Project: ClickBank Affiliate Operation
Created: 2026-03-24
Scope: Every free method for finding winning products and analyzing competitors
Step-by-Step: Finding Products
1. Log into your ClickBank account (free to create)
2. Go to Marketplace in the top navigation
3. Browse by category OR search keywords
Filtering & Sorting (the power moves):
- Sort by Gravity (default) → shows what's currently selling
- Sort by Avg $/Sale → finds high-payout offers others overlook
- Sort by Commission % → finds generous commission structures
- Filter by Category then drill into sub-categories (e.g., Health & Fitness → Diets & Weight Loss)
- Use keyword search for specific niches: "nerve pain", "memory", "blood sugar", "keto"
Reading the Listing:
Each product shows:
- Gravity — unique affiliates earning commissions in last 90 days (higher weight on recent sales)
- Avg $/Conversion — your average commission including upsells and rebills (90-day average)
- Conversion Rate (CVR) — clicks to initial sale ratio (30-day)
- Earnings Per Click (EPC) — net commission per click (30-day)
The Page 5+ Strategy:
Don't just look at page 1. Go to pages 3-7 in your niche category. Products with gravity 50-70 on deeper pages may have fewer competing affiliates but strong volume from a few big players. Less exposure = less competition = opportunity.
Bookmark & Track Method:
1. Open a spreadsheet
2. Record: Product name, gravity, avg $/sale, EPC, date checked
3. Check weekly — if gravity is climbing 5-10+ points per week, the offer is gaining momentum
4. Target offers on the upswing BEFORE they hit 200+ gravity
What it does: Free ClickBank analytics — shows gravity TRENDS over time, not just today's number.
Key Free Features:
- Top Gravity page (cbengine.com/clickbank-top-gravity.html) — products sorted by gravity with trend indicators
- Momentum indicator — predictive analysis based on sales performance trajectory
- New Products — recently added to ClickBank (earliest possible entry)
- Popular products — gaining traction right now
- Relisted products — returned to marketplace after being off (can signal a relaunch)
How to Use for Product Finding:
1. Go to cbengine.com
2. Click "Top Gravity" — see the current leaderboard
3. Look for the Momentum column — products with positive momentum are gaining steam
4. Check "New Products" weekly — be the first affiliate on fresh offers
5. Cross-reference any interesting product with ClickBank marketplace for full stats
What it does: Historical ClickBank statistics — see how a product has performed over months/years.
Key Free Features:
- Rising products — gravity increasing recently
- Peaking products — at or near their highest gravity (may be a good time or a signal it's about to decline)
- Recurring products — offers with rebill commissions (ongoing revenue)
- Search any ClickBank product by vendor nickname
How to Use:
1. Go to cbsnooper.com
2. Browse "Rising" → these are the offers gaining momentum RIGHT NOW
3. Click any product → see gravity history graph
4. What you want: A product that's been rising steadily for 2-4 weeks (not a 1-day spike)
5. Red flag: A product whose gravity peaked 3+ weeks ago and is declining — you're late
What it does: Free ClickBank performance tracking and browsing.
Key Free Features:
- Browse ClickBank products by category
- Track performance history
- Top products lists
- Search ClickBank database
- RSS feeds for new products (automate discovery)
How to Use:
1. Go to cbtrends.com
2. Use "Browse ClickBank" to explore categories
3. Use "Top Products" for quick wins
4. Set up RSS feeds in a reader (Feedly is free) to get notified of new ClickBank products automatically
What it does: Free search engine for affiliate offers across MULTIPLE networks (not just ClickBank).
How to Use:
1. Go to offervault.com
2. Search by keyword (e.g., "weight loss", "nerve pain", "memory supplement")
3. Filter by network, payout type, payout amount
4. See offers from ClickBank, MaxWeb, Digistore24, and dozens of others in one place
5. Power move: Search a niche → see which networks have the most offers → that tells you where the money is
What it does: Free launch calendar for digital product launches (WarriorPlus, JVZoo, ClickBank).
How to Use:
1. Go to muncheye.com
2. Browse upcoming launches by date
3. See: product name, launch date, platform, JV page link
4. Why it matters: Getting on a product at LAUNCH means no competition yet. If the product is good, you can be first to scale.
