Using Affiliate Programs
August 29, 2005
Because affiliate programs can be a good way of adding interesting revenue to a blog, I thought that the recent post Darren Rowse made at ProBlogger (definitely an excellent blog) would be worth a little exposure here. 10 good tips for using affiliate programs is in my opinion a good review, not too lengthy but giving enough details, about how to consider and use such programs. While it’s not about precisely detailing each of them—he does that for a few in other entries—the advice is worth being kept in mind, and can likely be used on more websites than “just” blogs.
Here’s Darren’s little list (more details available, of course, in his own entry):
1. Consider your Audience. It’s worth putting yourself in your readers shoes and consider what they might be looking for as they surf by your blog.
2. Genuine Recommendations and personal endorsements always work best. Your blog’s readers come back to your blog day after day because something about you resonates with them - they have at least some level of trust and respect for you and perhaps the quickest way to destroy this is to recommend that they buy something that you don’t fully believe will benefit them.
3. Link to Quality Products. Choose products and companies with good reputations and quality sales pages.
4. Contextual Deep Links work Best.
5. Consider positioning of links.
6. Traffic levels are Important. The more people that see your well placed, relevant and well designed affiliate links the more likely it is that one of them will make a purchase. So don’t just work on your links - work on building a readership.
7. Diversify without Clutter. Don’t put all your affiliate efforts into one basket. There are plenty of products out there to link to so there is no need to just work on one.
8. Be Transparent. Don’t try to fool your readers into clicking links that could make you money.
9. Combine with other Revenue Stream. Affiliate programs and advertising programs are not mutually exclusive things.
10. Track results. Watching your results can help you plan future affiliate efforts. Keep track of what positions for links work well, which products sell, what wording around links works well etc and use the information that you collect as you work plan future affiliate strategies.
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