Smart Tips on Maximizing Click-Thru on your Affiliate Links & Ads

affiliate marketing

I bumped into the following tips and ideas about maximizing your placement of affiliate / pay-per-click advertisements on your page and thought they were some very sensible suggestions. The source of this material is the Equifax Affiliate Newsletter, which highlights a valuable, if rarely considered, additional upside to joining some of the major affiliate programs too: it's in their best interest to help you identify how best to position and present your affiliate links, so they'll often help you create the best possible pages for their products.

On with their suggestions:

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While there are many different ways to place affiliate links, placing links in context with the theme of your site or within a specific category is a very successful technique for many affiliates.

Smart sellers know that product placement is essential to generating sales. This same rule applies to affiliate links on your site. Evaluate your site and organize your links in a way that makes the most sense for your audience to see, click, and take action. Keep the following guidelines in mind when designing your pages:

• Links placed in the upper right-hand corner of a site are more likely to be seen and clicked. Include special offers and new content in this location to maximum exposure.


• Try adding descriptive content around a link to improve link performance and let visitors know why the link is there.


• When incorporated into content, text links and product links have been proven to be much more effective link types than banner ads. When placed in context, product links can be closely matched to a visitor's interests. Similarly, text links can be included directly into site content or product recommendations, providing a direct and simple transition between information that you provide and a product that you are advertising.


• Add a call-to-action in your site text or within the affiliate link. The words "buy this here," "order now," and "click here," alert visitors to a commerce opportunity.

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While the savvy among you may be saying "that's pretty obvious", it's surprising how many sites offer affiliate links like this:
Equifax Credit Report

In fact, the affiliate program site says "use the HTML exactly as we present it", but the Equifax newsletter obviously - and correctly - suggests that you'll have better results with something like: You can clearly see the difference, I'm sure. In publishing it's the difference between "advertising" and "advertorials", and the latter performs quite a bit better than the former.

Maximizing your affiliate revenue with Amazon.com

affiliate marketing

If there's one affiliate program that seems to have more members than any other, it must be Amazon.com. I've heard that they have over 900,000 affiliates, and the payout isn't too bad if you have any click thru sales at all. Even better, it's fairly straightforward to sign up -- do so by clicking here -- and you can even be paid in Amazon gift certificates if you have a book, DVD or music habit that needs constant attention.

But for all that they're easy to work with, I don't particularly find that Amazon is set up to help you maximize your revenue from their adverts. An example of this that I bumped into just a few days ago is how they offer to serve up adverts for magazines from their server. So let's take a closer look and I'll share the code I wrote to improve on what they have and improve my click-thru rate.

First off, a caveat: Amazon's affiliate program is a dream for people who don't have the desire or inclination (or expertise) to grovel around in HTML code, so if my later talk of CSS and DIV's is going to be upsetting, remember that you can always use the affiliate build-a-link system to create a wide range of adverts, ranging from a huge keyword-tied graphic like this (the category is "photography" and the keyword is "nikon"):

to just the URL needed to have a buy the Da Vinci Code link on your own site (or weblog) that ties subsequent purchases by visitors to your affiliate account.

Let's get back to the magazine advert, though, shall we? Among the many things that Amazon offers, they have a database of thousands of different magazine subscriptions that you can buy with a mouse click or two. As an affiliate, I like selling Amazon magazine subscriptions too, because they're a trusted brand and reliable company online, so people are more likely to sign up with them than with "fly-by-night-super-cheep-magazines.com".

For a prototypical magazine, Entrepreneur, here's what the default Amazon link looks like:

Looks nice but you have no way of knowing it's a magazine. Not good. I mean, what does "Buy New" mean in this context anyway?

Fortunately, it wasn't more than about ten minutes of experimenting with HTML and style sheets for me to be able to basically duplicate the appearance of the advert, but rephrase things to make it more obviously a magazine subscription advertisement:

Entrepreneur Magazine

One Year Subscription!
Only $11.97

The key to customizing this for your own magazine subscription offers is to be able to disassemble an Amazon URL. The URL for the Entrepreneur subscription, for example, is the long, scary:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005NINU/davetaylor/103-7816818-0458222?creative=125581&camp=2321&link_code=as1

This includes my affiliate ID - davetaylor - and has various session ID information and other junk. But I don't care about any of that stuff. All I care about is the Amazon Stock Item Number, the ASIN, which in this case is clearly indicated as B00005NINU.

