Affiliate Marketing

January 28, 2019 By adamriemer Leave a Comment

Yes, Google Likes Affiliate Websites & They Can Rank.

Whether it’s a Blogger in a Facebook group claiming they got penalized for using affiliate links and warning others not to try them, or a resource or directory website that swears their Google traffic is gone because they joined a specific affiliate program, you’re going to come across some scary stories. Don’t let them turn you off from affiliate marketing.

The main thing to look for is the person claiming “Google hates affiliate programs” or “Google hates affiliate websites” and my favorite “Google hates affiliate links”.

Using affiliate links and programs is just like any other monetization plan or ad placement. Google even has an entire section in their webmaster support area of search console specifically for building solid affiliate websites to make money. For the most part, affiliate links are 307 redirects, cloaked links or just a direct link with parameters (which should be no followed). They are treated just like any other part of a page and piece of your website’s structure and anatomy. This is no different than some of the other things you’re already doing.

Just like with other inbound and outbound links, too many dilute the authority they can pass internally and externally, and you should not add them if they won’t provide value to the visitor and support the topic. You also should not load your sidebar full or place too many on a page and above the fold. It’s that simple. So why do so many people blame them for their sites not ranking or losing rankings?

Let’s dive into why some people say Google hates affiliate websites and links.

Thin content being added and banners/links in the wrong places
Irrelevant content being created
Duplicate pages diluting your entire site
Not using disclosures to say it is paid placements (use blogging penalty for sponsorships)

Thin Content Being Added and Using Ads in the Wrong Places

Some sites make their first few sales and go crazy adding new posts and pages to make more money. Others add a javascript to automatically turn a link to a store or service into a link that is monetized through affiliate programs while forgetting that anything paid should be no follow. Some begin adding ads everywhere and the wrong way which creates a bad user experience. All of these can cause a drop in traffic or rankings when done incorrectly. Here’s some examples of problems and how to do proper implementation so your site can hopefully keep its traffic and you can make sales.

Example 1 – Bloggers and their first sales.

Bloggers who make their first sales sometimes start [Read more…] about Yes, Google Likes Affiliate Websites & They Can Rank.

June 4, 2018 By adamriemer 1 Comment

Are Banner Ads Dead for Affiliate Marketing?

Banners are high converting for remarketing, display, email and other forms of marketing, but when it comes to affiliate, many people pass them up. For good reason too. There’s banner blindness (people naturally ignoring them), ad blockers which recognize them as ads so they get blocked, and poor design quality as they’re made for lifestyle, branding or to balance like artwork so they blend in with the site and the purpose gets ignored. But that doesn’t mean they can’t or do not work.

It is true they may not perform as well in most cases as in text or product links, but that’s because the affiliate normally treats banners differently. There’s no pre-selling, value statements, proper placements, etc… And that’s what this post is about.

Banner ads are still important for affiliate marketing because they do in fact work. You just have to know how and where to use them or have an affiliate manager that knows how to monetize and do SEO. You also need good design (not pretty, lifestyle and art wise) and proper strategy based on the specific situation or scenario which includes a traffic and SEO analysis.

There is not a one size fits all banner strategy, but this post will give you what you need to know to audit your affiliate banners and some ideas to help get you started implementing them so they may be able to work for you too. I do this regularly with some of my monetization plans for clients, and banners are almost always a part of it because they do work.

February 5, 2018 By adamriemer 6 Comments

What is Affiliate Marketing?

By definition – Affiliate Marketing is a sales channel made up of three parts. Affiliates who drive the sales, affiliate programs which are the offers or stores the affiliates promote and affiliate networks which provide the tracking and payment platforms that connect affiliates with affiliate programs.

Now if you’re ready to learn everything from terminology to how much you can expect to make as an affiliate, or even if an affiliate program is right for your company, then read through this post. It is question and answer style and will be updated as I think of more relevant sections or as you request them (assuming they’re a fit). If you can’t find the information you’re looking for, use the contact form or leave a comment below and I’ll try to add it to the post.

Affiliate Marketing Terminology
How Much Can I Make as an Affiliate
Is Affiliate Marketing Right for my Company
- Stores and merchants
- Publishers and content sites
Is Affiliate Marketing a Scam or High Risk
Are There Any Legal Issues With Affiliate Marketing
Why Didn’t Affiliate Marketing Work For Me
- I didn’t make money
- Why didn’t any affiliates join my program
- I only had coupon sites, trademark bidders and scammers sign up
How Long Does Affiliate Marketing Take to Work
- Publishers
- Advertisers

November 30, 2017 By adamriemer Leave a Comment

Open Niches to Make Money in 2018

2017 was a fun year of digital marketing with everything from “Fred” and quality updates to the idea of mobile first indexing. There were new algorithms added for social media channels providing huge opportunities for affiliates as well as new technologies and advancements in how consumers and content users absorb information. All of these provide new niches to make money in and opened the door to established markets for someone new to take over.

If I was planning on moving into something new for 2018, here are the niches and markets I would begin building a presence for.

Harry Potter Game

Niantic (makers of PokemonGo) announced a Harry Potter augmented reality game. Although it sounds like they’re recycling the PokemonGo model, Harry Potter has a huge cult following and tons and tons of merchandise being sold regularly. With the new game you can expect devices to be released for purchase to enhance game play, you can expect fan gear and funny clothing to be in demand so people can “fit in” while playing, and since there is not much competition yet for “Wizards Unite” terms and phrases, it is an open market if you can be in there first.

I have a plan mapped out in my head but unfortunately no time to implement. It includes everything from finding phrases and answers about strategy using trends, cross promotions for shoes to wear for comfort and long stretches of play time and a lot more. This could be a huge one. I get into the biggest reason I would do this below.

DraconiusGo

Speaking of PokemonGo, DraconiusGo has launched as an alternative to this still popular game. It looks and feels similar to PokemonGo, but there are huge differences. The main one is that this game gives you numerous features you hoped for in PokemonGo, but Niantic never released.

They include player to player combat, mini quests, hunts where you have to problem solve maps, [Read more…] about Open Niches to Make Money in 2018

October 7, 2017 By adamriemer Leave a Comment

2 Advanced Strategies to Convert Affiliate Traffic to Sales

Yesterday at the Type A Parent conference someone asked me to write down my response to “what tips do you have to convert affiliate sales?”. Here is the basic principal behind the strategies I shared. It is something that is very easy to do, but is also rarely done.

How to convert affiliate traffic into sales:

Audience Matching
Experience Matching

September 18, 2017 By adamriemer 1 Comment

Ticket Affiliate Programs, An Open Niche to Make Money In

Please note I no longer manage this program. Please contact the affiliate manager through the website contact information directly.

The tickets niche is a very interesting one to look at for affiliate marketers, especially if you have a new website or are just starting out. Yes, you have huge brands for major terms, but because of the ticket industry and the red tape that exists in those large brands, you can more easily compete and win. That is exactly why ticket affiliate programs are the perfect way to move in and start to take over.

This post will walk you through why it is a good niche, how to begin entering in and then ways to expand and grow your business based on the sub-niche you move into.

Affiliate Marketing

Thin Content Being Added and Using Ads in the Wrong Places

Example 1 – Bloggers and their first sales.

Footer