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   <title>How to Make Money by Affiliate</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/" />
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   <id>tag:hiroseno.com,2008:/blog/affiliate05//23</id>
   <updated>2008-03-31T16:47:19Z</updated>
   <subtitle>Do you make money by affiileate?  I will send you How to make money by affiliate.</subtitle>
   <generator uri="http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/">Movable Type 3.36</generator>

<entry>
   <title>Adsense: How to Make Money With Ads by Google</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/2007/05/adsense_how_to_make_money_with.php" />
   <id>tag:hiroseno.com,2007:/blog/affiliate05//23.849</id>
   
   <published>2007-05-05T00:09:18Z</published>
   <updated>2008-03-31T16:47:19Z</updated>
   
   <summary>The chances are that you&apos;ve seen &quot;Ads by...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="affiliate" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="ja" xml:base="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/">
      <![CDATA[The chances are that you've seen "Ads by Google" on a variety of websites and perhaps wondered what they were all about. The fact is that you can probably get "Ads by Google" on your own site and if you do, you can look forward to getting paid by Google.

The system is called Google AdSense and it does two things really neatly.

First of all it allows virtually any website owner to make some money without having to do too much - all you do is paste some code that Google gives you into your web pages. This code creates the ads that you see and when someone clicks on one of these ads they go to the advertiser's site. The advertiser is then charged for the click by Google and Google shares the money with you. You don't have to worry about billing a load of different companies or anything else: this is all done for you as part of the AdSense service.

That much is fairly straightforward and good news.

But the really clever thing about AdSense is that the ads you see on your site are relevant to your content - automatically. So if you have a web page about mobile phones you'll see ads about mobile phones on it. If you have a web page about holidays in Tasmania, you'll see ads for holidays in Tasmania on it. Google's technology scans your web page and decides what it is about and then searches its database of well over 175,000 advertisers to find the ads that are most suitable for your page.

By making the ads relevant to your site, Google does you two favors: the ads can enhance the overall experience a visitor to your site gets which means they are likely to return, and because the ads are relevant to your visitor, they are likely to get clicked on.

And when they get clicked on, you make money.

To make most money with Google AdSense you need to develop web pages that are about high value topics. In other words, build content on your site that is likely to attract ads that pay highly when clicked because not all ads are worth the same.

In fact some ads pay many dollars a click whereas others only pay a few cents.

The art of maximizing your AdSense income is to understand how to attract high paying ads onto your pages and then drive a lot of traffic to those pages. Once you've done that you can look forward to getting paid by Google on a regular basis which makes Google AdSense one of the most attractive affiliate programs on the internet today.

William Charlwood
Author: <a target="_new" href="http://ProsperitySense.com">The Definitive Guide to Google AdSense</a>

For more information including a free 5-day course on maximizing your AdSense income visit <a target="_new" href="http://ProsperitySense.com">ProsperitySense.com</a>]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>How To Start Your Own Affiliate Program</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/2007/05/how_to_start_your_own_affiliat_1.php" />
   <id>tag:hiroseno.com,2007:/blog/affiliate05//23.850</id>
   
   <published>2007-05-05T00:09:18Z</published>
   <updated>2008-03-31T16:47:19Z</updated>
   
   <summary>1. Why Start Your Own Affiliate Program?...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="affiliate" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="ja" xml:base="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/">
      <![CDATA[1. Why Start Your Own Affiliate Program?

Multiple web sites and distributors selling your product canresult in increased sales and profits.  Unlike conventional advertising, affiliate programs pay only for performance.  Commissions are not paid out unless sales are made.

Also, with many more web sites linking to yours, your link popularity is sure to increase in search engines, resulting in additional traffic and income.

2.  Combine a Merchant Account with Your Affiliate Program

If your product is downloadable (such as electronic books orsoftware), you might consider ClickBank.com.  For a $49.95initial fee, you can process credit cards and on-line cheques for $1.00 per transaction plus 7.5% of sales.  As an added bonus, you have your own built-in affiliate program.

ClickBank gives you a listing on their web site and visitors can buy your products and join your affiliate program.  You choose the commission rate you are willing to pay.  All commission payments are handled by ClickBank.  One downside is that you can`t run a two-tiered program.

3.  Use an Affiliate Program Script

If you are comfortable with running CGI scripts, you may wish to install your own affiliate program on your server and administer the affiliate program yourself.

Be forewarned, though, that this is a lot of work.  You willbe responsible for all the testing, security, commission payments, promotion and so on.  Another downside:  Will your potential affiliates trust you since their commissions are not tracked and paid by an independent third party?

4.  Use a Hosted Solution

There are good reasons for not hosting your affiliate program on your server.  Perhaps you don`t have the time to administer all the aspects of an affiliate program.  Maybe your time could be used more productively in other areas of your business.  Additionally, an independent third party trackingand paying affiliate commissions inspires confidence inprospective affiliates.  Finally, you just might benefit fromthe additional exposure that an affiliate network brings you.

ClixGalore.com is an example of an affiliate network.  You willneed to pay a $75.00 deposit to cover affiliate commissions.  They charge 25% of any affiliate commissions paid. For example, if you paid an affiliate a 10% commission on a $100.00 sale, you would pay the affiliate $10.00 and ClixGalore $2.50.

With ClixGalore, you can also have a two-tier program.  Takingthe above example, if you paid affiliates for finding other affiliates, you might pay 2% on your second tier. That would beanother $2.00 commission and $ .50 affiliate network fee for a total of $15.00 in commissions on both levels.

5.  For All Affiliate Programs

Setup your own web page (or pages) outlining the benefits of your affiliate program.  Offer articles, suggestions, text and banner links, and other useful support for your affiliates.

Offer a generous commission so that others feel motivated tosell for you. Obtain the e-mail addresses of your affiliates so that you can keep in touch with them to aid them to sell more.

For increased traffic, sales and profits, start your own affiliate program.

RESOURCE BOX

J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc.,has been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years.

For profitable Work at Home Small Business Ideas, visit <a target="_new" href="http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/">http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/</a>

For more information about affiliate programs, visit<a target="_new" href="http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/affiliate.html">http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/affiliate.html</a>]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Free traffic vs. Extra Revenue - Earning From PPC Search Engines</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/2007/05/free_traffic_vs_extra_revenue.php" />
   <id>tag:hiroseno.com,2007:/blog/affiliate05//23.851</id>
   
   <published>2007-05-05T00:09:18Z</published>
   <updated>2008-03-31T16:47:19Z</updated>
   
   <summary>What are the Search Engines? A Search En...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="affiliate" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="ja" xml:base="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/">
      <![CDATA[What are the Search Engines?

A Search Engine is special database-driven web site designed to index and categorize internet addresses. Search Engines focus to help people to find information stored on the Web.

There are four basic types of Search Engines: Crawler-based (automatic), Human-powered Directories, Meta and PPC (Pay-Per-Click).

Although most of the Search Engines that operates today shall be classified as Hybrid Search Engines because it has become extremely common for two or three types of gathering and ranking results to be utilized for presenting them on results pages to the end user.

How the PPC Search Engines work?