5. Check the JV page for commission rates, EPC predictions, and vendor details
How to Browse:
1. Create a free Digistore24 account
2. Go to Marketplace
3. Browse by category or search keywords
4. Each listing shows: commission rate, sales page URL, vendor info
5. Particularly strong in European markets — offers that work in Germany, UK, etc.
How to Browse:
1. Create a free account
2. Go to Marketplace → Offers
3. Sort by: sales, conversion rate, visitor value, refund rate
4. "Deal of the Day" highlights current hot launches
5. Click any offer → see full stats: sales, conversion %, refund %, visitor value, commission
Key Metrics to Check:
- Visitor value (like EPC) — must exceed your CPC
- Refund rate — below 10% is good
- Conversion rate — higher is better
- Sales volume — proves it's selling
How to Browse:
1. Create a free account
2. Browse marketplace by category
3. Sort by EPC, sales, conversion rate
4. Strong in: software tools, marketing products, digital courses
5. Many offers pay instant commissions via PayPal
URL: trends.google.com (100% free, no account needed)
Step-by-Step:
1. Go to trends.google.com
2. Enter a broad niche keyword: "nerve pain remedy"
3. Set time range to Past 5 years
4. Set location to United States (primary market for ClickBank)
5. Set category to All categories (or narrow to Health if relevant)
6. Look at the graph:
- Steady or rising line = durable niche with real demand ✅
- Spike then crash = fad, avoid unless you're very early ❌
- Declining line = shrinking market ❌
- Seasonal pattern = time your campaigns to the peaks ⚠️
Step-by-Step:
1. Enter your first keyword
2. Click "+ Compare" to add up to 4 more
3. Example comparison: "weight loss supplement" vs "GLP-1 alternative" vs "keto pills" vs "intermittent fasting" vs "ozempic natural"
4. The money is in the RISING line — find what's growing while competitors focus on the established term
5. The numbers are relative (0-100 scale) not absolute search volume
Step-by-Step:
1. After entering your keyword, scroll down to "Related queries"
2. Click the toggle from "Top" to "Rising"
3. "Breakout" queries (marked 5000%+) = explosive new sub-niches
4. These are terms people are suddenly searching for much more than before
5. Action: Take each rising query → search it on ClickBank → is there a product? → if yes, you found an early opportunity
Known patterns for major affiliate niches:
| Niche | Peak Seasons |
|-------|-------------|
| Weight loss | January (New Year's resolutions), April-June (pre-summer) |
| Fitness/exercise | January, September (back to routine) |
| Financial/MMO | January (fresh start), October-December (year-end planning) |
| Survival/prepper | Election years, crisis events, hurricane season |
| Dating/relationships | January-February (Valentine's), September-October (cuffing season) |
| Supplements (general) | January, post-holiday detox |
| Anti-aging/skincare | Spring (pre-summer), October (pre-holiday) |
How to confirm: Enter the keyword → set to 5-year view → look for repeating annual peaks
URL: facebook.com/ads/library (100% free, no Facebook Ads account needed)
Step-by-Step:
1. Go to facebook.com/ads/library
2. Set Ad Category to "All ads"
3. Set Country to "United States" (or your target market)
4. Type a keyword in the search bar: "nerve pain", "weight loss trick", "memory boost"
5. Hit search → see ALL active ads containing that keyword
Number of active ads per page:
- A page running 50+ active ads = serious spending = the offer converts
- A page running 5-10 ads = testing or small budget
- The more ads → the more confident they are in the offer
Ad age (started running date):
- Each ad shows when it started
- Ads running 30+ days are proven performers — someone is profiting
- Ads running 1-3 days may be tests
- Long-running ads are your best intel — something that's been running for 60+ days is making money
Creative styles:
- Are they using images or video?
- What image styles? (Red text, close-ups, lifestyle shots, before/after)
- Note the patterns across multiple ads from the same advertiser
Ad copy patterns:
- What hooks are they opening with?
- What emotional triggers? (Fear, curiosity, urgency, social proof)
- What call-to-action language?
- Copy down the hooks — these are proven to get clicks
Critical warning: Sophisticated affiliates (like Jordan from our interview) use redirect chains. When you click from Ad Library, the URL may carry parameters that identify you as a spy. The affiliate detects this and sends you to a DECOY offer — not the real one.
