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Affiliate Revenue InformationAffiliate Programs - Points To Consider
by:
Todd W. Winslow
It seems as although you can't visit a web site now without being asked to join
their affiliate program - they're everywhere! Affiliate programs are
attractive, as they offer a means of earning money from product sales without
having to really take orders, ship merchandise, deal with customers, stock
inventory or take a fiscal risk. Post a banner to your web site and you're
in business. Affiliate programs do offer a means to do additional financial gain
from your site, however, there are a few points to consider.
A Nice Fit:
Before you run out and join a bunch of affiliate programs, take a moment to
think just about your current web site visitors. What types of products and
information would-be they be most interested in? For example, if you have a web
site that deals with pets, connection an affiliate program that sells pet
supplies mightiness be a nice fit. This would-be be thing
your average visitant
would have an interest in. Connection a program that sells books on How To Kill
Your Neighbor's Annoying Pet, may not be such a nice fit. That's a bit of an
exaggeration, but I think you get my point. If your affiliate program doesn't
appeal to your site's visitors, you wish not have more success.
More Isn't Always Better:
If connection one affiliate program is a nice deal, then why not join 500
programs? Don't finish there, why not post as galore several affiliate banners
as wish fit onto each web page? If this sounds like a nice philosophy, think
again! Posting too galore banners and text links on your pages wish not only
look sloppy and slow down the time it takes to load your pages, but wish
confuse your visitors, consequent in less click through traffic, rather than
more. (Click through traffic - Folk that really click on your affiliate
banners and/or text links.) It's better to focus on just a couple affiliate
programs. And do sure to support your pages simple, easy to read, and
aesthetically pleasing.
Increasing Your Click Through Traffic:
As I aforesaid before, your web pages should be simple. Too galore banners,
especially those that change quickly or flash, can be really distracting and
annoying to your visitors. Also, don't trust just on banners to generate click
through traffic for your affiliate program. Adding text links in addition to
banners wish greatly increase your click through percentages. Banner ads are
becoming so common that galore folk don't give them a second look. By adding
simple text links on your web pages which explain a little more just about your
affiliate program's product(s) you can capture the attention of your visitors
and increase your click through traffic. Also, the placement of these banners
and text links is important too. Putt these at the bottom of your pages
will not result in as galore hits as you would-be have if they were displayed in a
more prominent place on your page.
Ask Questions Before You Join:
Doing a little research before you join an affiliate program wish pay big
dividends later. Find out the answers to these questions before devising a
commitment to join any program:
* Makes it cost thing
to join? Most affiliate programs offered now are
absolutely free to join.
* Once
do they issue commission checks? All programs are different. Several
issue once a month, several issue every quarter, etc. Also, galore programs set a
minimum attained
commission figure which an affiliate must meet or exceed prior
to a check being issued.
* What is the hit per sale ratio? (The average number of hits to a banner or
text link it takes to generate a sale - based on all affiliate statistics.)
This is extremely important, as this number wish tell you how more traffic
you must generate before you can expect to earn a commission from a sale.
* How are referrals from an affiliate's site tracked, and for how long do
they remain in the system? You need to be confident in the program's ability
to track those folk your refer from your site. This is the only way you'll
get credit for a sale. Additionally, how long those folk stay in the system
is besides important, as the visitant may not buy initially, but may return later
to do a purchase. Wish you still get credit for the sale six months from
now?
* What kind of affiliate stats are available? Makes the program offer elaborate
stats? Are these online and accessible in real time? It's important to be able
to see your individual stats, so you cognize how galore impressions, hits and
sales you have generated from your site. (Impressions are the number of times
the program's banner or text link was viewed by a visitant to your site. A hit
is just person clicking on a banner or text link - taking the visitant from
your site to the program site.)
* Makes the program pay just commissions on sales, or do they besides pay for
hits and/or impressions? Acquiring paid for impressions and/or hits, in
addition to commissions on sales, is important. This is especially true if
the program has a low sales to hit ratio.
* Who is the online retailer? Find out who you are doing business with. Is
this a solid company? How do they fill orders? What types of payments do they
accept? How long have they been in business? What are their return policies
and how do these affect you? What products do they sell and what is their
average sale amount? The more you cognize just about the retail merchant offering the
affiliate program, the easier it wish be for you to determine if this is the
program for you and your site.
* Is this a one or two tier program? A single tier program pays you only for
the business you in person
generate. A two tier program pays you for your
business, plus it pays you a commission on the sales generated by any
affiliate you sponsor into their program. Several two tier programs wish besides
pay you a small fee on each new affiliate you sponsor - a enlisting fee.
* Finally, what is the figure of commission paid? (And fee for
impressions/hits - if available.) 5% - 20% is common for commissions paid on
sales. $.01 - $.05 is common for the figure paid for each hit (click
through). If you find a program that besides pays for impressions, don't expect
the figure paid to be more at all. From these amount you can see that the
program's average sale figure and hit to sale magnitude relation are extremely important.
This is especially true if yours is a low traffic site to begin with.
These are just a few of the main aspects of affiliate programs which you
should be familiar with if you plan to incorporate any such program into your
web site. I hope this provides the reader with additional insight and helps
them in selecting the right program for their site.
Just just about the Author
Todd W. Colonist is the co-owner of TADD Marketing Group, L.L.C. He is besides
the founder of TADD Publication Group which publishes a variety of e-mail
newsletters http://www.taddgroup.com, and is co-creator of The Mystic Hound
- a romance and relationship proposal
web site http://www.mysticbeagle.com
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