Armed with that data, I can create a link to the page by using the template URL of

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005NINU/davetaylor/

I can link to the Amazon-served graphic with

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005NINU.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg

and I can create a "buy" button by using that ASIN value as the specific field value for one of the hidden attributes of the form button itself.

Now, finally, here's the HTML and CSS that I used for the custom magazine subscription advert above, with each of the elements that would need to be tweaked for a different magazine highlighted in red:

<div style='border:1px solid #666;padding:4px;font-size:80%;width:100px;'>

<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005NINU/davetaylor"><img
src='http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005NINU.01.TZZZZZZZ.jpg' width="64"
height="90"
alt='(cover of Entrepreneur Magazine)' border='0'
hspace='10' /></a>
<br />
<b>Entrepreneur Magazine</b><br /><br />

One Year Subscription!<br />
Only <span style='color:#900'>$11.97</span><br />
<br />

<form method="POST" action="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/dt/assoc/handle-buy-box=0689859392">
<input type="hidden" name="asin.B00005NINU" value="1">
<input type="hidden" name="tag-value" value="davetaylor">
<input type="hidden" name="tag_value" value="davetaylor">
<input type="hidden" name="dev-tag-value" value="your Amazon Developer Token ID">
<input type="image" name="submit.add-to-cart"
src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/buttons/buy-from-tan.gif"
value="$11.97 at Amazon" border="0" />
</form>
</div>

As you can see, it's not the simplest of tasks, but realize that once I figured this out for one page I quickly duplicated it on dozens of pages, advertising appropriate magazines for a variety of different areas on my Web site. The only tweak you'll need to get this working is that in addition to your affiliate ID, you'll also need an Amazon developer token, which you can apply for on this page once you're in the affiliate program.

So if you're not an Amazon affiliate yet, sign up! Then don't be afraid to crack open some of their links and adverts to create just the link and format you want. Oh, and feel free to use my example code above too, and if you forget to change the affiliate ID, well, that's okay too. :-)

Persistence pays with affiliiate program applications

affiliate marketing

A few weeks ago I signed up for the Register.com affiliate program for this very web site, Free Web Money and was therefore quite surprised when I recieved the following email from them...

We regret to inform you that Register.com has chosen to decline your application into their affiliate program at this time. The reason for this decision is one of the following:

* Inability to access Web site
* Web site not yet live
* Your application fits the profile of a previously fraudulent affiliate
* Inappropriate material on site

Please feel free to re-apply with Register.com whenever you feel you have addressed the aforementioned reason that applies to you.

The LinkShare Network(tm) also consists of hundreds of other Affiliate Programs. We encourage you to look for other programs that may be of interest to you. Simply log in to your account by clicking here (http://www.linkshare.com) and then clicking on a program category for additional merchant listings.

If you encounter any problems, or have any questions or concerns, please feel free to visit our Help section by clicking here (http://www.linkshare.com/help.html), or contact LinkShare at contact@linkcorp.net. Thank you for your participation in The LinkShare Network(tm), and we look forward to a rewarding partnership with you!

Best regards,

The LinkShare Team
http://www.linkshare.com

I couldn't believe it! Rather than throw up my hands and give up on their affiliate program, however, I instead responded with a short and polite message:

I believe that you looked at the wrong Web site when you reviewed my application. I'm talking about http://www.free-web-money.com/ and I explicitly talk about finding and registering domain names thereon, so I am unclear how it would be inappropriate? The other entries definitely don't apply...

Please advise,

Dave Taylor

This morning I was pleased to receive the following note back from their team, about a week after my response:

Hi Dave,

I have reviewed the site and I will approve you into the program. You
should be receiving an email shortly.

Thanks,
Melissa

Demonstrating yet again the value of engaging in a dialog with your partners and not leaving any stone unturned until it's clear that it's glued to the ground.

As with many things in life, monetizing your Web site requires patience and persistence. In the case of affiliate programs this demonstrates the value of identifying the companies with which you really want to have a relationship and then working to make that a reality.

Matchmaking for Dollars? eHarmony's Affiliate Program

affiliate marketing

Maybe it's just me, but affiliate programs for books, DVDs, even computer gear make sense to me. Even an affiliate program for a flowershop or bicycle dealer. But did you realize that matchmaking sites also offer affiliate programs? To find out more about it, I signed up for eHarmony.com, one of the top-rated dating sites.

The signup process was through CommissionJunction, one of the best affiliate management systems, and it took about two weeks to be approved. Once I was accepted by eHarmony, though, I found out these nice details:

"Join our Affiliate Program now and get up to $100 for every subscriber you refer. In addition, you will get paid $.50 for every registered user that completes our relationship questionnaire."