How to work around this:
- Cross-reference with what you see organically in your feed
- Use multiple research methods — don't rely on Ad Library alone
- Focus on the CREATIVE (hook, image, angle) rather than the destination
- The creative itself tells you what messaging is working regardless of where it goes
Step-by-Step:
1. Go to YouTube
2. Search: "[Product Name] review" (e.g., "Neurorise review", "Java Burn review")
3. Look at:
- Number of review videos — 10+ channels reviewing it = high demand
- View counts — 10K+ views per review = significant search volume
- Upload dates — recent (last 30 days) = currently active offer
- Like/dislike ratio — helps gauge sentiment
What high review activity tells you:
- The product is getting traffic → affiliates are promoting it
- People are searching before buying (typical for health supplements)
- If reviews are mostly positive → the product delivers, lower refund risk
- If reviews are mixed → still opportunity but watch the refund rate
Step-by-Step:
1. Search: "[Product Name] scam" or "[Product Name] exposed"
2. Check view counts — high views on "scam" videos = massive market awareness
3. The product name in the title tells you what people are actively searching
4. Read the comments — real buyer pain points and objections are gold for your ad copy
Why this works:
- People only search "[X] scam" for products they're CONSIDERING buying
- High search volume on "scam" queries = large market of interested buyers
- These videos essentially confirm the market exists and is actively spending
Step-by-Step:
1. Use a VPN set to US (free options: ProtonVPN, Windscribe)
2. Create or use a YouTube account
3. Watch health/wellness/finance content in your niche
4. Pay attention to pre-roll ads (before the video) and mid-roll ads
5. If you see the same product advertised repeatedly → someone is spending serious money → the offer converts
6. Screenshot the ad, note the product name, find it on ClickBank
Step-by-Step:
1. Go to YouTube search bar
2. Start typing a niche keyword slowly: "nerve pain r..."
3. YouTube suggests completions based on what people actually search
4. Note these suggestions — each one is a proven search term
5. Try variations: "[niche] + remedy", "[niche] + supplement", "[niche] + trick", "[niche] + at home"
6. Each suggestion = potential ad angle or landing page hook
Step-by-Step:
1. Find popular videos in your niche (review videos, health content, etc.)
2. Read the comments section (sort by "Top comments")
3. Look for:
- Pain points: "I've tried everything and nothing works..." (= desperate buyer)
- Objections: "Is this a scam?" (= needs reassurance)
- Specific questions: "Does this work for [specific condition]?" (= ad angle)
- Testimonials: "I tried this and it actually helped" (= social proof angles)
4. Document these — they become your ad copy hooks and landing page content
Step-by-Step:
1. Watch product review videos in your niche
2. Check the video description for affiliate links
3. If a reviewer is linking to a ClickBank product → it's being promoted actively
4. Click the link to see the sales page/VSSL → evaluate its quality
5. Multiple reviewers linking to the same product = widely promoted, potentially competitive
6. A reviewer linking to a lesser-known product = possible hidden gem
Step-by-Step:
1. Google: "[Product Name] review" or "[Product Name] does it work"
2. Look at the results:
- Affiliate review sites in top 10 = affiliates are actively SEO-promoting this product
- Number of review articles = demand for information
- Ad results at top = affiliates paying for Google Ads = proven converting offer
3. If you see 5+ dedicated review articles → significant affiliate activity around this product
Step-by-Step:
