Bruce C. Brown - The Complete Guide to Affiliate Marketing on the Web: How to Use and Profit from Affiliate Marketing Programs

The Complete Guide to

Affiliate Marketing on the Web

How to Use and Profit from Affiliate Marketing Programs

By Bruce C. Brown

The Complete Guide to Affiliate Marketing on the Web: How to Use and Profit from Affiliate Marketing Programs

Copyright 2009 Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc.

1210 SW 23rd Place Ocala, Florida 34471 Phone 800-814-1132 Fax 352-622-1875

Web site: www.atlantic-pub.com E-mail: sales@atlantic-pub.com

SAN Number: 268-1250

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be sent to Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc., 1210 SW 23rd Place, Ocala, Florida 34471.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-125-5 ISBN-10: 1-60138-125-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Brown, Bruce C. (Bruce Cameron), 1965

The complete guide to affiliate marketing on the Web : how to use and

profit from affiliate marketing programs / by Bruce C. Brown.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-125-5 (alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-60138-125-5 (alk. paper)

1. Affiliate programs (World Wide Web) 2. Internet marketing. I.

Title. II. Title: Guide to affiliate marketing on the Web. III. Title:

Affiliate marketing on the Web.

HF5415.1265.B763 2008

658.872--dc22

2008041330

LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: The publisher and the author make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this work and specifically disclaim all warranties, including without limitation warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales or promotional materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for every situation. This work is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional services. If professional assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for damages arising herefrom. The fact that an organization or Web site is referred to in this work as a citation and/or a potential source of further information does not mean that the author or the publisher endorses the information the organization or Web site may provide or recommendations it may make. Further, readers should be aware that Internet Web sites listed in this work may have changed or disapeared between when this work was written and when it is read.

A few years back we lost our beloved pet dog Bear, who was not only our best and dearest friend but also the Vice President of Sunshine here at Atlantic Publishing. He did not receive a salary but worked tirelessly 24 hours a day to please his parents.

Bear was a rescue dog who turned around and showered myself, my wife, Sherri, his grandparents Jean, Bob, and Nancy, and every person and animal he met (well, maybe not rabbits) with friendship and love. He made a lot of people smile every day.

We wanted you to know a portion of the profits of this book will be donated in Bears memory to local animal shelters, parks, conservation organizations, and other individuals and nonprofit organizations in need of assistance.

Douglas and Sherri Brown

PS: We have since adopted two more rescue dogs: first Scout, and the following year, Ginger. They were both mixed golden retrievers who needed a home.

Want to help animals and the world? Here are a dozen easy suggestions you and your family can implement today:

Adopt and rescue a pet from a local shelter.

Support local and no-kill animal shelters.

Plant a tree to honor someone you love.

Be a developer put up some birdhouses.

Buy live, potted Christmas trees and replant them.

Make sure you spend time with your animals each day.

Save natural resources by recycling and buying recycled products.

Drink tap water, or filter your own water at home.

Whenever possible, limit your use of or do not use pesticides.

If you eat seafood, make sustainable choices.

Support your local farmers market.

Get outside. Visit a park, volunteer, walk your dog, or ride your bike.

Five years ago, Atlantic Publishing signed the Green Press Initiative. These guidelines promote environmentally friendly practices, such as using recycled stock and vegetable-based inks, avoiding waste, choosing energy-efficient resources, and promoting a no-pulping policy. We now use 100-percent recycled stock on all our books. The results: in one year, switching to post-consumer recycled stock saved 24 mature trees, 5,000 gallons of water, the equivalent of the total energy used for one home in a year, and the equivalent of the greenhouse gases from one car driven for a year.

Author Dedication

This book is dedicated to my beautiful wife.

Where would I be without you in my life all these years?

Bruce C. Brown

In war there is no substitute for victory.

The Godfather, 1972

Go proclaim liberty throughout all the lands, and to all the inhabitants thereof.

The Ten Commandments, 1956

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction

Chapter 2: Affiliate 101 The Basics You Need to Know

Chapter 3: Market Research

Chapter 4: How Do I Get Started?

Chapter 5: Becoming an Affiliate of Others

Chapter 6: Hosting and Implementing an Affiliate Program

Chapter 7: Optimizing Your Web Site, Blog & Affiliate Program

Chapter 8: Affiliate Program Software

Chapter 9: Marketing Your Web Site and Affiliate Program

Chapter 10: Other Revenue-Generating Techniques to Use With Affiliate Marketing

Chapter 11: Affiliate Mistakes

Chapter 12: Ideas to Grow & Stimulate Your Affiliate Program

Chapter 13: Summary

Appendix I: Affiliate Marketing Case Studies

Appendix II: Interviews with Affiliate Marketing Experts

Appendix III: Expert Affiliate Advice, Tips and Hints

Appendix IV: Glossary

Appendix V: Recommended Reference Library

Author Biography

Foreword

Affiliate Marketing is a fantastic way for Internet-savvy entrepreneurs to make money on the Web. While the possibilities for making money online are endless, affiliate marketing is one of the most dynamic ways to do so. Unlike many endeavors, affiliate marketing gives everyone an equal opportunity to make money with their passions. Sports car enthusiasts, gardeners, and video-game connoisseurs can all try their hand at affiliate marketing, learn what works and what does not, and earn an income promoting things they enjoy. If you have the patience and dedication to build a well-constructed site, affiliate marketing can help you build a thriving part-time or full-time business doing what you love.

There are numerous ways to integrate affiliate links into your online content, such as linking a picture of a product on your blog to an online store where a user can buy that product, showing actual items for sale that are related to your content, or even just integrating a banner ad or text links. When used effectively, affiliate marketing can help you make ads feel less like advertising and more like content, improving the experience for your users. Because affiliate compensation is linked to the sales and leads that you drive for your advertisers, you also have the potential to earn more money than you could with banner or paid search ads.