the approval is stable, and the traffic sources can handle the load. Only then can you gradually increase the budget, for example, by 10-20% per day, while monitoring the audience's response. This approach allows you to avoid breaking algorithms and maintain profitability. For convenience, we suggest considering a step-by-step scaling algorithm:

Increase budgets in stages, without sudden jumps, so as not to lose control of the metrics.
Establish a strong foothold in the current GEO, then expand to neighbouring countries in the region with a similar audience.
Agree on caps and limits with the network in advance so you don't run into a "stop" in the middle of the campaign.
Only connect additional traffic sources after the main ones have stabilised.
Support your creatives — update visuals and texts to prevent burnout.

Scaling is not a race, but a controlled process. If you raise your budget sharply, source algorithms often get confused, approval may drop, and the offer may burn out. Gradual volume growth allows you to stay in your comfort zone in terms of ROI and keep the bundle working longer.

In addition, it is worth agreeing on caps and limits with the affiliate network in advance to avoid a situation where the bundle is dispersed and traffic is no longer accepted. Such a miscalculation can negate all the benefits of a successful start. Competent planning is what distinguishes stable work from chaotic "ups and downs".

Practical example: how one link comes to life in a new GEO on the Cardioser (BG) case

Now we will look at a practical example from our ENSO TRAFFIC team, which clearly shows how changing the GEO can breathe new life into a bundle. The Cardioser Low Price offer on the topic of joints was launched in Bulgaria for an audience aged 45+ through Google Ads. Spring and summer became a growth point: during this period, the number of queries related to joint pain increases, and the "novelty of the offer" on the market ensured a high level of trust and an easy start to the campaign. The right choice of region allowed us to quickly gain the first leads and establish ourselves in the search results.

An additional factor in the success was the precise localisation and customisation of the campaigns for the Bulgarian audience. Thanks to seasonality and the lack of significant competition in the Bulgarian market, the offer gained a stable position, and the indicators began to grow in the first few weeks. This is an excellent example of how the right GEO change helps arbitrageurs scale their bundle and get a steady stream of leads without explosive growth in costs. Similar stories regularly appear in the "Cases" section of our website, where you can also find other interesting examples of successful campaigns launched by our team.

Here are the key campaign metrics: costs – $111,952, revenue – $145,548, profit – $33,596, ROI ≈ 30%, total leads – 15,549, confirmed leads – 5,598, approval rate ~36%, average bid – $26 per confirmed lead. Despite the moderate approval rate, the economics remained positive: high-intent traffic quality and competent campaign optimisation worked well. You can view the current list of offers for similar combinations, which includes excellent offers for different GEOs and verticals.

You may also be interested in the article – Cardioser Low Price Case Study: £33,596 profit on joints in Bulgaria | Google Ads

Mistakes and how to avoid them

Mistakes when entering a new GEO are not a reason to be afraid of testing, but a signal that you should approach them systematically. Many campaigns fail not because of a poor offer, but because of the wrong launch tactics. A hasty start without adaptation and analysis can lead to a loss of budget before the audience has time to respond to the creatives. It's easy to fix this — you just need to understand in advance where mistakes are most often made.

The first typical mistake is a lack of localisation. Even the perfect offer can fail if the landing page is not translated, the buttons look unfamiliar, and the visuals do not match the audience's mentality. The second mistake is a sharp increase in budget: the offer cannot handle the load, the source algorithms begin to "float," the approval rate drops, and the link is reset. The third is weak analytics and the lack of clear post-back. Without data, it is impossible to make accurate decisions and adjust the strategy. So, here are some common mistakes and how to avoid them:

Launching without localisation. You need to adapt texts, currency, and visuals to the region in advance.
A sharp increase in budget. You need to scale gradually, tracking key metrics.
Weak analytics. You need to set up post-back, track approve, EPC, CTR, CR in real time.
One creative. You need to prepare several backup options to avoid burnout.

These mistakes are not critical if you anticipate them in advance. Competent preparation reduces the risk of "failures" at the beginning and allows you to quickly reallocate resources to working bundles. This approach saves budget and speeds up the transition to stable metrics.

It is important to remember that even the most successful offer is not immune to burnout. But if you build a system for testing, localisation, and analysis in advance, you will always be one step ahead. The right strategy makes the process stable and the results predictable.

Conclusion

Changing GEO is not a fallback option, but a powerful tool for restoring conversion and opening up new growth points. When the bundle starts to burn out, all you need to do is change the market, adapt the creatives and landing page, and the offer gets a second wind. This strategy works for both beginners and experienced media buyers: new audiences give new signals, which means new opportunities for scaling.

If you want to follow this path, start with simple steps: select two promising regions, prepare three localised creatives, run a test for 2-3 days, and increase the budget for the winning combination. This is a minimal but effective plan that allows you to quickly revive the offer and expand the traffic funnel. And with ENSO TRAFFIC, you can find suitable offers for any GEO and get support at every stage.

Start earning consistently today!

Want to consistently find working combinations and expand your reach? Register with the ENSO TRAFFIC affiliate programme to get access to current offers for different GEOs, analytics, and professional support. We will help you test, scale, and earn systematically.