1. Start typing in Google: "best supplement for..."
2. Google suggests completions based on search volume
3. Each suggestion is a high-volume search term
4. Try niche-specific queries:
- "best [niche] supplement"
- "[problem] natural remedy"
- "how to [solve problem] fast"
- "[product name] vs"
5. These completions become your ad hooks and landing page titles
Step-by-Step:
1. Google any niche keyword
2. Look for the "People also ask" box (expandable questions)
3. Click a question → Google reveals MORE related questions
4. Keep clicking → build a massive list of buyer questions
5. Each question = content idea, ad angle, or FAQ section for your landing page
6. These are REAL questions from real people → highest relevance
Setup (one-time):
1. Go to ads.google.com
2. Create a Google Ads account (you do NOT need to run ads or spend money)
3. Skip the campaign setup wizard (look for "Switch to Expert Mode" → "Create an account without a campaign")
4. Once in, go to Tools & Settings → Keyword Planner
How to Use:
1. Click "Discover new keywords"
2. Enter niche keywords: "nerve pain supplement", "memory loss remedy"
3. See: average monthly searches, competition level, suggested bid (indicates commercial value)
4. High search volume + high CPC = people are paying good money to advertise here = proven commercial intent
5. Export keyword lists to track
What you get free:
- 3 free searches per day
- Search volume data
- Keyword difficulty
- Related keyword suggestions
- Content ideas
How to Use:
1. Go to neilpatel.com/ubersuggest
2. Enter a niche keyword
3. Check monthly search volume and SEO difficulty
4. Click "Keyword Ideas" for related terms
5. Use the "Content Ideas" tab to see what articles get the most traffic in your niche
Step-by-Step:
1. Google: site:clickbank.com [niche keyword] — see ClickBank pages related to your niche
2. Google: "[product name]" review site:reddit.com — see Reddit discussions about a specific product
3. Google: "[niche] affiliate program" — find affiliate programs outside the major networks
4. Google: "[competitor domain]" affiliate — find what affiliates are saying about a competitor
Key Subreddits:
- r/Affiliatemarketing — general affiliate discussions, what's working
- r/clickbank — ClickBank-specific discussions (smaller but focused)
- r/juststart — people starting affiliate sites (see what niches they're choosing)
- r/SEO — see what keywords/niches SEOs are targeting
- Niche-specific subreddits: r/supplements, r/nootropics, r/loseit, r/personalfinance, etc.
How to Research:
1. Search the subreddit for product names or niche terms
2. Sort by "Top" (past month) to see most-discussed topics
3. Read discussions for: pain points, product recommendations, complaints
4. Look for posts asking "has anyone tried [product]?" — indicates active buyer interest
5. Check which products get recommended repeatedly → these have organic demand
6. Search "clickbank" site:reddit.com in Google for broader results
Step-by-Step:
1. Search Facebook for groups in your niche: "affiliate marketing", "ClickBank affiliates", "[niche] community"
2. Join 5-10 relevant groups
3. Lurk and read — what products are people discussing? What problems do they mention?
4. Affiliate marketing groups: People share what's working, launch announcements, results
5. Niche groups (weight loss, fitness, etc.): See what solutions people are looking for
6. NEVER spam your affiliate links in groups — this is for RESEARCH only
How to Research:
1. Search: "[product name] clickbank" or "[niche] affiliate"
2. Follow affiliate marketers who share results
3. Search: "#affiliatemarketing" "#clickbank" for current discussions
4. Look for people sharing screenshots of earnings → what products are they promoting?
5. Follow influencers in your niche → what products are they endorsing?
How to Research:
1. Search your niche keywords on TikTok
2. See what products creators are promoting organically
3. Check comments for buyer interest and questions
4. Rising trend on TikTok = early signal before it hits mainstream
5. If a health trend is going viral on TikTok → there's almost certainly a ClickBank product for it
How to Research:
1. Search Quora for niche questions: "best supplement for [problem]", "how to [solve problem]"
2. High number of answers + followers on a question = active interest
3. Read the answers for: product recommendations, pain points, objections
4. Note the question phrasing — these become your ad hooks and landing page headlines
Key Forums:
- Warrior Forum (warriorforum.com) — oldest internet marketing forum, free to browse
- Sections: Main IM Discussion, Ad Networks, Copywriting, Offers
- Search for product/niche discussions
- AffiliateFix (affiliatefix.com) — free affiliate marketing community
- Follow logs, case studies, network discussions
- STM Forum (stmforum.com) — premium but has some free content and their blog is free
- Blog has case studies and industry analysis
Method 1: ClickBank Leaderboard
- Check top gravity products in your niche → the vendors are your product-level competitors
- Check vendor affiliate pages (linked on ClickBank listing) for top affiliate data
Method 2: Facebook Ad Library
- Search niche keywords → whoever has the most active ads = biggest competitors
- Track 5-10 top advertisers
Method 3: Google Search
- Google "[product name] review" → whoever ranks = your SEO competitors
- Google "[niche] supplement" → who's running Google Ads = your paid search competitors
Step-by-Step:
1. Find a competitor's ad (Ad Library, spy tools, organic discovery)
2. Click through → note the landing page URL and type
3. Continue through the funnel: landing page → VSSL → checkout page
4. Document each step:
- Landing page type (bridge, listicle, quiz, advertorial, granny blog?)