PPC Search Engines create listings and rate them based on a bid amount the web site owner (advertiser) is willing to pay for each click directed from that Search Engine.  Advertisers bid against each other to receive higher ranking for a specific keyword or phrase. The highest bidder for a certain keyword or phrase will have their site ranked #1 in the Pay-Per-Click Search Engine results followed by the second and third highest bidder, up to hundreds or even thousands, for the same keyword or phrase. Due to bidding process required to get your site ranked, PPC Search Engines are also known as Pay-For-Placement Search Engines, as the ads will appear prominently on the results pages based on the dollar amount (bid) you will agree to pay for each click.

Affiliate Programs and PPC Search Engines:

Most affiliate programs only pay when a sale is made or a lead delivered after one of visitor's clicks through from your site. Depending on the program, your web site content and traffic target, earnings may be slightly different.

The reason why you should consider joining a PPC Search Engine affiliate program is that it is much easier to earn from PPC Search Engines than other affiliate programs. You will earn from your visitor's click-thru's to an advertisers site and not per sale or action.

Plus PPC Search Engine affiliate programs can very well collaborate with your existing web site's content or ventures.

Resourceful of your web site:

With PPC Search Engine affiliate program you will be able to profit from visitor's who are not interested in your product or service and more likely they would leave your site and never come back. Providing those with an opportunity to search the Web and find the service or product they are looking for will not only earn you commission but also will build your site's brand recognition as a valuable resource. The visitor who finds what he/she needs on your website will more likely come back and review your services more carefully, eventually will be back to search the web for other products.

Key benefits: extra money or &quot;Free&quot; targeted traffic:

As you should have noticed PPC Search Engine affiliate program is an easy way for you to generate additional revenue. When a visitor on your site does a search in the PPC Search Engine and clicks on the advertiser bided listing, the advertisers account will then get deducted for that click. Depending on the Search Engine, you will be compensated with from 30% up to 80% of the advertiser's bid amount.

PPC Search Engine affiliate program shall not be only considered as additional source of income, since it also can help you to promote your own site. Most programs allow you to spend your commission for advertising with them instantly with no minimum earning requirement. This is the most effective method to exchange your raw visitors for targeted surfers who will more likely purchase your product or service.

PPC Search Engine affiliate program integration:

PPC Search Engines usually have a ready-to-use suit of affiliate tools that you can easily integrate to your web site. The most common tools are search boxes, banners, text links and 404 error pages. Many Search Engines utilize custom solutions and provide with a white-label affiliate program, which enables you, with only few lines of code, to integrate remotely-hosted Co-branded Search Engine to your website.

Also referring your webmaster friends to the engine will grant you a lifetime commission for your 2nd tier earnings or deposits.

Krzysztof Wojtowicz is an owner and manager of LooKiez.com PPC Web Search Engine.<a target="_new" href="http://www.lookiez.com">http://www.lookiez.com</a> main focus is delivering relevant results and helping webmasters to monetize their web site's traffic.

You can read about LooKiez Affiliate Program at:<a target="_new" href="http://www.lookiez.com/affiliate.php">http://www.lookiez.com/affiliate.php</a>]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Googles Secret Guidelines On Thin Affiliates</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/2007/05/googles_secret_guidelines_on_t.php" />
   <id>tag:hiroseno.com,2007:/blog/affiliate05//23.852</id>
   
   <published>2007-05-05T00:09:18Z</published>
   <updated>2008-03-31T16:47:19Z</updated>
   
   <summary>Journalist Henk van Ess has caused a flu...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
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         <category term="affiliate" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="ja" xml:base="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/">
      <![CDATA[Journalist Henk van Ess has caused a flurry of excitement on blogs and forums.  In his blog he revealed that Google uses teams of humans all over the world to evaluate the accuracy of Google's search results.

These "international agents", who are paid $10 to $20 an hour, were recruited mainly through universities. They're paid to check search results at Google every day.

Don't be distracted by the debate over whether Google should be doing this.

Of course it should. It's just a form of quality control.

Google can use the evaluators' findings to tweak its algorithms and reduce search engine spam.

<B>Spam Recognition Guide</B>


What affiliates need to pay careful attention to is Google's "Spam Recognition Guide for Raters", which Henk revealed.

If you're a "thin affiliate," beware.

Although the report is a year old, about 80% of its contents are still being used by Google's evaluators, Henk says.

The confidential document gives us an unvarnished look at Google's attitude to affiliates.

If you're using any of the "manipulative techniques" Google describes, this report will probably encourage you to take a hard look at your website.

I hope you're not silly enough to be using hidden links or hidden text. Not surprisingly, Google teaches its "raters" how to detect them.

<B>PPC revenue earners under fire</B>


Are you creating pages without much content with the aim of collecting pay-per-click (PPC) revenue? Google's raters are taught to mark such pages as "Offensive", and gives examples.

Google secret guidelines spend some time discussing different ways in which some affiliates display results from pay-per-click search engines, so if you're doing that, you'll definitely want to study this report carefully.

Are you displaying ads disguised as search engine results?Google finds them offensive.

Are you adding a dmoz.org feed to your site with the aim of earning PPC revenue? That's "offensive", too.

Google says:

"We differentiate between affiliates that produce extra service, value, or content, and those that simply are duplicates of other sites, set up to boost traffic to other sites and earn a commission for it. The former ones are not Offensive and should be rated on the merits to the query. The latter ones are Offensive...

"Thin affiliate doorways are sites that usher people to a number of Affiliate programs, earning a commission for doing so, while providing little or no value-added content or service to the user. A site certainly has the right to try to earn income;

we're attempting to identify sites that do nothing but act as a commission-earning middleman."

<B>Affiliate networks seen as warning signs</B>


To Google, affiliate links such as qksrv.net, bfast.com and myaffiliateprogram.com - on the page or in redirects - "strongly suggest" that the site is a thin affiliate.

Are you using an affiliate datafeed? To Google, that's another warning sign.

However, if you offer a comparison of prices between different online merchants, you're OK, you're not a thin affiliate.

Google provides an incredibly tough guideline, which hundreds of thousands of affiliate sites fail to meet.

Google says:

"Do not call a page affiliate spam when an affiliation is only incidental to the message and purpose of a website. To determine whether participation in affiliate programs is central  or incidental to the site's existence, ask yourself this question: Would this site remain a coherent whole if the pages leading to the affiliate (merchant) were taken away?"

That probably counts out most affiliate sites.

In summary, if you want to be friends with Google, make sure you provide extra value or content.

I've quoted only parts of the report. Any serious affiliate will want to study the whole thing carefully.

You can read the full report on Henk's blog here...

<a target="_new" HREF="http://www.searchbistro.com/spamguide.doc">http://www.searchbistro.com/spamguide.doc</a>

Note: A Google employee broke a non-disclosure agreement by revealing this report. I don't know how long it will stay online. You may want to do what I did - save a copy of it on your hard drive.

Now we know what Google really thinks of affiliates. You've been warned.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Allan Gardyne has been earning a very good living from affiliate programs since 1998. Learn from an affiliate veteran. Get his FREE newsletter...<a target="_new" HREF="http://www.AssociatePrograms.com/">http://www.AssociatePrograms.com</a>]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Watch Out For Traffic Leaks</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/2007/05/watch_out_for_traffic_leaks.php" />
   <id>tag:hiroseno.com,2007:/blog/affiliate05//23.853</id>
   
   <published>2007-05-05T00:09:18Z</published>
   <updated>2008-03-31T16:47:19Z</updated>
   
   <summary>When promoting any affiliate program one...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="affiliate" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="ja" xml:base="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/">
      <![CDATA[When promoting any affiliate program one thing that you, as an affiliate, has to watch out for is what is called traffic leaks. What is a traffic leak? A traffic leak is something on the merchants site that will cause the visitor, that you referred to their site, to get distracted and leave the merchant site, leaving you with no possibility of receiving any kind of commission.