A very nice payoff if you have a site that has anything to do with dating or finding compatible partners.

As is typical with affiliate programs, the eHarmony program has lots and lots of different banners and they make it pretty darn easy to integrate their advertising into your existing content. For example, here's one of my favorite graphical adverts:

Also interesting to note is that the affiliate id information is masked (click on the graphic, you'll see what I mean) so that it's a bit harder to hijack your link through spyware or other malicious applications users might have without realizing.

You can also utilize text links like this:

Dating For A Serious Relationship

which means that you can easily integrate your affiliate information into your prose - perhaps even in a weblog entry about dating, finding a good partner, soulmates, etc. It might look like this:

"After three months of trying the personals section of the local alternative newspaper, I was just about ready to call it quits. I mean, who knew there were so many weird women around? Fortunately, a pal of mine confided that he found his girlfriend by signing up for a great online matchmaking service. I was a bit self-conscious about it, but, yeah, I signed up, and ...."

You can see how that can be much more effective than a banner or graphical advert with many audiences!

Also, specifically with eHarmony, it's good to know the target audience for the site before you begin to market aggressively. The introductory letter qualifies this very well:

"In order to successfully promote our service, it is essential to market the eharmony service to our target audience with an appropriate message. eHarmony is a service geared towards serious, mature-minded singles who are looking for a long-term relationship. We are especially successful with adult singles between the ages of 30 and 55. From time to time we will send you tips and suggestions for promoting our service and to help you maximize your referral efforts."

So if you were managing a Web site for 19-24 year olds, this wouldn't be the best choice for a dating service, nor would it be for the AARP crowd!

Fortunately, Commission Junction has that covered too. A quick click on "show me advertisers like this one" and you find out that there are a ton of different choices in this segment, from Yahoo Personals to Cupid Junction, Dating Direct to Platinum Romance.com. And even more unusual options, like Get Married Now, Gay.com and NeoDates (presumably, dates with people who really liked the film The Matrix?).

All joking aside, if you have a site where singles visit, you can definitely monetize that traffic and offer your visitors a valuable service too. And that's a win/win in my book!

Earn excellent affiliate payouts promoting Paypal Merchant Accounts

affiliate marketing

Paypal, the online ecommerce transaction system owned by powerhouse eBay, has always broken down its customers into "regular" and "merchant" classes, but if you aren't a merchant, you might well not realize just how much more Paypal offers merchant account holders.

The newest added value of being a Paypal Merchant Account is that they now have a PayPal Merchant Referral Program that pays you out each time a new merchant signs up, up to $100 per signup.

It's an affiliate program, as you'd expect, so there are definitely some important terms of service to know about, but if you're helping people plug in and add ecommerce capabilities to their sites already (or adding ecommerce capabilities to your own!) then this program can be a real winner for you.

If you're wondering how smoothly you can integrate Paypal into your ecommerce site, you should realize that they've come a long way from the 'donate' buttons you see on some amateur sites. For example, consider this page from my own photography site. Click on one of the buy buttons and you're whisked directly into Paypal's shopping cart system and can complete the transaction even if you don't have a Paypal account.

This is but the tip of the iceberg with Paypal too, by the way. If you're really interested, I suggest you check out the upcoming book Paypal Hacks, coming soon from O'Reilly.

In typical friendly fashion, Paypal also offers a banner graphic you can include:

Click on it, and you'll be able to learn more about their affiliate program.

And how did I learn about their affiliate program? By paying attention to my email from them. This morning I received this message:

Dear Dave Taylor,

PayPal provides fast, easy, and secure solutions for growing your business online. The PayPal Merchant Referral Bonus Program is an easy way for you to tell other merchants why PayPal works well for your business. As an incentive, you can earn up to $100 for each new merchant you refer.

Learn more about how to get started in the program.

Start today and earn extra cash — it's easy!

Thank you for taking advantage of this opportunity.

Sincerely,

PayPal

It's as I've been saying all along here at Free Web Money: there are revenue opportunities for your Web site if you just keep your eyes open and explore a little bit.

Finding Affiliate Programs II: CyberSitter 0, Guardian Software 1?

affiliate marketing

It only took 48 hours to hear back from CyberSitter, as discussed in my earlier entry to Free Web Money, and the response detailed three different choices for joining their program, the most interesting of which is:

"The general Affiliate program provides a link to a CYBERsitter order form where your customers can order CYBERsitter for an immediate download or have it shipped to them. You will create the page that includes the link we provide. You receive a 20% commission on the $39.95 retail price for every net order placed through the link. This is paid quarterly. You will need to maintain 25 sales a month for the link to remain active and receive commission"

This is an unusual affiliate program because they have a minimum requirement for sales that's fairly high and they require you building your own Web order form page.

