What is Affiliate Marketing?

It seems that more readers are asking this question than I previously thought.

In a recent poll here on ProBlogger I asked readers whether they’d done any affiliate marketing on their blogs. The results revealed that:

• 29% of readers regularly do it
• 24% occasionally do it
• 27% have never done affiliate marketing on their blogs
• 6% used to do it but don’t any more
• 14% don’t know what affiliate marketing is

There’s some interesting results there but it was the last category (of bloggers not knowing what affiliate marketing is) that I wanted to write this post for with the hope of answering the question. It’s pretty basic and quite beginner focused but for the 14% of you who don’t know what affiliate marketing is – here’s a brief introduction.

What is Affiliate Marketing?

Perhaps the simplest way to explain affiliate marketing is that it is a way of making money online whereby you as a publisher are rewarded for helping a business by promoting their product, service or site.

There are a number of forms of these types of promotions but in most cases they involve you as a publisher earning a commission when someone follows a link on your blog to another site where they then buy something.

Other variations on this are where you earn an amount for referring a visitor who takes some kind of action – for example when they sign up for something and give an email address, where they complete a survey, where they leave a name and address etc.

Commissions are often a percentage of a sale but can also be a fixed amount per conversion.

Conversions are generally tracked when the publisher (you) uses a link with a code only being used by you embedded into it that enables the advertiser to track where conversions come from (usually by cookies). Other times an advertiser might give a publisher a ‘coupon code’ for their readers to use that helps to track conversions.

For example:  when I recently released my 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Workbook I also give people an opportunity to promote the workbook with an affiliate program whereby they could earn a 40% commission for each sale. When you sign up to become an affiliate you are given a special code unique to you that enables you to promote the workbook and make $7.98 per sale. The top affiliates earned over $2000 in the first few weeks after launch through these commissions.

• Advertisers often prefer affiliate marketing as a way to promote their products because they know they’ll only need to pay for the advertising when there’s a conversion. I knew when I started this affiliate program that while I’d earn less for each sale that having a network of affiliates promoting it would almost certainly increase overall sales levels.
• Publishers often prefer affiliate marketing because if they find a product that is relevant to their niche that earnings can go well in excess of any cost per click or cost per impression advertising campaign.

Why Affiliate Marketing Can Work Well on Blogs

Affiliate marketing isn’t the only way to make money from blogs and it won’t suit every blog/blogger (more on this below) but there are a few reasons why it can be profitable in our medium. Perhaps the biggest of these reasons is that affiliate marketing seems to work best when there’s a relationship with trust between the publisher and their readership.

I’ve found that as this trust deepens that readers are more likely to follow the recommendations that a blogger makes.

Of course this can also be a negative with affiliate marketing – promote the wrong product and trust can be broken (more on this below).

Affiliate Marketing – Easy Money?

While affiliate marketing can be incredibly lucrative it is important to know that affiliate marketing is not easy money. Most people who try it make very little as it relies upon numerous factors including:

• traffic (high traffic helps a lot)
• finding relevant products
• finding quality products
• building trust with your readers
• having a readership who is in a ‘buying mood’
• you being able to write good sales copy (and more)

There’s also some risk associated with affiliate marketing in that if you push too hard or promote products of a low quality you can actually burn readers and hurt your reputation and brand.

It’s also worth noting that affiliate marketing doesn’t work on all blogs. Some blogs are on topics where it is hard to find products to promote – other blogs attract audiences who are not in a buying frame of mind and for other blogs it just doesn’t fit with the blogger’s style or approach.

Tomorrow I want to continue the focus upon affiliate marketing with another post – this one on how to find affiliate products to promote.

How to Install Google Analytics in WordPress

Great site statistics is probably the single most important success factor of any website. The best way to know your audience is through your traffic stats and this is what Google Analytics provide for FREE. In this article, we will share why Google Analytics is important, and how you can install Google Analytics in your WordPress blog.

Why is Google Analytics Important for Bloggers?