Having traffic leaks does not mean the affiliate program is a scam or trying to cheat you. It is most likely that the merchant just doesn't realize what they are doing. If you are promoting an affiliate program that is not getting any sales for you, you may want to check for traffic leaks. If you find some then contact the merchant (in a professional manner) and ask if they would consider removing the traffic leaks from their site to increase conversion.

Here are a few examples of a traffic leak:

<B>Advertisement Banners & Links</B>
This is usually the most common traffic link. The merchant will put up a banner ad or two and some text links to "offset" their expenses. You do not want to promote an affiliate program that has this on their site. When you send a visitor to the site and they click the banner or text ad and go to the other site the merchant gets paid while you get zippo. Not to fair is it?

<B>Order Phone Number</B>
Another traffic leak is the toll free (or regular) phone number they put on their site to let customers call in their orders. But when customers do call in their orders you get stiffed on the commission. It is very easy to set up phone commission tracking. You should ask the merchant if they have any plans on setting up phone sale tracking. If they don't know how you can send them to me to show them how to do it.

Basically, you do not want anything on the merchants site that will drive your referred customer away to another site that you will not get a commission from.

Chet Brzezinski has been in the affiliate marketing and affiliate management industry since 1997. He owns two affiliate marketing related sites. One that offers <a target="_new" href="http://www.proudmedia.com">affiliate program management & consulting</a> services and the other <a target="_new" href="http://www.affiliate-program-review.com">affiliate program reviews, tips and resources</a>.]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>How to Easily Increase Your Affiliate Commissions in Two Days or Less?</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/2007/05/how_to_easily_increase_your_af.php" />
   <id>tag:hiroseno.com,2007:/blog/affiliate05//23.819</id>
   
   <published>2007-05-05T00:09:16Z</published>
   <updated>2008-03-31T16:47:18Z</updated>
   
   <summary>Clearly, the people benefiting the most ...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
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         <category term="affiliate" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="ja" xml:base="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/">
      <![CDATA[Clearly, the people benefiting the most from affiliate programs are the companies running them. My goal here is to help you - the affiliate - earn more money. If you've gotten past the idea that you can simply slap a banner up on your site and start earning money, but you're not sure what to do next, this article is for you.

Allow me to cut right to the chase. Here is a plan of action. This may seem like a lot of work, but don't worry! At the very end, I'll show you how to automate all of these steps. For now, just read through to get a general idea of how you need to proceed:

Day 1

Step 1- Vow to organize your affiliate efforts. Begin with organizing all contact information, payment information, and vital statistics about your affiliate programs in one central location. This may seem like a silly step, but believe me; you don't want to spend your time digging through emails for contact information and codes. You should also know, with just a few mouse clicks, how much is owed you by the various affiliate programs in which you are participating.

Step 2 - Select one affiliate program on which to focus your efforts for the next 3 weeks. In order to apply some of the various principles I will show you in a few moments, you need to select one area of focus. It's best to select an affiliate program that has several products, instant online tracking of sales, instant notification of sales, and the ability to segment your promotions. Internet Marketing ProShop has all of this and more.

Step 3 - Select three promotion methods and two products to promote.

This is crucial. This will make sense in a few moments. If you can't think of three promotion methods, here are a few ideas:

An ad in someone else's eZine

A mailing to your own subscription list

A text link on your site with some ad copy

A banner on your site

A product review on your site

An FFA submission

Now, some of these methods are more effective than others. But you don't need me to tell you that. I'll show you how to find out for yourself.

Step 4 - For each promotion method and each product, develop two ads. So, since you have three promotion methods, two products, and two ads for each - you will have to write 12 ads total. So, for each ad, let's give it a code.  If it's method one, product one, ad one, you can call it:

M1P1A1

For method one, product one, ad two, you can call it:

M1P1A2

For example, if you plan to promote my marketing course 1,001 Killer Internet Marketing Tactics using ads in someone else's eZine, you will need two ads. One would be M1P1A1, and the other would be M1P1A2. If you also plan to promote it using a review on your site, the first review would be M2P1A1 (method 2, product 1, ad 1) and the second would be M2P1A2 (method 2, product 1, ad 2).

This is just one way to code your ads. You can do this any way you like as long as you can distinguish precisely which campaign these codes refer to.

This sounds like a lot of writing. Don't be daunted by this! Just crank it out. Don't think too much about each ad. We'll find out in a while which one is good and which one is bad.  You won't decide this - your customers will! Don't be afraid to try something wild.

Now, when you promote each product, you'll need to tie each promotion to the code you created. With the Internet Marketing ProShop Partner program, you can segment your campaigns by adding an _code to the end of the URL you use to promote each product.

For example, if you are promoting 1,001 Killer Internet Marketing Tactics, you would use this URL:

..../kt.cgi?sponsorID

To segment your campaigns, you would add your campaign code on the end of that URL for each campaign:

..../kt.cgi?sponsorID_M1P1A1 (for campaign one)

..../kt.cgi?sponsorID_M1P1A2 (for campaign two)

Note: The above method is only valid for our affiliate program, so don't try this with any other affiliate program. We don't know of any other affiliate programs that allow you to segment your campaigns, this way, so please use caution here.

Step 5 - Before you finish for the day, promote the product using your "ad 1" for each product.

You'll need to record:

Impressions. If you're advertising on a web page, this will be the number of times your ad appeared on the page - or the number of times the page was viewed if your ad comes up each time the page is viewed. If you're advertising using some form of email, impressions = number of emails sent.

Clicks. You should be able to get this from the affiliate program you are promoting.

Amount Earned. Again, your affiliate program should provide this information to you in real time.

Now, in order to do a valid test, you'll need to promote to a fairly significant number of people. I would recommend that at least 300 people see each ad. Otherwise, you won't have enough information to make a valid judgment. Ideally, you should hit about 2,000 with each ad, but your resources may not allow for this.

*Learning point: If you're going to send an ad via a newsletter, see if you can run a "split".  That is, get one ad sent to 1/2 of the list and another sent to the other 1/2. That is the most accurate way to compare the effectiveness of any pair of ads.

Day 2

Step 6 - Run your "B" ads. Now that you have run your "A" ads and have given them a bit of time to take effect, run your B ads. Do this first thing this morning!

By the end of the day, you should have some good results from both campaigns to compare and see where you stand.

By comparing and analyzing all of the information you have just compiled, you will be able to start to have a good idea about:

Which product seems to sell more. Which type of campaign is most effective Which type of ad for each campaign is most effective This short bit of testing won't allow you to make clear conclusions, but it will put you on the right track. Immediately, you should start using the ads that sell as much as you can. If ad A is making you 5 cents per impression and ad B is making you 5 dollars per impression - using ad B just increased your affiliate commissions by 9900%! OK, that's a dramatic example, but you get the point, right? If you aren't tracking these things, you'll never know. If you track and continue to refine, before you know it, you'll have an arsenal of ads that you know pull well to use over and over again. Once you do the leg work, it's easy!

