Lynn addresses the questions affiliate link vs affiliate banner, best placement, whether the link should blend in or stand out, and more...
Biljana says: I was reading ClickNewz today and read the how you make money online post... Now, the SBI site I have makes decent money in AdSense but not with affiliate programs. So, I was reading the post and your one-page affiliate product sales caught my eyes... I looked at my stats to see which of my pages ranks well with Google, found a couple of products on Clickbank and updated the page with the affiliate link. Guess what? I had a sale today for a $20.74 commission. Ha! Thanks so much for giving me the a-ha moment!.
Here's a question for you: what is more effective: affiliate product banner or text link? And also, where is a good placement for a link or banner? Should the link be incorporated into the content, should it be blended, made to stand out?
Thanks again, I really appreciate all your posts, you are an inspiration to people like me!
Great question, Biljana! The absolute best way I have found to make affiliate sales is to publish a review or recommendation specifically about that product or service.
Think about it - when you visit a web page, you are usually there for one of two reasons. You are either interested in the content on that page (the topic), or interested in the author of that page. Either way, your attention is usually focused on the main content area.
Consider ClickNewz, for example. If you read my posts here very often, you automatically tune out the header and the sidebar and begin reading from the post headline down. In a hurry you will read the headline, scan for sub-headings or bullet points, and then scroll through the comments. Right?
For this reason, banners or advertisements that are directly above or below related content will do much better than those that are worked into the static design elements (sidebar, footer, etc). But for even better results (visibility, CTR) you want to place your affiliate links within the content area.
Unrelated links and images will stick out like a sore thumb, distract and confuse your readers, and ultimately damage any potential relationship with that reader. And that relationship matters - whether your goal is to build a loyal readership, or compel them to take your call-to-action seriously.
Your best bet is to weave your affiliate promotions seamlessly into your content. Use cover graphics or product images whenever possible (vs banners) and also contextual links. For the best results, your content should answer the visitors question, and then end with a strong call to action.
For example, if someone searches "best affiliate programs" they are obviously asking "What is the best affiliate program to promote?". If your page comes up in the search results and they click through, you want to answer that question and then lead them into an obvious solution. (example)
If you are not discussing the product or service directly within your content, such as you would with a product review for example, then you can conclude the piece with a call-to-action for your affiliate link.
Its also a great idea to mention your link again in a "P.S." at the end, assuming you sign off with a signature.
The bottom line is that the best placement is within the content area of your web page, and the best type of link is a cover graphic or product image as well as text links. And of course use of the all-important call to action...
As for whether your affiliate links should "blend in" or "stand out", you do want them to appear a natural part of your content. Meaning those links should be the same color and style as all other outgoing links on the page, and the images should flow seamlessly with the content.
That said, you do want your call-to-action to stand out. Your visitor should be able to easily scan your page and choose whether to click "next" in a matter of about 10 seconds. You can accomplish this by using a headline, sub-headings, bullet points and an obvious call to action on your page - making it super simple for them to speed read and make an impulse decision.
Tip: Reviews tend to do very well at selling products, so consider adding relevant review pages to your niche website. You can then link to that review page throughout your site whenever you mention the product (or the topic). Not only will this type of link interest your regular readers, but it will help your review page rise in the search results as well.
If you plan to get serious about affiliate marketing, download the Super Affiliate Handbook by Rosalind Gardner. At the very least, follow her work online. She is the one that turned ME into a super-affiliate π
Best,
p.s. Biljana sent me an update a week or so after that original message, letting me know she has made several more sales since then. They just keep coming in! Congrats on setting up those new "passive earners" for yourself Biljana!
Original Post: How I Make Money Online
Related Post: Best Affiliate Programs
About Lynn Terry
James Martell recommends separating product pages and article pages for this reason, I guess.
Every article pages lead to the product pages (primary keywords). And the product pages are also article pages but below them are two or three very relevant affiliate links.
I find it works best if I could end the product pages' article in a way the readers will continue looking at the affiliate program list instead of another links on the sidebar.
That's just another way to do it.
> Very specific tactics. Stumbled and reviewed.
This is a good overview of how to post affiliate links in your articles. I was just reading how a guy pulled in five sign ups in a month via a banner placed just above the lead article in his blog. Well placed, relevant banners still work. It is probably better to use banners sparingly both for better effect and to keep download times reasonably fast.
David Hurley
http://grasp-the-nettle.com
Thanks Lynn π
"Unrelated links and images will stick out like a sore thumb, distract and confuse your readers, and ultimately damage any potential relationship with that reader. "
I decided to "clean up" the site from affiliate links and create a designated page on the navigation bar just for that. The reason was that the site was becoming saturated with affiliate links, I had them all over the place and in the process, I slowly turned an otherwise good content site into a "buy, buy!" site. I love my visitors, a lot of them are regulars and to show my respect for them, I gave them an option to read the content that they came for and CHOOSE if they want to purchase something by clicking on the designated link. It is working well it seems.
Thanks for this post, I really appreciate it π
Biljana
Excellent advice Lynn, between you and the comments there's some awesome stuff here to test and track.
Great post Lynn!