Google analytics allow you to keep track of:

Who visits your site

This part of analytics answer what is the geographical location of your audience, which browser did the user use to visit your site and many other important information such as: screen resolution, JavaScript support, Flash support, language and more.

This data is extremely useful, and it can help in numerous ways. When getting a custom design, you can use the user data to make sure that your site will be compatible with your audience. If most of your users does not have Flash support, then you should avoid adding flash element to your site. If most of your users are on 1280 screen resolutions, then make sure that your design is compatible with that resolution or smaller.

What they do when they are on your website

You can track where the user is going on your website. How long do they stay on your website, and what is the bounce rate (the percent of users exit your site on the first visit) on your site. By using this information: you can decrease the bounce rate and increase the depth of pageviews.

When they visit your website

By looking at the hottest hours in the day for your site, you can pick the time when you publish your post. If that time zone is not compatible with yours, then you can schedule your post to meet that hour.

Where did they arrive on your website from

This section of the analytics show you where did the user came from: Search Engines, Direct Links, Referral links from another site. It shows you what percentage of your visitors came from each of these sources. Google analytics also gives you the break down of each of these categories. If it is the search engine category, then it shows you which search engine got you the most traffic, google, yahoo, bing etc. It will also show you the most used search terms by visitors, so you can improve your ranking for that keyword (Check out our Must See SEO Guide for All WordPress Bloggers). The break down of referral sites show you which sites you need to work with the most. If your top referral source is twitter, then you need to have exclusive twitter content to make your twitter audience feel special. If your top referral source is an external website, then you might want to consider having a partnership with that website (link exchanges or something else).

How they interact with your site’s content

Google analytics show how your users interacted with your site’s content. It shows you what percent of the user clicked on which link on your site and much more. By seeing the user interactivity, you can work your content around your users.

By seeing the answers to the questions above, you can focus on the strategies that work for your site and eliminate the strategies that don’t work.

How to Signup with Google Analytics

First you would need to create a Google Analytics account. To do this, visit Google Analytics Signup Page.

You will see a screen like the one below. If you already have a gmail account, then use that to sign-in with. If you do not have a gmail account, then you would have to create an account for yourself.

Once you sign-in with your gmail account, you will be prompted to a screen like the one below. This is where you will signup for google analytics with your gmail account.

The third step would be to enter your site information. The fields are pretty self explanatory. You enter your Website’s URL, Account name (it can be anything that you like), Time zone country, and the time zone.

Step 4 requires you to enter your contact information.

Step 5 would require you to agree with their terms.

Step 6 is where you will receive the code to paste in your site. This is the important part of the signup. Copy and paste this code in a notepad or a HTML editor and keep this screen open.

How to Install Google Analytics in WordPress

There are 3 ways to install Google analytics in WordPress. Direct paste, functions.php, and plugins.

Direct Paste Method

Copy the code that you received in Step 6, and paste it in your theme’s footer.phpright above the </body> tag.

Functions.php Method

Add the following code in your theme’s functions.php file and don’t forget to paste your Google Analytics code from Step 6 here. Before you paste it, please make sure that you have read our Beginner’s Guide to Pasting Snippets from the Web.

1

<?php

2	add_action('wp_footer', 'add_googleanalytics');

3	function add_googleanalytics() { ?>

4	// Paste your Google Analytics code from Step 6 here

5	<?php } ?>

Plugins Method

There are tons of plugins available to add Google Analytics to your site. However, it is probably best to just use a simple light-weight plugin like:

Insert Header and Footer

Paste the Google Analytics code in the plugin’s setting page.

Once you have installed Google Analytics in your site, you can go back to the screen from Step 6 and click Save and Finish. Then you will be taken to the overview of your site’s analytics.

You can see the status have an exclamation work. This just means that Google hasn’t realized that you have added the code to your site. It takes Google upto 12 – 24 hours to start providing you with the awesome site stats that you need.