As you see, though, this can get quite complex. How does one actually analyze these campaigns? What if you have scores of affiliate programs and quite a few campaigns for each?

Don't worry. As I told you at the beginning, there is an easy, cost effective way to keep track of all of these things with just a few mouse clicks. It's called Affiliate Assistant.

I highly recommend checking this out as it will, among other things, allow you to quickly and easily implement the above plan in one central location. With just a few mouse clicks you can compare and analyze all of your various affiliate ad campaigns so you'll know which are making you money and which are wasting you time.

You could do all of the same things yourself with a good database program and multiple spreadsheets, but Affiliate Assistant will save you quite a bit of time and money without having to go through all that.

Either way, you should implement some type of organizational and tracking plan like this for your affiliate advertising efforts immediately.  The amount of time you put into this will pay off exponentially in terms of higher commissions.

Mark Joyner is the CEO of <a target="_new" href="http://www.markjoynerseminarvideos.official.ws">http://www.markjoynerseminarvideos.official.ws</a> To quickly and easily start using free viral traffic building as he recommends in this article, we recommend you get a copy of these seminar videos.]]>
      
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</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Spending More Money Than You Make In Your Online Business?</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/2007/05/spending_more_money_than_you_m.php" />
   <id>tag:hiroseno.com,2007:/blog/affiliate05//23.820</id>
   
   <published>2007-05-05T00:09:16Z</published>
   <updated>2008-03-31T16:47:18Z</updated>
   
   <summary>Have you been lured into online business...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="affiliate" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="ja" xml:base="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/">
      <![CDATA[Have you been lured into online business and internet marketing with promises of the gold you will find at the end of the rainbow? And ended up spending much more than you make each month, and wondering how these marketing gurus make money, if at all?

You aren't alone ? there are thousands of people out there who buy various kinds of info products on how to become rich and say goodbye to their day jobs. The irony is that they are still stuck at their day jobs, working even harder to make up for what they have lost month after month in their quest for online profits.  Their goal of firing their boss seems a dream more distant now, with their credit cards maxed out with all the online spending they did, searching for the elusive pot of gold.

Actually, it is not the marketing gurus who are at fault. Each one of these products are quite good, and do give some really worthwhile information.  The problem really is the fact that there is a mass of information, and you, like others, get confused about which one to follow, and end up making a confused series of efforts.

For example, if you are into affiliate marketing, you try to jump in as an affiliate of various products which are unrelated to each other, and start promoting the affiliate programs haphazardly. End result? Lots of spending on various programs without focus, leading to little or no sales, with just the hole in your pocket to show for your efforts. The hole becomes bigger with every program you promote, jumping from one to another in the hope you will see the light at the end of the tunnel, one day.

What then is the right way?

There is a way. But it is not the get rich quick kind of way. We need to be clear on certain concepts first:

a.Whatever affiliate program you choose, choose one program which will also have some backend products which you can sell.

b.Think of your affiliate product as a product serving a niche market. The creator of the product has already researched the demand, judged if people spend money buying products in this niche, and created the product. You don't need to re-invent the wheel.

c.Create a content based website around this product, and dig into affiliate directories to find other products related to this product. The content of your site will be just promoting affiliate products you find, giving useful content and leading to your visitor clicking your affiliate links.

d.Be sure to go for products which supplement the main product, rather than compete with it. This would enable you to sell more backend products after your first sale.

e.More importantly, there are two classes of people interested in this particular niche. The ones who haven't bought this product will buy this first. The ones who have already bought this product earlier will get interested in the other supplementary products, and end up buying them. Result? More money streams for you.

It is clear that you really do need a website of your own before you can actually make worthwhile money selling other people's products as an affiliate. The website enables you to

a.funnel your target audience

b.give them products they are searching for, and want.

c.Capture their mail Ids so that you can continue your selling efforts to the ones who don't buy the first time.

d.Continue to sell your supplemental products to the ones who did buy, and

e.Makes visitors regard you an expert on the subject

f.Most importantly, gets you free targeted visitors from the search engines.

So, forget about other means of promoting your affiliate product, and focus on building a website around the niche represented by the product. Be sure you sign up as an affiliate only for products which give you a reasonably decent earning per sale, so you make money faster.

Your success in this will depend on how well you create your website, with the content flowing naturally into leading the reader to click through your affiliate link, and of course, the strength of the sales letter in the merchant's website.

Swaminathan 
<a target="_new" href="http://www.bestebooks.org">http://www.bestebooks.org</a>]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>How to Make Money with Affiliate Business Programs</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/2007/05/how_to_make_money_with_affilia.php" />
   <id>tag:hiroseno.com,2007:/blog/affiliate05//23.821</id>
   
   <published>2007-05-05T00:09:16Z</published>
   <updated>2008-03-31T16:47:19Z</updated>
   
   <summary>There are thousands of affiliate busines...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="affiliate" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="ja" xml:base="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/">
      <![CDATA[There are thousands of affiliate business programs on the internet today that offer wonderfully lucrative opportunities. The majority of business opportunities require zero overhead and once set up, will generate income with little or no maintenance on your part.

Affiliate Businesses makes income thru affiliate programs that are simple in concept and work much the same way that word of mouth advertising does. Basically, when you refer a customer through your web site, you are recommending that product or service to your clients. If they sign up or purchase that product or service, you get paid a referral fee or commission. It is that simple.

Using affiliate business programs are a fantastic way to get your name out there as well. It is also considerably less expensive and less time consuming than some traditional advertising. Offering your own affiliate business opportunity program to your existing customers and clients can increase your revenue. Paying a referral fee to an already happy customer will generate leads for you.

Most affiliate business programs require you to be a member or subscriber to their site. This type of registration is usually free to you. Affiliates often will offer free newsletters or information to their subscribing members that may help you in the process of referring people to them. Free programmed links and free email tags are often offered to help with your affiliate business as well.

Adding a link to your existing site to another web site is easy and often a matter of simple copy and paste. Almost all emails have signature lines and a link can be added here as well. Everyone who sees your web site or email will see the link and this increases your ability to earn referrals. Conversely, if you were offering a referral program, this same system will get your name out there to people you ordinarily would not be able to contact.

These are affiliate associate program companies that have dozens to hundreds of different affiliate programs to choose from. The advantage to getting affiliated thru these companies is that you are paid one check (usually monthly) for all the companies you are affiliated with. If you sign up for affiliate merchant programs that are not using a backend provider (the name for these affiliate program companies) you will get a check from each one individually. Another adavantage is you can choose from hundreds of affiliate business programs without searching all over the net. They are all listed in one place. You can check out the most popular backend providers below.

If you have a successful product or service, offering a referral or affiliate associate program is one of the best advertisements online. Not only are you assured your customers are happy with your services and products, otherwise why would they refer you, but you are getting leads straight from these satisfied customers. Positive feedback of this kind is worth its weight in gold.

What if you are the happy customer? Referring people to a place where you have received good value and good customer service is easy. If you are looking to make money by becoming an affiliate, it is as easy as finding out if the places you already go on the internet have affiliate programs. Odds are, they do. You are also not limited to how many affiliations you can have. A few referrals a month can add up to substantial revenue for you in no time.

Some businesses that have built their clientele on affiliate associate programs of this kind are Amazon.com and Paypal. These businesses all started small and relied on consistent word of mouth advertising and affiliate programs. One key to their monumental and international success is great customer services coupled with great affiliate programs.

