We start out with high hopes and we add Adsense and Affiliate links to our blogs and we end up spending a small fortune on tools and making a profit that won’t buy us a new pair of shoes!
Does that about sum it up?
It certainly did for me for a long time. Well there are a number of reasons and the prime is that it isn’t as easy as they say!
First and foremost reason is traffic. Without visitors – nothing works. But this isn’t a traffic post. Monetizing your blog is about putting links on it that will pay – even if its eventually after 500 hits. Adsense is great for some things but lets face it, at 6c payment a click or even at the high rate of $1.50 a click – it takes time to add up to a pair of shoes! (Especially if you have expensive tastes)
Most people’s Hit Statistics show that few people read more than one page of a blog. Then they click away and they will usually click away on a link – Adsense is better than nothing but a Clickbank product is better still. There is a Clickbank product that draws Clickbank ads and looks similar to Adsense.
Heres a quick run-through of the main features and benefits of putting this on your web site.
* It is easy to build effective ads it takes just a minute.
* Simple procedure targets the ads correctly to every page on your site.
* Links to the best-selling ebooks and products in the massive (10,000 product plus) ClickBank marketplace. You get to earn up to 75% of each product sold.
* Allows you to gain the maximum earnings possible from your sites visitors.
* Ads blend in to your site design to encourage responsiveness.
* You can set the keywords the application works with if any page on your site is less than clear.
* You can determine the minimum affiliate commission levels.
* Subscription includes access to click-though and impressions stats.
* 12-months subscription is currently held at the low price of $89.95 thats less than $8 per month for one of the most powerful website monetization tools around!
Also I’m republishing this article by Michael Hopkins for reinforcement and because I’m getting lazy (or smarter) about writing so many articles. It made me think, and it will make you think too…
Affiliate Programs: Don’t Let Amazon.com Use Up Your Valuable Bandwidth!
by Michael Hopkins
You already know that affiliate programs are a great way to make additional income for your web business.
By promoting products that are RELEVANT to your target audience and presenting those products in a meaningful way through the pages of your ebooks, websites and ezines, you can build up a nice steady income with little effort.
Don’t forget though, affiliate programs will only earn you money if you promote them the right way.
Otherwise they’re a complete waste of time and effort.
A perfect example of how NOT to make money through affiliate programs is by carrying banners from big web companies like Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking these companies.
However, you may as well try making money from selling used matchsticks as from carrying banner ads from companies like these on your website.
Why?
Start Your Own Private Label Software Business – Today!  Download Exclusive New Software Programs with Resale Rights!Brand each program with your details and sell them as if they were your own! You can even re-name them if you want! New products are added every month — and are exclusive to members only! Includes a lucrative members-only affiliate program! Discover the Software Gold Club |
Well, firstly, most people are so familiar with these companies already, that the chances of them clicking the banner are next to nothing. You can expect at the VERY LEAST to go through 1000 visitors before you get a single click!
Secondly, even if a visitor does click the banner, the chances that he/she will buy anything are even less again. And, because Amazon.com and co. only pay out commissions if the visitor buys immediately, then the likelihood or you actually earning
anything are just north of none.
Let’s face it, these banner ads enable Amazon.com and their like to use webmasters to strengthen their brand name at zero cost.
They’ll slow down your pages and will not benefit your business or your visitors in any way.
If you are an affiliate with Amazon, then the only way to effectively make money out of them is by hand-picking a few products that are of direct interest to your visitors.
If your website deals with fast cars, then promote fast car books. If your e-book is all about The Ramones, then promote albums from and books about The Ramones (Gabba Gabba Hey!).
Then, promote those products as if they were your own. Nothing short of a rave review or a full-blown sales pitch will do. And place a “Click Here To Order On Amazon.com” link at the end.
Your visitors know you and your readers trust you. If you tell them that this product is right for them, then they’ll buy it.
One final point.
Amazon’s affiliate program, despite its widespread fame, is neither the best nor the most lucrative one around.
It may be worth your while to look around for websites that promote the same products but that have more effective affiliate programs. Programs that pay out more and that use cookies to record your visitors’ click-thrus. That way, if your visitors buy the product at a later date, you still get the commission.
Here are a few affiliate program websites and directories you can explore to find products and services that match your website:
ClickBank Marketplace
Commission Junction
WhichAffiliate – Affiliate Program Directory
AffiliateMatch - Affiliate Program Directory
Gr1innovations.com – Affiliate Program Directory
Affiliate Seeking – Affiliate Program Directory
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Michael Hopkins is a Successful Web Marketer and Owner of BizzyDays Ebook Publications. Visit Now to Download Original Ebooks for Free at: http://www.bizzydays.com
This Article First Appeared in Michael’s Newsletter, Ebook Times. To subscribe visit: http://www.ebooktimes.com
It makes logical sense to make those clicks count when people leave your site, and neither Adsense or Amazon are your best avenues for monetizing your blog when you don’t have high traffic. Think about it.
If nothing else, when was the last time you visited Clickbank? Its changed quite recently and they have a new widget to help you out. It’s not quite as configurable as the first program I mentioned which will fit nicely in the sidebar and imitate Adsense but its still an interesting option.
You pick some categories and keywords and get your code and paste it into a text widget in your sidebar. What you end up with is a neat box (which is unfortunately too large for many sidebars) with tabs and links to a range of Clickbank pages. Its free and if you have a spot for it, its worth a try. Definately worth more than Adsense or Amazon! So give one of these types of options a try and monetize your blog to the max.
Fill in the email form to subscribe to updates to this blog. We’ll send you a free report and the password for protected posts.
Popularity: 21% [?]
Tags: monetization, monetize
Entries (RSS)