This is a must have for every blog, so get it now. If you have any questions then feel free to ask in the comments. If you like this article, then please share it with your friends on twitter and facebook.

Note: This is only for Self-Hosted WordPress.org blogs. Free WordPress.com sites cannot use Google Analytics. Maybe it’s time to upgrade from free WordPress.com to Self-Hosted WordPress? Consider using our Free WordPress Blog Setup program.

How To Add WordPress Breadcrumbs Without a Plugin

Breadcrumbs or breadcrumb trail is a navigation aid used in a Website. It gives users a way to keep track of their locations within the Website. Breadcrumbs typically appear horizontally at the top of a Web page. Breadcrumbs provide a trail for the user to follow back to the starting or entry point.
Breadcrumb trail is an important supplementary element of a Website´s navigation, especially for complex Websites. It improves usability, enhances user experience and it is better for SEO. Don´t take my word for it, Google recommends using Breadcrumbs in their SEO starter guide. Also Google is integrating breadcrumbs navigation within the Search Engine Results Pages.
Breadcrumbs are especially useful for complex Websites containing many pages and sub-pages, and organized into many categories. On the other hand, breadcrumbs for simple Websites are not really necessary.
The picture below shows examples of breadcrumb trails generated from this blog. This blog is using the breadcrumb code shown below, browse the various sections of this blog and see how it behaves.
Yes, there are plugins for WordPress breadcrumbs, such as BreadCrumb NavXT. But haven´t you read my previous post about the disadvantages of going crazy adding plugins to your theme? Also what would you do if you want to develop a theme with a built-in breadcrumb trail.
There is one disadvantage of using breadcrumbs, it increases the number of query requests to your database, and thus a slighter increase in load time. However, this could be neutralized with a caching mechanism implemented to your Website. Again, haven´t you read my previous post about the advantages of caching a dynamic Webiste? I believe that the benefits of breadcrumbs: better user experience, and making the Website friendlier for Search Engines, far outweighs its one disadvantage. Breadcrumb navigation is important for usability and for SEO, especially for complex Websites.

The Most Important Thing Is To Do Your Keyword Research

If you fail there, no amount of work on a website and/or traffic will help you to make money. Period. Do you keyword research. Do not go after a tough competition unless you are ready to do a lot of work for several months. Another lesson I’ve learned is tough competition DOES NOT mean a lot of traffic and tough competition DOES NOT mean big profits. So, pick your battle wisely.

This guide is about is how to IMPROVE YOUR RANKING IN GOOGLE for a specific keyword using some manual labour and aforementioned tools. I come up with it be reverse engineering some successful (in my opinion) affiliate promotions in Google.

I do SEO promotion in cycles. One cycle can take anywhere from one day to one week to execute depending on how much time and effort you are ready to put in. I run one cycle per day (excluding Xrumer and Scrapebox blasts) for some promotions but you need to be very focused and ready to spend long hours in front of a computer (like 12 hours per day at least).
Here are some results I’ve got.

Case Study 1

Internet marketing related keyword with 28 million competing pages on less than two years old domain with PR 0. I run 7 cycles total, one per day for a week. As a result site moved from position 250+ to number 8 and now remains there even though I don’t blast it anymore. First page competition is domains with PR 1-4 and thousands of backlinks. I am the only one with PR 0 on a first page.

Case Study 2

I used the same domain. I decided to promote a five year old product (one of the tools I use). Keyword was “product name review”. I wrote a 1500+ words review and run ONE promotional cycle only. As a result I am on a page one spot number 7 for this keyword even though I don’t blast anymore. I have the LEAST amount of backlinks among my competition according to Market Samurai. I compete against five year old promotions with thousands of backlinks and exact keywords in the domain name plus PR 1-3.