For example, say you recommend a book on sales to your consulting clients. Providing a link to that book to the Amazon.com web site will help your clients not only receive the information you find helpful to them, but you will receive a commission on every book that is sold through your site. Do you offer a product or service to other businesses? Paypal has a great affiliate program for business referrals.

As you can see, affiliate programs allow you to offer your clientele additional services. This can help your overall customer satisfaction and will help you build your own business as well. Offering your own affiliate program can increase not only your revenue, but your services as well.

© Copyright Randy Wilson, All Rights Reserved.

Randy has dozens of home based business articles such as <a target="_new" href="http://www.profitable-home-businesses.com/best-home-based-businesses.html">Best Home Businesses</a>, <a target="_new" href="http://www.profitable-home-businesses.com/ebay-money-making-opportunities.html">Ebay Money Making Opportunities</a> and <a target="_new" href="http://www.profitable-home-businesses.com/medical-billing-businesses.html">Home Based Medical Billing Company</a>.]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>What are the Benefits of Affiliate Marketing?</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/2007/05/what_are_the_benefits_of_affil.php" />
   <id>tag:hiroseno.com,2007:/blog/affiliate05//23.822</id>
   
   <published>2007-05-05T00:09:16Z</published>
   <updated>2008-03-31T16:47:19Z</updated>
   
   <summary>Affiliate marketing is a cooperative eff...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="affiliate" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="ja" xml:base="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/">
      <![CDATA[Affiliate marketing is a cooperative effort between merchant and an affiliate's website.  It has become popular for Internet sites trying to create some extra income for their site, perhaps changing a hobby to a profitable, self-supporting business.  Affiliate marketing has proved to be a cost-efficient, measurable method of delivering long-term results.  Research points to this method of marketing will be an industry trend.

The benefits to the merchant are many.  First, it gives them a broader market to sell their product.  More sites will naturally create more sales, if the sites they have chosen to use are in their niche marketing.  The merchant needs to do their part by researching interested affiliate websites to make sure they are a good fit for that particular website.Finding a fit for their merchandise would be the key to more generated income.  The merchant has access to markets and customers that he doesn't spend valuable time searching out.  Banner ads on affiliate sites are not distracting to the site user.  It might create interest for that product and drive the consumer to the merchants website.  For instance, on one of my favorite websites, it haws an affiliate marketing link to a toy store, where I was able to research and find a suitable gift to send to my one-year-old granddaughter.  I needed to do this on-line anyway, as they live in another state and the banner ad prompted me to look at the site and make the purchase.  This one buy will expand to others as I have four grandchildren I send Birthday and Christmas gifts to.  Benefit to the merchant?  Repeat customers and recommendations to other consumers who are in need of the same product.  Merchants just getting into the field shouldn't expect immediate sales results.  Placing your merchandise with an affiliate program is the same as training a new sales assistant.  It will take time and training to reach the fullest potential.  This is another important reason to ensure you are using the sites that fit your target customer.  Bringing consumers in from different websites also gives the merchant a better idea of consumer trends and needs.

The affiliate marketer also sees many benefits.  Adding marketing banners to their site is not distracting.  In an interview with a new Webmaster just beginning in the field, she has found no adverse reaction to banner ads added to her site.  Users have expressed their thanks for the unique ability to shop from a site they already visit regularly.  The affiliate needs to have a clear understanding with the merchant what the commission will be, expected payment method and time involved in contract.  The affiliate has a responsibility to represent the merchandise their user based would be most interested in.  For instance, if the site has a user base of mainly stay-at-home mothers, then on-line job opportunities such as surveys would be a good match for them.  This group would also appreciate direct links to children's products and informational sites. Merchandisers often provide targeted, best-seller items and personal support to their affiliate.  They often offer sales promotions that will benefit the merchandiser as well as the affiliate.

Affiliate marketing is a nonintrusive way to generate extra income for their website.  It will take time for the users to understand the dynamics of banner marketing.  This can be aggressively marketed to create instant sales, or can be a subtle way to make extra income to support their site.

Affiliate marketing is a win-win situation for both the marketer and the affiliate.  Working together, they can be an advantage to both.  The Webmaster I spoke to advised me this type of marketing has turned her website designed to be a help to women of Boomer age, into a site that was an out-of-pocket expense to a site that is now self-paying.

For more info on affiliate marketing visit our <a target="_new" href="http://www.affiliatemarketing.ca">Canadian Affiliate Marketing</a> site <a target="_new" href="http://www.affiliatemarketing.ca">http://www.affiliatemarketing.ca</a>]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Affiliate Marketing ? How to Start Earning Money Today</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/2007/05/affiliate_marketing_how_to_sta.php" />
   <id>tag:hiroseno.com,2007:/blog/affiliate05//23.823</id>
   
   <published>2007-05-05T00:09:16Z</published>
   <updated>2008-03-31T16:47:19Z</updated>
   
   <summary>If you&apos;re new to Affiliate Marketing and...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="affiliate" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="ja" xml:base="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/">
      <![CDATA[If you're new to Affiliate Marketing and your finding everything that your learning is a little &quot;mind blowing&quot; but really want to start making money today then here is the quickest way to get results.

First, I would begin with using ClickBank. They have a gazillion affiliate programs to choose from. If you don't already have a ClickBank account then you can get one for free at http://clickbank.com/overview.html

We aren't going to bother making a website or anything like that; I'm going to show you the quickest short-cut to earning the money today.

Now once you've signed up with ClickBank we're going to go to the button &quot;Promote Products&quot;

Finding your first product to affiliate with I would suggest you go for a topic that you know something about. This will make writing your Google Ad much easier.

Search for a subject that you know a little bit about. I would also recommend choosing a product where you will make at least $20 for the sale.

Of course first, I want to be sure that there is a market for this product, I want to check to see if people are searching for it. So I'm going to head over to overture http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/And place in the keyword of the product I think I would like to promote.

If the keyword is being searched over on Overture a decent amount then I know there is a market for this product.

Now I'm going to see if the salescopy (website) is up to scratch.

Does the header draw you in and make you want to read more? Yes

Does it have believable testimonials? Yes

Is the offer genuine and believable? Yes

Does it have visuals of the product? Yes (not a requirement for myself)

Does it have Free Bonus's? Yes (also not a requirement for me to promote it but definitely adds value)

Are they offering a money back guarantee? Yes

I would definitely promote this website. So now I need to set up a Google Adwords campaign.

This is now going to be the hardest work of it all. As you can see everything else we've done so far is a breeze.

If you're not sure on how to set up a Google campaign I show illustrations on how to do this in my book &quot;Affiliate Marketing ? Quick Start Guide&quot;. If you don't already have this book you can get it for free by signing up to my newsletter at http://www.joesy.com

Because this is a digital download (they all are through ClickBank, ClickBank only deals in digital products) and if the subject refers to people worldwide I would promote this globally in my Google Adwords campaign.

Now you need to write your ad that will bring people to want to click on it. Say if I was promoting a product that shows people how to play the guitar? I would test a heading like: Learn to Play Guitar (in this subject line I've used the main keyword they've probably searched for &quot;guitar&quot; and I've suggested what this site will teach you &quot;Learn to Play&quot;.

Next is setting up your keywords. I use either http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/ or wordtracker to help me find keywords for this product.

