Simple Tips for Successful Affiliate Marketing

Being a successful affiliate marketer depends on your strategy making yourself stand-out from the competition.  We're going to look at some simple tips to help you get your foot on the ladder, and get ahead of your competitors.

Use Only Relevant Affiliate Products

Everything you do on your website should be connected to what you're selling.  For instance if you choose to sell gardening equipment, all of your products and content should be intertwined with the best gardening equipment on the market, and your content should reflect this.  Which means you can incorporate anything from weed control to patio cleaner in your list of products. 

As long as you stay within your subject matter, and don't stray out you can really dig deep and see what people are using in their gardens.  Put time and thought into your affiliate niche and you can't go wrong.

How to Really Make Money With Your Affiliate Links

While it's true that you can make money from your affiliate links, the amount of money an average affiliate marketer earns can be a bit more difficult to determine.

Like anything in life it takes time and effort to make a real impact and real money from anything, and affiliate marketing is no different.

We're going to focus on some useful tips that will really make money with your affiliate links.

Pick Products That Match Your Website Brand

There are thousands of affiliate products out there but most of them won't suit your affiliate brand.  You need to start looking for things that match up with your message and branding.  

For instance if someone created an affiliate website about sports related topics they wouldn't randomly choose pet products to sell on their website.  The two don't match, and confuse the reader from the outset.

There are alternatives like Amazon Associates which opens up to a vast product range that will cover any type of business.  The beauty with Amazon links is that your reader is taken directly onto the Amazon website and anything they put in their basket via your link becomes commission and money for you.

How to Market Your Affiliate Links

Promoting your affiliate links gives you the opportunity to highlight the benefits of the best products you have on offer.  Which means you can be really creative with your message, and help people at the same time, using a message your audience will really love.

With this technique you'll be able to optimise the use of your affiliate links, and make more sales.

So let's get started.

How to Promote Your Affiliate Links

Plan Your Content

Create a need for people to use your products and books by offering something to your audience you know they will use.  Show that your products are valuable by:

• Writing a hook that will pull in your audience from the very start.
• Writing a catchy headline that draws in your readers.
• Talk about the problem at hand.
• Provide the solution.
• End your article with a call-to-action.

Provide a Comparison 

Compare your products to other products on offer, mentioning any discounts and how reasonably priced your product is compared to the competition.

Find Similar Products and Highlight Your Products Best Points

Write a comparison with a similar product currently on the market.  Do your research and run a comparison between your own products and your counterparts.  Bring out all the good points of what your product has to offer, and let your customers know how reasonably priced it is compared to the current market's bestselling competitor.

How to Layout Your Website for Affiliate Marketing

The simpler your website structure is, the easier it will be for your readers to find all of those lovely affiliate links and products you have scattered on your website.  A well-built and trustworthy site means people will always come back.

A well-structured website is easier to maintain, which is useful when you have so many affiliate links that need checking up on, and will allow you to make any changes that are necessary along the way. 

You may find your website is a bit cumbersome at the beginning when you're just finding your feet, but with a simple website structure things won't be that hard to find, especially links, when you need them.  All of this can be done when you put some thought into your website architecture.

Ideas to Drive Traffic to Your Website and Affiliate Links

You've set up your website, your SEO is in place, now you have to work out how to attract visitors to your site to make some money.

We're going to take a look at some tried and tested ideas to drive traffic to your affiliate links and website.

Podcasting

If you're more of an introvert than an extrovert, and don't mind getting in front of a camera, this has been a proven way to effectively gain followers and traffic.  For some people this is their main focus, and it really works.  

Think about a weekly or monthly podcast to tell your listeners about updates, news and other useful information.  You can do this by creating a YouTube account and embedding your videos on your website.

20 Perfect Gifts for Book Lovers

Buying a present for your favourite book lover doesn't have to be about books.  You can find an abundance of gifts that will suit any book lovers taste.

We're going to look at gift ideas that are not only practical but also offer that personal touch.

Let's get started.

1. Book Lover 3D Watch

A unique handcrafted watch made in the USA is a wearable work of art.  $42.95 at Amazon. 

2. Superhero Hidden Metal Bookends

For superhero lovers everywhere these decorative bookends will stop your books from falling, while given the illusion of an amazing floating optical illusion.  $35.00 at Amazon.

3. Mini Book Light for Reading in Bed

Who doesn't love a book light?  This rechargeable book lamp has a special double row design of 16 premium LED beads, allowing you to have a beam of light that is bright and even without the flicker and dazzle of an ordinary lamp.  $18.99 at Amazon. 

4. Book Couch iPad Stand

This neat stand will hold iPads, phones and books, while you lie in bed drinking your coffee.  $27.99 at Amazon.

5. Book Themed Zip Around Wallet

This versatile gift takes its themes from dystopian sci-fi classics like 1984, The Great Gatsby, Frankenstein, Dracula and many other famous works of fiction.  $39.00 at Amazon. 

Essential SEO Glossary

SEO can be challenging at the best of times, so I've put together a list of SEO terms that you can read anytime at your own leisure to help you understand how it all works.

A

AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages)

An HTML framework designed by Google for creating condensed fast-loading web pages optimised for mobile.

Alt Text

Alternative text or ALT text is the description given to an image on a web page used by search engines and screen readers.

Anchor Text

The visible text used when clicking on a hyperlink.

Article Spinning

A method used to spin content or articles, can be done manually or using software.

Article Syndication

Usually done by a third-party site to republish an exact copy of an article that has appeared elsewhere on the web.

Auto-Generate Content

Content generated by a program or code.