I’ve mentioned this before, but this is a really important key point to success with affiliate marketing, so I thought I would give it a bit more attention.
By very nature, as an affiliate marketer, it is your job to recommend products to others in hopes that they will buy them based on this. This is the concept of the pre-sell; you warm them up to the idea of buying, and let the merchant’s sales page do the rest. This pre-sell has to be the focus of the entire page to maximize results with affiliate marketing.
Now what happens if you throw in tons of other links, text ads, flashing graphical ads, widgets, sidebars, and other visual stimuli? Well, the focus on your recommendation fades and fades until it’s lucky if someone even notices it at all!
That’s why it’s important to have a website that’s as clutter free as possible. Make it as easy as humanly possible for people to find what they want, and see what you want them to see. It’s totally fine to have ads or whatever, but you have to limit yourself and place them only where they do not interrupt the content or impede navigation.
Most people say that you should be no more than 2 clicks away from any page of your website. I say sure, but you should only be 1 click away from your best targeted pages! Make it easy to find your best, and most highly converting pages. Remember that only a fraction of visitors who land on your main page will surf to a specific page you want them to, so try to increase these odds.
You can do a lot of things to test your visitor’s browsing patterns, such as using Google Analytics, or if your willing to dish out some money, a good heat map click tracking software. I can’t personally recommend one as I have not used any yet, but this concept is proven to be effective. It has been a major strategy for Google and it’s success with sponsored results.
You need to find a balance between content, promotions, and everything else. That is the key to successful affiliate marketing.
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nice blog. I’m still learning about affiliate. thanks for the tips. “Make it as easy as humanly possible for people to find what they want, and see what you want them to see.” I’m agree with this.
I have blog to. its about telecommunication. the url: http://teledict.blogspot.com — nice to meet you
Good tips yo!
Thanks for sharing.
Now what happens if you throw in tons of other links, text ads, flashing graphical ads, widgets, sidebars, and other visual stimuli? Well, the focus on your recommendation fades and fades until it’s lucky if someone even notices it at all!
Too much Ads is not a good thing, aye.
You need to find a balance between content, promotions, and everything else. That is the key to successful affiliate marketing.
Content is King, Marketing is Queen!
Cheers, mate.
You have to guide your visitors. A blast of color and action to emphasize where you want them to go.
If your whole site is flashing, who knows the results.
Great post. This is a very good blog you have here.
I wish more bloggers would read this. Some sites are some cluttered you can’t even find the content. We understand you want to make some money, but gain readers first.
Looks like new bloggers are definitely putting money over readers more and more, and for what, a few measly bucks a month?
Blogging is a long term endeavor. Concentrate on your content rather than finding every money making or traffic generating widget available. Keep it simple, let the content speak for itself!
I am fence-sitting on this. Though, I understand. New Blogger put way too much emphasis on monetizing way too early in the game. I am guilty of this in a way, too. (I have 4 ad slots on my side bar, for example).
However, because I have put the 4 ad slots, I have already received e-mails asking if I will be opening up my advertising to the public any time soon (currently, I am using my own ads in the 4 spots of 125×125.
I am not even really concerned with advertising as of yet (like stated on my advertisement page), but it is just there for people, for potential advertisers, in the future.
It still does bring up a good point. I think I have done better than most new bloggers and found a decent balance of content vs ads. I think my blog, for example, is rather clean, even though it has adsense + private ad spots, aswell. *shrugs*
You know, this comment probably applies more to my most recent post about ads
But, if I take a look at your site in terms of organization, then I think you have done a nice job.
That sort of sponsor blog doesn’t really interrupt the flow of the site. Although I’m guessing your adsense is probably kind of useless.
If I may make a suggestion, when you go to the full post view, you should definitely keep your sidebar intact, so that people who land on those pages (most SE visitors will) can subscribe to your RSS and navigate easily.
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