You will want to come up with around 200 to 300 keywords. I generally try to find keywords with little competition, this way I pay less per click.

You ad should be activated in around 10 minutes. You can check this by typing one of your keywords into Google and look for your ad.

© Joanne King - http://www.joesy.com

Get your Free book on &quot;Affiliate Marketing ? Quick Start Guide&quot; by visiting <a target="_new" href="http://www.joesy.com">http://www.joesy.com</a>]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>BEST SERVED HOT: A Simple Recipe For Success With Affiliate Programs</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/2007/05/best_served_hot_a_simple_recip.php" />
   <id>tag:hiroseno.com,2007:/blog/affiliate05//23.824</id>
   
   <published>2007-05-05T00:09:16Z</published>
   <updated>2008-03-31T16:47:19Z</updated>
   
   <summary>Affiliate programs have become very popu...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="affiliate" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="ja" xml:base="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/">
      <![CDATA[Affiliate programs have become very popular because of their potential to generate substantial, and even lavish, income in a relatively short period with little investment cost. Their fame has become so big that they are being credited as one of the main reasons for the resurrection of the online business community after the dotcom bubble burst.

But what are affiliate programs? Simply put, affiliate programs, or associate programs as they are called in some circles, are web merchants who pay other websites a commission for either of two things or both:

When the affiliate website generate traffic for the web merchant;

B. When the affiliate website helps sell a product offered by the web merchant.

Now, why is such a set-up with affiliate programs a lucrative option? Well, first, all you really need is an online presence, i.e. a website, and some selling skills. You don't have to pay anything at all. Second, there is no limit as to how many affiliate programs you could join, and there is definitely no maximum cap for how much you could earn. Third, when everything is set, a semi-automated process will be in place that would allow you to potentially earn even if you're busy with other things.

But despite all these favorable things that can be said about affiliate programs, not that many people have decided to take the plunge. Their hesitation most probably stem from the customary notion that nothing enormously profitable can be gained with little work. Also, they may be of the belief that affiliated programs are too complicated to understand.

They're wrong on both counts, and you could use this to your advantage by joining affiliate programs while the industry isn't that saturated yet. Hereunder is an overview on how to start a relationship with an affiliate program, and how to make the most out of it. It is presented a la a cookbook recipe to let you know how easy it is to master.

THE 20 MINUTE AFFILIATE PROGRAM RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

1 or more web merchants who offer good commission schemes
1 or more sellable products
1 or more websites where you could promote your affiliates
1 web builder program (i.e. Frontpage, Dreamweaver, or even MS Word)
1 payment method plan (i.e. Paypal, Stormpay, etc.)
some writing skills

OPTIONAL SEASONINGS

1 software that could convert files to .pdf format
1 or more membership in online forums

DIRECTIONS: Find a good and reliable web merchant who offers products you are impressed with. Remember, you cannot sell, or re-sell to be more exact, a product you don't believe in. You also have to consider if the said goods are sellable. You could determine this by conducting some research on the target market. Here's a tip though: anything is marketable on the web, if you have the time, the patience, and the willingness to seek out potential customers.

Once you have chosen a web merchant, you have to study the terms of the affiliate program he offers. Important things to consider are the modes of payment and the commission percentage. Make sure that the web merchant would be able to pay you through the payment method you have availed of. The commission scheme must likewise be favorable to you. Here's another tip: for sales, do not settle for less than 20% commission.

If all is to your satisfaction, sign up.

You will then be given a link that, when clicked pursuant to a sale or a hit, would inform your web merchant's system that you are eligible for a commission. Do not lose this link, as it would be your bread and butter for affiliate programs.

Now, all you have to do is to strategically place this link on your website. Additionally, you must make a sales pitch to your visitors so that they'll consider clicking on the said link. This can be done by discussing something noteworthy, say for example, a how-to guide on recovering lost data, and in the body of your article, you could suggest your readers to try a certain product like a backup system, whose link is provided therein. Also, you could make a sales page, which is basically a page dedicated to the product you're trying to resell, and which can be accessed from your site.

As an added option, you could also make your own e-book and distribute it for free. The e-book itself should tackle something important, but should contain suggestions about the use of the product you're reselling, with the appropriate link that would garner for you your commission. Also, you could join online forums that are dedicated to the market that the product would be perfect for. Include your link in your signature. This would expose it to the people who would view the threads you participated in.

© 2005 Gunnar Berglund

Gunnar Berglund has been a "internet- hardworker" for the last five years He publishes The meonit Gazette <a target="_new" href="http://gazette.meonit.com">http://gazette.meonit.com</a> and run <a target="_new" href="http://www.meonit.com">http://www.meonit.com</a> and <a target="_new" href="http://www.grabinternetprofits.com">http://www.grabinternetprofits.com</a>]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Content Really is King</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/2007/05/content_really_is_king.php" />
   <id>tag:hiroseno.com,2007:/blog/affiliate05//23.825</id>
   
   <published>2007-05-05T00:09:16Z</published>
   <updated>2008-03-31T16:47:19Z</updated>
   
   <summary>It is every affiliate&apos;s wish to have uni...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="affiliate" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="ja" xml:base="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/">
      <![CDATA[It is every affiliate's wish to have unique site content absentof any re-write or editing restrictions, effectively content with an"open license." Many sources do exist for content that can't bechanged, but there are very few sources which allow an affiliate tomanipulate the article and make it unique and specific to theirsite(s). However, this trend could be changing in the near future.

There is a war between content sites and sites which purely provideproduct lists. Google, for the moment, has clearly indicated that sitesproviding unique content will prove victorious in the battle. Thismeans affiliates who want to compete on Google need to have uniquecontent for their sites or risk vanishing into that ever increasingspecial black hole Google seems to reserve for affiliates.

Sowhere does an affiliate get unique content from? Some affiliates canwrite their own, but it's generally a minority that has the time ordesire to do so. A few pay for content to be produced by freelancewriters on networks such as Elance (www.elance.com) or by professional copy writing services such as InfoSearch Media (www.infosearchmedia.com).

Othersare lucky enough to get content from their merchants. That is until themerchants realize that distributing their own content is only a shortterm gain for long term oblivion. The content's value is diluted anddegraded due to being repeated and copied to a point where the merchantloses control of it. Affiliates absent of the gratuitous merchant turnto sites such as Ezine Articles (www.ezinearticles.com) and ARA Content (www.aracontent.com)where the content is free, but can't be edited or changed. In mostcases, content provided from these sources must also retain linksand/or credits to the author as well as the source site.

Theobvious solution is to have merchants develop content specific to theiraffiliates, no credits required, no back links requested (well otherthan affiliate tracked and tagged ones that is), the right to edit,cut, slice, dice and the expressed permission to generally edit thecontent to make it unique.

The niche of "open license" content has but a few players in the arena.  For example, Wikiepedia (www.wikipedia.org)while not a merchant, does allow articles to be re-written; however,this permission does come with a few strings attached as they apply afair number of requirements in order to use the content. Various Affiliate Management firms now provide in "open license"  house content development for their affiliates. These services should place them as leading contenders inthe affiliate content arena. At the end of the day though, each individualaffiliate still needs to sit down and work out how to make the contentunique to them if they want to win their battle with Google.

