05.31.07

eBay Changes Payout Structure

Posted in Affiliate Marketing News at 11:01 pm by Administrator

The big news this week in the Affiliate Program world is that eBay is changing its program terms. Some of the changes are positive - check out the new payout structureBut one change is troubling. As of June 1, 2007, eBay will no longer allow search marketers to link directly to the eBay.com site. Up until now, eBay has been one of the most search marketing friendly programs on the web, and one of the largest, too.  Hopefully, this experiment will show eBay just how effective their search marketing affiliates really have been, as the cost of writing and running ads on an almost infinite number of keywords relative to their product line, and the hassle of constantly adding new ones, becomes better known.  If eBay declares this experiment a success, however, other internet giants – and smaller companies as well – could follow suit.  Whatever the future holds, however, you can rest assured that Affiliate Millions will do its best to help you adapt to the changing environment.  In next month’s newsletter, I will try to put together some advice on creating simple landing pages to link to eBay with (a practice still allowed under the new rules).    

When do you give up on a losing campaign?

Posted in Questions and Comments at 10:37 pm by Administrator

How many clicks do you normally give a campaign before you can it? I’m just starting off here, but one campaign has like 500 clicks, and another 300+ and no sales yet. I expected to see something in the first 100 or so that might match the rates I was seeing on Commission Junction. I got most the clicks in a day or two, then cut way back on the funds to wait and see if I got any sales, but not yet. I think the ads are working, but the conversion rate is low. I was just wondering where you found the best time to start tweaking things.

Posted with permission from an email by Aaron C.

AffiliateFuel Application Issue

Posted in Questions and Comments at 8:18 pm by Administrator

I have just bought your book and am excited to start using your methods. However applying to AffiliateFuel the way you suggest in the book (without a top notch website) just doesn’t work (anymore). They don’t allow you leave all the fields describing your website blank. 

What can I do?

Posted with permission from an email by Norbert P

Landing pages and conversion rates

Posted in Questions and Comments at 8:11 pm by Administrator

Would you say that using a LP of your own (simple one pager with some graphics specific to the offer) could improve or decline conversion?

Posted with permission from an email by Norbert P

Using your own redirect server

Posted in Questions and Comments at 8:04 pm by Administrator

Would It not be better to use an empty page of my own, where a php script will record the searched keyword in a log file or mysql database before sending the visitor on to the LP from the offering company (the visitor would not notice this btw)? 

Posted with permission from an email by Norbert P.

Niche Markets

Posted in Questions and Comments at 7:57 pm by Administrator

What would be a good niche to start with on a relatively low budget (lets say $ 15 a day)?

Posted with permission from an email by Norbert P.

Budget Limit

Posted in Questions and Comments at 7:39 pm by Administrator

I recently purchased your book “Affiliate Millions” to help me get off to a good start in the affiliate marketing world.  Just have the say that the book is great and I am excited, though admittedly nervous, about getting my business off the ground.  I bought the book yesterday and already applied to the 4 affiliate networks that you suggest to start with in your book.  I am waiting on the email approvals, but have spent my time reading ahead in your book and digging around the sites…as well as brainstorming some potential campaigns.  In doing so, I have come up with a couple questions (and so far, unable to find them in your book) I was hoping you could help me out with.
My main concern at this point is my maximum daily/monthly budget limit(of course!).  You mentioned several times in your book to budget only what you are willing to lose.  I am a year out of college and don’t have a ton of money saved up and so I obviously don’t have a ton to risk.  I am thinking about setting my max daily limit at around $25.  While I know that it is going to depend on the program and campaign, is this going to be enough to determine whether a campaign can be successful?  Your input on this would be greatly appreciated!

Posted with permission from an email by Adam M.

Destination Links

Posted in Questions and Comments at 7:24 pm by Administrator

I am a new affiliate and promote merchants from CJ. I just finished reading your book Afiiliate Millions. I would appreciate if you could answer a question I have.

In your book, you have shown how to use the ‘Keyword links’ from CJ as the destination links in the ppc ads. The ebay example you have in the book works as both the destination link and display url have ebay top level domain and you can have eBay.com as your display url.

But most ‘keyword links’ in CJ have top level domain names like anrdoerz.net or dpbolvw.net. In such cases do you use these doamin names as your display url. Also most merchants in CJ prohibit affiliates to use their doamain names as display url. How do you get around this.

Thanks.
Sam P.

Posted with permission from an email by Sam P.