- Headline and hook
- VSSL length and style
- Price point and upsell structure
- Checkout page design
5. Save screenshots of each step
6. Repeat for 5-10 competitors to see patterns
What you get free:
- Monthly visit estimates
- Traffic sources breakdown (direct, search, social, referral, paid)
- Top referring sites
- Audience interests
- Similar sites
How to Use:
1. Go to similarweb.com
2. Enter a competitor's domain
3. Check: where does their traffic come from?
4. If 60%+ comes from paid social → they're running FB/IG ads primarily
5. If high referral traffic → they have affiliates sending traffic
6. Check "Similar Sites" → find more competitors you didn't know about
7. Free tier limits: 1-3 months of data, limited results per query
What it does: Shows what technology a website is using (free lookups).
How to Use:
1. Go to builtwith.com
2. Enter competitor's URL
3. See: CMS, analytics, ad platforms, tracking pixels, payment processors, CDN
4. Useful intel:
- What tracker are they using? (ClickMagick, RedTrack, Voluum)
- What payment processor? (ClickBank, Stripe, etc.) — confirms the network
- What email platform? (tells you they're doing email marketing)
- What CMS? (WordPress, custom, landing page builder)
What it does: Free browser extension that instantly identifies tech on any page.
How to Use:
1. Install the Wappalyzer browser extension (Chrome/Firefox, free)
2. Visit a competitor's landing page
3. Click the Wappalyzer icon → see their full tech stack
4. Faster than BuiltWith for quick checks
What it does: Shows domain registration info.
How to Use:
1. Go to whois.domaintools.com or who.is
2. Enter competitor's domain
3. See: registration date, registrar, name servers
4. Useful for: Checking if a domain is new (new product launch) or established
5. Note: many domains use privacy protection, so owner details may be hidden
What it does: Shows historical snapshots of any website — see how it looked in the past.
How to Use:
1. Go to web.archive.org
2. Enter competitor's URL
3. Browse timeline → click dates to see historical versions
4. Useful for:
- See how their landing page/VSSL has evolved
- Find old angles they tested and abandoned
- See when they launched (first snapshot date)
- Track pricing changes over time
- Study their funnel evolution — what did they add/remove?
| Extension | What It Does | Chrome/Firefox | URL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wappalyzer | Identifies tech stack on any site | Both | wappalyzer.com |
| SimilarWeb Extension | Quick traffic estimates for any site | Both | similarweb.com |
| Keywords Everywhere (free features) | Shows search volume in Google/YouTube search bars | Chrome | keywordseverywhere.com |
| Wayback Machine Extension | Quick access to archived versions of any page | Both | web.archive.org |
| Facebook Pixel Helper | Detects Facebook pixels on websites | Chrome | Meta business tools |
| Google Tag Assistant | Shows all Google tags on a page (Analytics, Ads, etc.) | Chrome | |
| Redirect Path | Shows redirect chains on URLs (useful for detecting cloaking) | Chrome | Chrome Web Store |
| SEOquake | Free SEO metrics in search results | Both | seoquake.com |
| MozBar | Domain authority and page metrics | Chrome | moz.com |
| Hunter.io Extension | Find email addresses on websites (free tier) | Chrome | hunter.io |
Step-by-Step:
1. Create a dedicated email address JUST for affiliate research (e.g., affiliateresearch01@gmail.com)
2. This email will receive competitor emails — keep it separate from personal
3. Create a simple spreadsheet: Competitor | Date Subscribed | Funnel Entry Point
For each competitor, document:
- Email frequency: How often do they send? (Daily? 2x/day? Weekly?)
- Subject lines: What hooks and angles do they use?
- Email content: Long-form story? Short and punchy? Just a link?
- Offers promoted: Is it always the same offer or do they rotate?
- Urgency tactics: Deadlines, limited supply, price increases?
- Sequence structure: What's the order? (Welcome → story → offer → testimonial → last chance)
- Other products: Do they promote multiple ClickBank products? Which ones?