Article can be used  with permission of Chris Sanderson as long as the signature and in place links are left unchanged. Chris Sanderson is an <a target="_new" href="http://www.amwso.com">Affiliate Marketing Manager</a> based in Bangkok Thailand with <a target="_new" href="http://www.amwso.com">AMWSO.com</a> and the owner of <a target="_new" href="http://www.xaap.com">Xaap.com</a>.]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Affiliate Marketing Tips</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/2007/05/affiliate_marketing_tips.php" />
   <id>tag:hiroseno.com,2007:/blog/affiliate05//23.826</id>
   
   <published>2007-05-05T00:09:16Z</published>
   <updated>2008-03-31T16:47:19Z</updated>
   
   <summary>If there really is a big secret at all, ...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="affiliate" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="ja" xml:base="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/">
      <![CDATA[If there really is a big secret at all, it undoubtedly would have to be: "work hard." We hope that the information provided here helps you get rolling down the road to affiliate marketing success. We also hope it will save you a little time and money in the process. Some of the below suggestions are pretty obvious ones, but sometimes it's nice to have someone else tell you that the obvious answer is a good one.

Choose a topic you know. The most common question asked by people new to affiliate marketing is "What should I start with?" We believe it is best to start with an area you know well. Doing this may not be the best converting, provide you with the highest commission, or even be the best managed program. But it is easy for you to build a site, and it's a subject you know and are interested in. That means you can add your own personal touch and opinions to the site. If you try to build your first site from something in which you have no personal interest, the site soon becomes a painful and boring task. Stick with what you know initially and then grow from there.

Banners, Banners, and More Banners. If success at affiliate marketing could be achieved from throwing up pages of banners - then the world would have many more millionaires. A site with pages of banners or rows banners stuffed under content, not only doesn't make a person want to click the banner; it also has the added bonus of making your site look pretty ugly.

There is no Best Merchant Program. Some people can succeed with a merchant where many others have failed. It is often true that some do poorly where others are making a fist full of dollars. Forums are full of posts that begin with, "My Sales this month for Merchant Program X are very poor." These same posts usually end with some one else posting, "Funny my sales are great." Remember that for your first site select a merchant based on what you know. In the early days, when you have just one small site, it will be easy to swap out all the links if the chosen merchant doesn't work out.

Use multiple merchants in the same niche. As suggested, select a merchant based on what you like, or better yet select a few. Promoting 3-4 merchants on the same site gives your site visitors a variety of destinations to choose from. Doing this provides you with data on what your visitors want to see, and can provide you with important information on how well the different merchants perform against each other when put head to head.

There is no Best Network. Another question commonly asked is, "What is the best network?" Everyone has their own reply to this question, and ultimately there is no best answer. This is especially true when you consider that many great programs don't even belong to a network at all. Every network has its strong points. Make your network selection based on the tools it provides for you. Also take into consideration if the network has the merchants you want to work with. Sometimes joining an undesirable Network is necessary because they have a merchant you really want to sign up with. Our recommendation is to try a merchant from all the main networks, see what works for you, and then focus your time accordingly.

What are Content Sites. If you visit affiliate marketing forums you'll hear people talk about "content sites." These are sites that provide potentially educational and topical content about the products they are promoting, or appear to promote products as a side focus. Content sites are easier to build when you know about the products you are promoting, or the merchant makes content available to you. However, don't forget the goal of your site is to make your site visitors click off of your site onto a merchant's store. No click-through means no sale.

What are Data (Product Info) Sites. Data driven sites are generally limited to pure product data, prices, images, descriptions, there's no illusion of education here.  It's all about promoting the product and making the visitor get off your site as fast as possible and onto the merchant's store. Data driven sites generally require access to data feeds and some knowledge of programming or access to software whereby you can turn a data feeds into web pages.

Parasites and how they affect you. You will see a lot of sites that talk about "Parasites", "ParasiteWare" and "ScumWare." All of these are applications that can redirect, overwrite, or intercept your visitors (and therefore YOUR commission) and change your visitor into their visitor. The majority of these masquerade as shopping support software, file sharing applications, browser help objects (BHOs), and even hidden applications installed on a user's PC via drive-by installs or in bundled software packages. To learn more, and there is an awful lot to learn, please visit www.parasiteware.com. Most ParasiteWares also have various traits of SpyWare too. Also click here to learn how you can help consumers protect themselves and your affiliate marketing revenue.

Building your first Site. It does help to know HTML and the ability to use graphics software. Knowledge of these areas gives you the ability to add small touches of class to your site. However don't be discouraged if you have no skills in these areas. It is not always necessary to be skilful as there are a number of tools and merchants around that can help you get your first site up and launched. These include page generation tools and fast launch sites. These tools are great for getting rolling but always remember to do some customization of anything you get automated to ensure it is uniqueness to you. Search engines and directories will remove duplicate content.

Buying a domain name.  Geocities and Homestead undeniably have their place in the Internet world; however, registering a domain with them generally is not a very wise decision. Many search engines and directories won't list such sites because of their transient nature. In addition to the pitfall of not showing up in search engines, some affiliate managers will skip over your site as they deem it to be a "Personal home page."  It is best to get a top level domain (TLD) name and some cheap, but reliable, hosting. When considering a domain name, first think about what you are going to promote and then base your domain name on it. Don't buy the domain name first and then later think about what you'll promote on the site.

Work at it. While it is the ultimate aim of every affiliate partner not to have to do any work, the reality is, especially early on, there's a lot of work to be done. Whether it's in the site's design, updates, education or reading stats, there is a lot to do. The pay-offs aren't instant and it can take a fair few months before you're even making enough to even cover your costs. It takes perseverance, dedication and patience to succeed, don't quit if your first attempts don't pay off.

Educate yourself. Education is an immensely important part of affiliate marketing. There is a heck of a lot to learn. Educating yourself on basic principles of HTML, programming, data feed manipulation, creating custom links, or learn how to identify a good niche in a way that others have overlooked. The affiliate forums are certainly one of the best places to start this education.

The next step. Once you have that first site up and it's making money, then it's time to start to expand. Using what you have learned by building that first site, move on to a new project. Leave the first site to keep making money, making adjustments, and any needed updates, but generally letting it do its thing. Your next site is likely to be a site in an area you've seen other affiliates having lots of success. It makes sense to follow the money, but remember it can be a crowded market place when everyone is after the same thing. Don't overlook small niche products, items that might not get the huge traffic but should convert well due to limited availability or being in a special interest group. These markets can often be far less crowded and easier to make quick sales on compared to the bigger more crowded programs.

Article can be used  with permission of Chris Sanderson as long as the signature and in place links are left unchanged. Chris Sanderson is an <a target="_new" href="http://www.amwso.com">Affiliate Marketing Manager</a> based in Bangkok Thailand with <a target="_new" href="http://www.amwso.com">AMWSO.com</a> and the owner of <a target="_new" href="http://www.xaap.com">Xaap.com</a>.]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Understanding Affiliate Programs</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/2007/05/understanding_affiliate_progra.php" />
   <id>tag:hiroseno.com,2007:/blog/affiliate05//23.827</id>
   
   <published>2007-05-05T00:09:16Z</published>
   <updated>2008-03-31T16:47:19Z</updated>
   
   <summary>Years ago before the internet was born, ...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
   </author>
         <category term="affiliate" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="ja" xml:base="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/">
      <![CDATA[Years ago before the internet was born, starting your own business was like taking a leap into the unknown.  It involved MONEY, TIME, and lots of worry. If you were one of the lucky ones your business was a success,  but many were doomed to failure.

