Affiliate Advertising for Web Pages explained

I know what you’re thinking: This is a book about search marketing and affiliate advertising, not web site design. It’s all about generating revenue by placing affiliate program ads on Google and other search and content networks. By publishing on search networks, you don’t have to create a Web page. Why include a article about Web pages in this article?

Well, the truth is, even though I have made my millions without a web site and even though I believe this is the easiest and most efficient path to success as an affiliate advertiser, many others have made and continue to make small fortunes in affiliate advertising using web sites of their own to promote affiliate programs.

This article is not a tutorial on HTML and how to actually create Web pages, however. It is meant only to educate you on how best to incorporate affiliate advertisements into either an existing web site or one you are developing.

If you have no idea how to create a web site of your own, I can offer a little assistance though. These templates will require only small, simple edits on your own part, primarily to incorporate your own affiliate ads into the page. I have attempted only a few small commercial sites in the past and have only recently met with even minor success in this area, but if this is something you think would better suit your talents, then I have some insights to offer.

WHY CREATE A WEB SITE?

There are lots of reasons to create compelling, content-rich web sites. They can promote your business, if you have one, or they can give you a place to provide news to friends and relatives. Your site could become a soapbox from which to simply spout off on one subject or another. Web pages can also be a vehicle for promoting affiliate programs, whether these programs are secondary to the site content or the primary focus of the web site (e.g., a page comparing and promoting online degree programs, all of which might happen to be degree programs for which you receive affiliate commissions).

If you can attract lots of visitors to your web site and I’m talking about thousands of hits (i.e., visits, or page views) each day your site can make you money, too. In the previous articles, you learned about some of the payment systems advertisers use to reward affiliates who place ads on their web sites and refer customers to them. In the sections that follow, you’ll examine some of the content you can put on your site to gain that revenue.

HOW DO I START?

The first step to making a web site successful is focusing on your goals for the site. Do some clear thinking and planning that follows these general steps:

1. Identify your goals.

2. Decide on what type of site you want. Does your site have a product or service of its own to sell, or is it a contentbased site that will rely entirely on advertisements for its revenue?

3. Identify your customers and/or audience.

4. Organize your site. Create an outline or flowchart for the web site so you have a clearly defined picture of the site’s construction.

5. Determine who will create and/or maintain your web site. If you possess the time and skills required, you can do all the work yourself; alternatively, you may need to hire someone else to handle the regular upkeep.

6. Determine your budget for your site. Depending on your own skill set and how much work is required, you may need to contract with a web designer. You’ll also have to pay a monthly hosting fee to your hosting service, unless you already possess the skills and equipment needed to host your own site.

7. Create a timetable and stick to it. Whether you are creating a site from scratch or reorganizing and promoting an older site, you should have a clear vision of what needs to be accomplished, and in what order. Setting a timetable for accomplishing each of these goals will help you push yourself to achieve your objectives.

Coming up with a set of goals focuses you on the products, services, or content you are going to present. An organized web site that is focused on a single topic or that has a single, well defined purpose will get more repeat visits and will induce your visitors to purchase your products and services or to remain for longer periods of time examining your content.