Why affiliate businesses need a clear focus

Amin Siala, Founder of Intelligent Systems, urged affiliate businesses to specialise at AGS Rome 2026 on 04 November. His Day 2 keynote was Built to Last: What the World’s Top Affiliate Businesses Have in Common. He argued that specialisation can support higher prices, a longer business life and a higher valuation. He used comparison businesses to show how focused expertise, experimentation and branding can support that advantage.

Choose where affiliate businesses compete

Siala broke an affiliate operation into three components: its vertical, its market or language, and its traffic source. Mastering every combination, he argued, is not impossible, but very difficult. A business needs to decide where its strongest expertise lies and commit resources to that area.

He connected that choice to a competitive moat: something that makes the business harder to copy or compete against. For affiliate businesses, his challenge was to develop knowledge that goes deeper than a competitor’s.

Test what customers respond to

Siala traced Booking.com’s early focus on hotels and Skyscanner’s specialisation in flights. He used Booking.com to illustrate how constant experimentation can challenge assumptions about what customers want. One example involved showing fully booked hotels, which he said increased conversion. He also described successful tests involving charging sockets near beds, as well as photographs of hotel lounges and reception areas.

The lesson was to test ideas even when the team initially doubts them. Siala argued that assumptions about what should work can differ sharply from the results. He described Booking.com as running around a thousand experiments concurrently. In his account, that testing culture is what makes the company grow so fast.

Skyscanner offered another example of what specialisation can produce. Siala highlighted its ‘Everywhere’ search option, allowing travellers to explore destinations without choosing one first. He said the company also developed its flight-search technology to a level that enabled it to supply it to other travel comparison sites. He presented that work as an outcome of specialising in flight aggregation.

Build demand for your own brand

Siala used a UK website, Compare the Market, to discuss the cost of competing for existing demand. He described expensive car insurance search advertising as the problem behind its different approach. The company’s meerkat mascot gave customers something distinctive to remember and search for. Siala said those searches helped reduce acquisition costs by creating demand around the brand.

Natural Intelligence illustrated another decision about where to compete. Siala said the company chose services after finding travel and accommodation too competitive. He described its decision to define its culture and become more visible to attract talent. He said the aim was to compete for talent going to Google, Facebook and Apple.

Put the focus into writing

Siala asked affiliate businesses to rewrite their mission statement and define what they want to be the best at. They should identify their market, customer acquisition approach and monthly net profit target. He encouraged businesses to revisit those decisions with their teams, management and investors. He ended with one takeaway:

“To maximise the likelihood of your success in the world of business, you just got to focus on one thing.”

TrafficStars is the main sponsor of AGS Rome 2026. It connects advertisers with large-scale premium inventory across global markets, offering both self-serve and fully managed campaign options.

Join us at AGS Rome from 02–05 November 2026 for more insights from affiliates, advertisers and performance marketers. Visit Affiliate Grand Slam for the full programme and event details.