The question that I'm going to ask them is why not have an affiliate program that allowed affiliates who sell 5-10 packages/month? If you do the math, each sale should net an affiliate $7.99, so even ten sales/month means that the quarterly payment would be around $239. Seems worth their while because the point of an affiliate program it to gain additional sales. Any sales.

And while we wait for that response, it's time to look for another choice with parental control software affiliate programs. So it's back to Google and another search for +"parental control software" +affiliate +"sign up", which yields another possibility, Guardian Software.

Highly rated by PC World, they also say that their affiliate program is managed by a third party (which means that they probably don't have such difficult affiliate criteria as CYBERsitter). Further, they pay 35% of the retail price (which is $39.95), so that's good too.

As with all programs of this nature, I read through the legal small print and signed up. Upon filling out the form properly, I was instantly presented with an affiliate link I can use:

<a href="http://www.myaffiliateprogram.com/u/grd/t.asp?id=1227">
YOUR TEXT HERE</a>

Certainly easy enough, and with a text link you can incorporate it into your site design as you desire, including just simply including please click here to buy Guardian Monitor today!.

Finding Affiliate Programs Online

affiliate marketing

So you're ready to take the plunge but you're not sure you want to sign up for an affiliate network like Commission Junction. Okay, no worries. With a little bit of Google magic you can find affiliate programs in just about any category you desire.

For example, perhaps you have a family friend Web site and would like to point visitors to some filtering software so that they can ensure that their children don't log in and visit sites that their parents deem inappropriate.

There are certainly applications of this nature in major affiliate networks, but let's see if Google can offer anything juicy.

I'm going to search for +"parental control software" +"affiliate program" +signup and see what I get.

Looks good! 105 matches to this query, and a paid advert right on the top for "Cybersitter #1 filter".

Looking at the link for this ad reveals that it's not being placed by the company, but by an affiliate: http://www.cybersitter.com/cs2001g.htm&sa=l&ai=AYgOS...
pretty scary link, but the point is that within seconds I've identified an affiliate program in my category.

A quick pop over to the Cybersitter Web site reveals that they indeed have a link to their affiliate program, cannily labelled "Reseller Info". Click on that and you'll quickly find that you can send them email requesting that you be signed up for their affiliate program. I sent the following message:

I'd like to sign up for your affiliate program. Please advise what is involved. The site in question is family friendly: http://www.etymologic.com/ Thanks for your help with this!

Dave Taylor

Your message will doubtless vary, but it's quite easy to do this, and just about every company will default to saying "yes" because after all they want to sell more product too, and even sales from the best affiliate program in the world still earns the company more than the affiliate!

While I wait for a response from Cybersitter, it's back to the Google search results to see what other sites are highlighted. But that's the subject of a different entry in the Free Web Money weblog! :-)

Affiliate Link of the day: Spamarrest spam blocker

affiliate marketing

An example of affiliate marketing: today I tried to send email to a new colleague and hit his spamarrest block, where it required that I confirm that I'm a human (not a dog, i suppose!) by entering an obscured word on a Web page. Not a difficult task. When I was done the site announced Earn 50% signing up people to fight spam! through their affiliate program, so I opted to learn more. After all, spamarrest is offering something we all appreciate: a method of eliminating all the junk email in your mailbox.

It turns out that the spamarrest affiliate program is very interesting! The spamarrest affiliate program not only pays out for direct subscribers, but pays for second and third tier referrals too, along with a bonus for referring other affiliates. Pretty nice deal!

Click here to learn more about the spamarrest affiliate program.

What I like about affiliate programs like spamarrest is that I'm not trapped having to use their typical Web banners or graphics, but can incorporate the links into my own materials, sort of like "advertorial" content. Indeed, my link to spamarrest includes my affiliate ID too: it's not http://www.spamarrest.com/ but rather http://spamarrest.com/affl?1473907.

This means that, as with all good affiliate programs, I can easily include this link whever I'd like on my site, etc. And you could too: just sign up for an affiliate account and include their link on your site.

Whether or not you actually like spamarrest and their method of fighting spam (versus something like spamassassin and other filtering systems), having a link for people to use isn't too much work, and, after all, even if it's just $2/month that you earn, over the course of a year it's enough to buy a nice dinner. For 90 seconds of time. Not great, but not too bad. :-)