Case Study 3

I promoted recent self-help product re-launch. I bought the last remaining domain productname.me three weeks before launch (all other TLDs were taken). I’ve heard .me doesn’t rank very well. Well, probable yes. I optimised the website for “product name”, “product name review”, “product name bonus”. I run three cycles for “product name” keyword only after domain got indexed and I DID NOT blast the domain itself with Xrumer and Scrapebox, only feeder sites. As a result I ranked YouTube video number one for “product name bonus” and the site itself is number 9 for “product name bonus” (possible because .me doesn’t rank well). For other keywords I rank on a page 2. Again, I was competing with affiliates who were promoting this product for four years already. According to Market Samurai a have whopping ONE backlink now and a video has ZERO.

SEO Method for Getting 1st Page in Search Engine

That what u have:

1. We need 1 unique article targeting 2 keywords

2. Spin it to 80-90% unique through The Best Spinner Software.

3. Now post 12 spin articles in 12 web 2.0 websites.

You can download all web 2.0 website from phpbuilt list

4. In each post target 2 keywords, for 2 keywords goes to main website.

5. Now post 12 spin articles in 12 articles websites. [For this you should use auto-approve articles]

you can get the auto-approve list from member download section, already shared by me. List 1, list2

6. Here you will target two keyword also, for one keyword will go to 12 web .20 and other keyword will go to main website.

7. Now post 13 spun articles in another 13 web 2.0 websites.

8. Here also you will target 2 keywords.

9. One keyword will go to first 12 web 2.0 links and other keyword will go 12 article links.

10. Now post 13 spun articles in 13 articles websites. [For this you should use auto-approve articles]

Here for one keyword give backlinks to 13 web 2.0 and for other keyword give backlinks to main website

11. Now give bookmark to all web 2.0 + article links. [minimum 10-15 bookmarks to each link.]

12. Now give status update backlinks to each web 2.0 + article backlinks.

You can download the list fro member download. List

13. Just wait for 2 days, you can see huge serp increase for respective keyword

14. Now repeat this process as per your keyword competition.

5 Ways To Improve Your Adsense Earnings

If webmasters want to monetize their websites, the great way to do it is through Adsense. There are lots of webmasters struggling hard to earn some good money a day through their sites. But then some of the “geniuses” of them are enjoying hundreds of dollars a day from Adsense ads on their websites. What makes these webmasters different from the other kind is that they are different and they think out of the box.

The ones who have been there and done it have quite some useful tips to help those who would want to venture into this field. Some of these tips have boosted quite a lot of earnings in the past and is continuously doing so.

Here are some 5 proven ways on how best to improve your Adsense earnings.

1. Concentrating on one format of Adsense ad. The one format that worked well for the majority is the Large Rectangle (336X280). This same format have the tendency to result in higher CTR, or the click-through rates. Why choose this format out of the many you can use? Basically because the ads will look like normal web links, and people, being used to clicking on them, click these types of links. They may or may not know they are clicking on your Adsense but as long as there are clicks, then it will all be for your advantage.

2. Create a custom palette for your ads. Choose a color that will go well with the background of your site. If your site has a white background, try to use white as the color of your ad border and background. The idea to patterning the colors is to make the Adsense look like it is part of the web pages. Again, This will result to more clicks from people visiting your site.

3. Remove the Adsense from the bottom pages of your site and put them at the top. Do not try to hide your Adsense. Put them in the place where people can see them quickly. You will be amazed how the difference between Adsense locations can make when you see your earnings.

4. Maintain links to relevant websites. If you think some sites are better off than the others, put your ads there and try to maintaining and managing them. If there is already lots of Adsense put into that certain site, put yours on top of all of them. That way visitor will see your ads first upon browsing into that site.

5. Try to automate the insertion of your Adsense code into the webpages using SSI (or server side included). Ask your web administrator if your server supports SSI or not. How do you do it? Just save your Adsense code in a text file, save it as “adsense text”, and upload it to the root directory of the web server. Then using SSI, call the code on other pages. This tip is a time saver especially for those who are using automatic page generators to generate pages on their website.

These are some of the tips that have worked well for some who want to generate hundreds and even thousands on their websites. It is important to know though that ads are displayed because it fits the interest of the people viewing them. So focusing on a specific topic should be your primary purpose because the displays will be especially targeted on a topic that persons will be viewing already.