During the past 8 months I've taken the review process one step further. I actually document my journey while using the product. My wife has been doing the same. To see an example of this, please check out my blog...
http://www.UnstoppableFatLoss.com/blog
This has skyrocketed my affiliate sales. My readers see that I'm not just recommending yet another affiliate program. They actually see that I'm using it and I show them the physical results that both my wife and I are achieving with the product.
It's a great way to build trust in my opinion. And the best part is, I never feel like I have to hype the product up. It's more like a soft sell. They see what I'm doing, the results I'm getting, and if they like what they see they can click the link.
Aside from documenting my journey, I noticed a massive change in affiliate sales when I went from links to affiliate products in my sidebar, to images of the affiliate products.
I also noticed an increase in sales when I created a tab at the top of the page called "Fat Loss Resources". It's a list of all the fat loss products that I've actually used. I'm in the process of doing a short review of each product on that page.
So that's what's worked for me. Thanks for the great topic and fantastic advice. You rock Lynn!
Scott Tousignant
http://www.UnstoppableFatLoss.com
Thanks for the Stumble, Hendry π
The key is to find a good balance. Great content + a solid recommendation. It doesnt have to be "in your face" advertising, just relevant recommendations and clear options. Your readers will appreciate that style even more than no recommendation at all.
Sure they can work. I still get clicks on the Adsense placed above my blog posts here at ClickNewz - but nowhere near the response I get from links or recommendations within the posts.
He would surely do even better writing reviews or even content around whatever is promoted in that banner π
Hi Lynn,
My blog is very new and I'm wondering for most companies, how long does a blog/website need to be in business for a company to accept as a legit affiliate?
How many unique visitors/month would I need to begin applying as an affiliate? There was one product I am doing a review for, but from looking at their Affiliate Program Application, I don't think they will accept me as an affiliate . . . .yet. π
Thanks -- very helpful post!
Hi Linda,
Its different for every merchant. Some have no requirements at all (like ClickBank), while others have stricter policies. Regardless, go ahead and apply. You might make a note in the comment section of the form stating your intentions. The worst they can do is deny your app π
@Linda
In my own personal experience, most legitimate affiliate networks need one of two things:
1. Your blog or site has been active for at least 90 days...
2. You have a blog or site with sufficient content which is unique and relevant.
If you have a blog thats only 1 month old, but you have posted daily for the last 30 days, you should have no problems getting accepted by the big networks i.e. Neverblueads, Commission Junction, Pepperjam etc...
On the other hand, if you have a site or blog which gets updated once or twice a week they are going to want to see that this site has a domain, and has been up for at least 60-90 days...
Just like a day job, networks are looking for stability with their affiliates...
@Biljana
Cleaning up my blog was one of the best things I've ever done! I find banners to be very sketchy... If you are promoting a banner made by someone else, the graphics, color, and feel of the banner have a lot to do with how it converts... It's really a "tried and tested" type of game. Try it out, see what works and harness the results.
Thanks for taking the time to share this info, Elijah!
I already have a CJ account, but it hasn't been active lately and it's for a different niche/domain name. Hopefully that will work for and not against me.
If the account is still active, meaning you can log in to it, you can use your CJ links on any domain in any niche.
And flashy vs. not
By that, I don't just mean using "flash", I mean gawdy as well lol.
Yes, testing is very important. If you have a choice of banners to use, try testing one with more text on it against one with less, if possible.
Dennis and David both make great points! Testing is vital and surprisingly enough, poorly designed sites with flashy banners do well with in certain niches. It's a very strange phenomenon, but true nevertheless.
As each niche is different you have to really test what works and what doesn't. There is no universal ad placement formula that will work across the board. Every site is different, and should be treated in the same manner.
This is a great thread. Lots of useful info from everyone!
Some of the best promotion online comes down to
" I like this, this is why and this is what you might like about it".
Leave the hard-sell to the used car guys.
Lynn,
Reading your article i had an idea.
I was sitting here and all of a sudden it was like--ping!!- a light bulb went off in my head. And i am sooo excited i mean so excited- i finally got a missing part of the puzzle that hadn't quite clicked- and tonight it clicked.
This understanding is so cool. Thanks for making it click in my mind.
Hey- that's why your blog is Clicknewz --- you make things like in our heads;-)
All the best,
Eren
Wonderful stuff, Lynn; is there nothing I can't learn from you? π
Now that's a wide open question, Mitch π haha
Of course, if there's a topic you'd like to learn more about, feel free to tweet me on it and I'll see what I can do!
I did better than that; I sent you email!
thanks for share, your articles was realy help me as a newbie in the jungle of internet business π
You bring up some very good points. Personally, I'm trying this new style where instead of having a niche website, I made one single site which reviews various products. I've made a few sales but nothing to brag about. I'm just concentrating on getting traffic first before I will be able to really tell if a general review website is feasible.
In terms of page setup, I've read that a successful strategy is to make your landing page as natural as possible and to be subtle about your affiliate links. No big "buy now" buttons or flashing banners.
Peter
Thank you for your insight. Despite the age of this piece, still useful, thought-provoking.