What
is affiliate marketing and how do I get started?
by: Monica
Faircloth
Definition
of affiliate marketing:
Affiliate
marketing is taking someone else's product or service
and advertising it using your own affiliate website or
link in order to make money. The owner of the
website/product/service will pay you a percentage of
each sale generated through your unique affiliate link
or website. Sounds a bit confusing, but in reality is a
very simple process with a win/win situation for all
parties involved and a fun way to make money online.
How to get started:
You have two options to consider when doing affiliate
marketing, whether to have a website or to simply
advertise using your unique affiliate link. Many
affiliates will create an informational website to be
used as a basis for related affiliate links. This can be
a great option, due to the fact that you would only need
to advertise one website in order to make money.
To go this route, think of something that you are
passionate about or something that is a hot topic right
now. Once you have determined your theme you need to
decide on a website name. To find ideas and keywords to
be used as a URL, or domain name, I would recommend
using http://wordtracker.com to find appropriate popular
keywords related to your theme. It is good to use a
popular keyword as your website and domain name so that
you will rank higher in search engines.
Once you have your theme and have chosen a name, you
need to register your domain name and obtain website
hosting. I recommend using Yahoo for your website
hosting needs. They offer a free domain name and website
builder that does not require knowledge of html when you
purchase website hosting. They also allow you to pay
monthly rather than having to pay a year in advance
which helps you save with upfront costs.
Your next step would be to build your website and fill
it to the brim with great information related to your
theme. A great and easy way to do this is to get
articles from free article websites like the ones listed
below:
Then, once you have a great website full of information
about your theme, your next step is to work on search
engine optimization. Do a search on Google for SEO and
you will find lots of free information on how to do
this. You also need to offer a free newsletter so that
you can establish repeat visitors.
When your informational website is complete and fully
optimized, submit it to all of the major search engines.
Google's "submit a URL" can be found under
"About" Google. This is the main one and the
best place to start. Yahoo charges a fee to submit your
website to them so this would be something you could do
later.
Now you are ready to start adding affiliate links to
your website so you can earn money! Sign up at these
free websites and find appropriate websites to affiliate
with:
Also, add Google Adsense to your website for added
revenue. Advertise using Pay Per Click such as
Google.com/Adwords and Overture.com. Continue to add a
page of information to your website daily. The more
information you have, the higher your chances of ranking
with more keywords on the major search engines. Have fun
maintaining your website and watching your traffic...and
your revenue grow! Affiliate marketing is a great way to
make money and your earning potential is almost endless.
Affiliate marketing is something you can get started
doing today to earn money online.