Note also that there are many other Adsense sharing the same topic as you. It is best to think of making a good ad that will be somewhat different and unique than the ones already done. Every clickthrough that visitors make is a point for you so make every click count by making your Adsense something that people will definitely click on.

Tips given by those who have boosted their earnings are just guidelines they want to share with others. If they have somehow worked wonders to some, maybe it can work wonders for you too. Try them out into your ads and see the result it will bring.

If others have done it, there is nothing wrong trying it out for yourself.

How To go Viral On Facebook Fan Page

The dynamic of Facebook application marketing is rapidly changing. What once was an environment in which your application was practically guaranteed to go viral has shifted to one in which you need to come up with creative ways of marketing your application. After seeing all the applications go viral I have decided to do a brief overview of a few key features that help your application go viral. While this is not an exhaustive list, it covers the majority of tricks of the trade that are currently being used.

• Forced Invite - The first instance that I saw this implemented was by David Gentzel when he launched the Happy Hour application. Within a matter of weeks the application has already become the 13th most popular application on Facebook, which is no easy feat. This method was duplicated by other applications with varying success within a matter of hours. What exactly is this method you ask? As soon as someone decides to add the application they are forced to invite 10 friends. This is a risky tactic but David Gentzel was able to leverage his other highly popular applications to drive traffic to this application. Personally, I don’t recommend this tactic. It is a brute force method that can be used by those with popular applications that don’t have rich feature sets. I have a feeling that most happy hour users don’t return to the app on a daily basis, but then again I don’t have statistics to back that up.

• Invite after action - When the Facebook platform first launched there were no restrictions as to how many people an application user could invite per day. As a result many of the initial applications that took advantage of the checkbox invite forms grew rapidly. Since the launch, there is now a limit of 10 friends per day by each application user. While it has been significantly limited by Facebook, it is still a useful form of marketing. When building your application you should definitely come up with an effective way of allowing users to invite other people.

• News feed - The news feed is the most powerful component of Facebook. Period. There are two ways that applications can leverage the news feed. The first is naturally built in. Most of the time, when a user adds an application it is displayed in their friends’ news feeds. While it is not a guarantee that it will show up in other people’s news feeds (due to a number of factors pertaining to news feed optimization), this is the primary thing that helps applications spread virally. When I launched my Bush Countdown clock I added no viral components and relied completely on people’s news feeds. This has spread the application to close to 8,500 users. While not spectacular, it is hardly something to sneeze at. The second way of using a news feed is by leveraging the news feed API calls that Facebook has provided. Within reason, you can regularly post news items to a user’s mini-feed within their profile. A small percentage of the time that item will end up on their friends’ news feeds. While this is severely limited, at least you can get it on to your users’ mini-feeds. Every form of exposure you can get (within reason) for your application, you should strive for.

• Referrals/Giveaways - This is the most recent form of viral marketing on Facebook. I am seeing a number of applications adopting this technique. The referrals tactic is to come up with an effective way of encouraging your applications users to market your application for you. They can market your application on blogs, websites, forums, Facebook walls, messages to friends and more. The bottom line is that you end up with your application users being the ones that get scrappy with the marketing, not you. Giveaways are usually combined with this to provide an incentive for users to promote your application. There is a risk though in making your application look cheap, but for now I think this is a great technique.

• One-on-One - Used alone, this technique may not result in viral growth of your application but combining this technique with one of the others I have listed can result in exceptional results. The concept is straight forward. Reach out to people that you think will find your application useful. This technique is more for targeted applications, not for generic applications such as poke wars or zombie biting or any of the other generic applications out there. Reach out to those individuals that you think will benefit from your application and then follow-up with them once they’ve added it. The result is passionate users that become your own brand evangelists. This technique has been used by countless communities to help generate passionate users. If you nurture your application users you will see positive results in the long-term.