Now the Internet has evolved, and though many businesses fail possibly through lack of understanding! no one loses a fortune.

When someone begins the search for a business on which to make money, it is almost always an affiliate program that catches their eye, probably because most of them say  Free To Join.   Yes they are free to join, but if you are looking to work and make money it is almost certain that you will have to upgrade and pay a monthly fee.

Understanding the program.   Any good affiliate programs will have a learning process and you will be told to read and read again until you understand what is required of you.  You should also have a mentor, that is someone that is there to help you. He or she will reply to you by email or by messenger, they will help you through any problems to the best of their ability as your success means success for them.

The main task of most affiliate programs is to refer others who will sign up and create your down line. Only those that upgrade will be of use to you. Once you begin to receive commission your monthly payment should be taken out automatically thus leaving you free to build up on your commissions.

How to refer others to your program !   This is where many affiliates fail, the ability to refer is not always easy.  If you can build your own website and work to get it on the searches it is a great help as this is almost free advertising.  Another way is to traverse other websites and place your ads for the program on them.

There are many free ad sites which you will find by placing  Free Ad Sites in the search box. Always use a different email box for this project as you are sure to get lots of spam emails back, you do not want to fill your usual inbox with spam.

Another way to refer is by using PPC,  (pay per click) this can work out expensive but it does work, you will need a certain amount of paid sign ups to cover costs.  Google is the most expensive but you can find many cheaper search engines out there, Overture is good and less expensive.

Once you start getting paid signups you yourself will have to learn to be a mentor as they are almost certain to require help of some kind. Do your home work and read up on your program in between your other jobs, it is surprising how quickly you learn and find yourself able to answer their questions confidently.

You should now be on the road to earning an adequate income, you must give your self at least 12 months before expecting high earnings, it is a slow road but a steady one, usually with residual income that does come in very handy in your retirement.

Author  Sylvia WhiteOwner of  <a target="_new" href="http://www.sylviawh.co.uk">http://www.sylviawh.co.uk</a>

<a target="_new" href="http://www.u-want-money.com">http://www.u-want-money.com</a>

<a target="_new" href="http://www.geocities.com/sylviaworkathome">http://www.geocities.com/sylviaworkathome</a>

Make Money Online Opportunity Websites.]]>
      
   </content>
</entry>
<entry>
   <title>Affiliate Marketing ? The Comparison Model</title>
   <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/2007/05/affiliate_marketing_the_compar.php" />
   <id>tag:hiroseno.com,2007:/blog/affiliate05//23.828</id>
   
   <published>2007-05-05T00:09:16Z</published>
   <updated>2008-03-31T16:47:19Z</updated>
   
   <summary>The value of an affiliate is nil in a cu...</summary>
   <author>
      <name></name>
      
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         <category term="affiliate" scheme="http://www.sixapart.com/ns/types#category" />
   
   
   <content type="html" xml:lang="ja" xml:base="http://hiroseno.com/blog/affiliate05/">
      <![CDATA[The value of an affiliate is nil in a customer's mind ? ok, so you've shown them where they can get a few products related to that niche, but there needs to be some sense in their mind that you have offered a genuine reason for choosing those particular affiliate partners. Are the chosen partners simply making you the most handsome commission? How do you turn a lifeless &quot;I make money off you&quot; affiliate link into an appreciated &quot;These are the only products you want&quot; recommendation?

Some marketers scatter freebies around their newsletters, such as valuable advice, hoping to build positive relationships with potential paying customers, then spring the partner links on them. Others cloak their ugly affiliate hyperlinks in a &quot;.com&quot; sub-domain name that makes people believe the partner site is in fact owned by them. This is an effective, if slightly immoral, option if you have no products of your own to promote, plus it will make your business look more established than it actually is.

There is, however, one method of promotion that capitalises on the income immediacy of affiliate programs and adds value for the customer at the same time ? Comparison sites. We've all used them, and they are a god send for consumers who want to shop around and find the cheapest place to buy. The beauty of comparison sites such as Pricerunner.com or Kelkoo.com is the visitor identifies that you, as a webmaster, have gone out of your way to find them the best websites ? you've cut their search time and saved them money. This service will instantly gratify people's shopping needs in a few clicks, distracting them from the fact you've embedded your affiliate link in the comparison results and you're making money from them. Yes, being obvious about making money from people is a big turn-off in commerce ? my advice would be to keep it under your hat. Some will ask &quot;what's in it for them?&quot; but will soon let it go.

I know what you're thinking ? &quot;when will I ever have the time to create a site to rival Kelkoo?&quot;

The answer; think small.

Don't forget the golden rule ? niche marketing. If your website or newsletter deals with &quot;money making opportunities,&quot; draw up a page that compares five of the best money making opportunities, the best being your opinion of course, and embed your affiliate link into the &quot;visit now&quot; link. It works best when you do a &quot;chart&quot; or ranking because the number &quot;1&quot; automatically has positive connotations for most people. The number 1 site you can make money is? The cheapest place to get this service is? This site was ranked 1st by our team because?etc.

Visitors would also appreciate a small review or some form of analysis to make the comparison valid. Many affiliates prefer to actually sign up with the affiliate product or service themselves to rate the overall experience ? this is not a bad idea when you think about how in-depth your reviews could get if you know the product you're placing at the top of the rankings is genuinely the best.

If you don't have an existing website, it shouldn't matter. Pick anything in the world market and I guarantee you can add value to simply linking to products by comparing them and helping customers narrow down their choices. Having too much choice is the big off-putter for shop surfers. Help them out. The good thing is your &quot;mini site&quot; can be as mini as you want it to be.

Another tip would be to offer what I like to call an &quot;income exit&quot; ? sign up with Google's Adsense service and place a small Google search box on your mini-site. This way, especially if you've used Google Adwords, if visitors don't really find what they're after on your site, they can re-search in Google straight from your site. All has not been lost, as you make money on searches made from your Adsense search box.

The chances are, however, that your affiliate links will pull in some good income, most likely from your cheapest or &quot;number 1&quot; labelled product or service. There's a whole mindset with this which subconsciously places customers in debt to your service. I won't go into the psychology right now, but if you take the visitor off the search engine and place them in your capable hands, they will feel embodied by your service, not the search engine's, and will therefore feel they have already found a resolution and direction to their aimless window shopping.

Your options are seemingly infinite ? I've seen comparison mini-sites for those paid survey websites, spyware programs, computer RAM, autos, games, everything. You just need to find a service or product that there is an abundance of on the web so you can say &quot;come to my site and I'll show you which one is the best / where the cheapest is.&quot;

Offer your customers some extra services, help them make decisions and build that relationship with them. Perhaps add a newsletter stating you have other services similar to this they would be interested in and you'll keep them notified in future emails. Big potential! Bottom line; always look to add extra value to the service you initially offer your customers.

Mike Beatham

If you enjoyed this article and want to know how to get started in affiliate marketing the RIGHT WAY, using methods that will stand you above the crowd you should sign up for my free multimedia e-course. Success and profit is the goal, which is why I've put together an e-course that brings together the best of the web's affiliate marketing tips in one easy to follow course. Don't pay for your affiliate marketing school, get it free at:  <a target="_new" href="http://www.futureaffiliate.com">http://www.futureaffiliate.com</a>]]>
      
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