Create a Google Sheet with these tabs:
Tab 1: Product Tracker
| Product | Network | Gravity | EPC | Avg $/Sale | CVR | Date Found | Gravity Trend | Status | Notes |
|---------|---------|---------|-----|------------|-----|-----------|---------------|--------|-------|
| Product A | ClickBank | 87 | $1.20 | $45 | 3.2% | 2026-03-24 | ↑ Rising | Testing | Found via CBEngine |
Tab 2: Competitor Tracker
| Competitor | Platform | # Active Ads | Last Checked | Traffic Source | Landing Page Type | VSSL Quality | Notes |
|-----------|----------|-------------|-------------|---------------|-------------------|-------------|-------|
| XYZ Health | Facebook | 47 | 2026-03-24 | Paid social | Listicle | Professional | Running 30+ days |
Tab 3: Gravity History
| Product | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Trend |
|---------|--------|--------|--------|--------|-------|
| Product A | 65 | 72 | 81 | 89 | ↑ Rising fast |
Tab 4: Ad Swipe File
| Date | Product | Platform | Hook | Image Style | Landing Page Type | Link/Screenshot |
|------|---------|----------|------|------------|-------------------|-----------------|
Tab 5: Research Log
| Date | What I Researched | Findings | Action Items |
|------|-------------------|----------|-------------|
Morning Check (15 min):
- [ ] Open ClickBank marketplace → sort by gravity → any new products in your niche? (5 min)
- [ ] Check CBEngine "New Products" and "Popular" (5 min)
- [ ] Quick Facebook Ad Library search for your niche — note any new ads (5 min)
Evening Check (15 min):
- [ ] Scroll Facebook feed (no proxy needed for basic browsing) → screenshot interesting ads (10 min)
- [ ] Check competitor emails received today — note new offers and hooks (5 min)
Google Trends Review (20 min):
- [ ] Check 5 niche keywords → note any changes in trajectory
- [ ] Review "Rising" related queries → note breakout terms
- [ ] Cross-reference with ClickBank for matching products
YouTube Research (30 min):
- [ ] Search 5-10 product names → "[Product] review" and "[Product] scam"
- [ ] Note view counts and upload dates
- [ ] Mine comments for pain points and ad angles
- [ ] Check for new pre-roll ads in your niche
Competitor Deep Dive (30 min):
- [ ] Update competitor tracker with current ad counts
- [ ] Reverse-engineer 1-2 new competitor funnels
- [ ] Check SimilarWeb for traffic changes
- [ ] Note any new landing page styles or angles
Community Research (30 min):
- [ ] Browse Reddit — r/Affiliatemarketing + niche subs
- [ ] Check Facebook Groups for discussions
- [ ] Browse Warrior Forum
- [ ] Note any product recommendations or complaints
Product Evaluation (30 min):
- [ ] Evaluate 3-5 new products against the validation framework
- [ ] Update gravity history for tracked products
- [ ] Identify 1-2 products to add to test queue
Documentation (10 min):
- [ ] Update spreadsheet with all findings
- [ ] Add new ads to swipe file
- [ ] Write quick summary in research log
| Tool | URL | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| ClickBank Marketplace | clickbank.com/marketplace | Finding offers + metrics |
| CBEngine | cbengine.com | Gravity trends + momentum |
| CBSnooper | cbsnooper.com | Historical data + rising products |
| CBTrends | cbtrends.com | Performance tracking |
| OfferVault | offervault.com | Cross-network offer search |
| MunchEye | muncheye.com | Launch calendar |
| Google Trends | trends.google.com | Demand validation |
| Facebook Ad Library | facebook.com/ads/library | Competitor ad research |
| YouTube Search | youtube.com | Demand signals + angles |
| Google Keyword Planner | ads.google.com | Search volume data |
| Ubersuggest | neilpatel.com/ubersuggest | Keyword research (3/day free) |
| SimilarWeb | similarweb.com | Traffic estimates |
| BuiltWith | builtwith.com | Tech stack analysis |
| Wayback Machine | web.archive.org | Historical page versions |
Wappalyzer, SimilarWeb, Facebook Pixel Helper, Redirect Path, Keywords Everywhere, SEOquake, MozBar, Google Tag Assistant
Reddit (r/Affiliatemarketing, r/clickbank, r/juststart), Warrior Forum, AffiliateFix, Facebook Groups, Quora
Guide compiled by Bloop 🫧 — 2026-03-24
Built from Scout research notes + web research + Jordan interview insights