I get a lot of emails from people looking to get involved in Affiliate Marketing asking where do they start, what are the best sites to build etc. So as well as reading my previous post for a list of forums and blogs to read regularly I thought I'd put some ideas down here.

What not to do when getting involved in Affiliate Marketing for the first time:

Do not launch a shopping directory style site. These are 10 a penny (including UK Offer) and generally speaking do not make money. For instance, UKOffer has been online for around 5 years and hardly makes any money apart from a few pages that I send traffic through via ppc. There are hundreds of thousands of shopping directory sites on the web, we don't need any more.

Do not launch a cashback site. Again there are millions out there and are full of drawbacks for the novice. I.e. how do you track cashback sales? Sure there is software out there but is it 100% reliable? I wouldn't want to be in your shoes if you have angry members knocking at your door because they didn't receive their cackback from the £2000 plasma tv they bought from your site. Also, lots of merchants do not like "incentive" sites so best just to avoid them.

Do not enter any saturated arena for that matter. Sure credit card, loans, holidays, broadband, mobile phones, insurance and casino sites can be lucrative but they are also really competitive. I'm not saying it isn't possible to get started in these sectors, its just that its really difficult. One of the most common things I see is newbies joining various Affiliate Marketing forums and saying stuff like "I hear there is money to be made in the finance sector, so I've made a site comparing credit cards, can you review it for me?" And 99 times out of 100 it is the same as every other credit card comparison site on the web and won't make the affiliate any money.

Do not start off your venture into Affiliate Marketing by using PPC to drive traffic to your site. I honestly believe this is the easiest way for a newbie to throw money away. Instead wait until you have some earnings from natural traffic and even then *research* as much as you can on PPC before giving it a go.

Do not copy site designs or content. Both can get you into no end of trouble. Be original!

Do not build a site purely for arbitrage. Despite the fact that its incredibly hard to master, I do believe that in time the major search engines will ban them. Instead build quality sites, see below.


What to do when getting involved in Affiliate Marketing for the first time:

Do build a site around a subject that genuinely interests you and that you are knowledgeable about. So many people waste their time building sites around niches/subjects they know nothing about purely because they think that is where they think the money is. One of the golden rules of Internet Marketing is that if you have a site with unique content that gets updated regularly you *will* generate traffic. And if you can generate traffic then you *will* make money. It is that simple.

And with the increasing popularity of blogs and the ease of use of blogging software it is now easier than ever to launch a site/blog. Blogs seem to be in favour with Google too so there are additional benefits to be had by owning a blog. As an example look at this blog about shoes. This is a great way to blog about your shoe fetish and make money!

Another great example is AllKids run by friends of mine. This site started off as a part time project in 1999, and was never designed to make money. Instead it was seen as a gap in the market, an online resource for parents, and basically just a hobby that mu friend did in her spare time. Now in 2007 the site employs 3 full time people working on it and generates around £200,000 (approx. $US 392,000) a month in sales for its merchants. Not bad for a hobby site eh?

Do update your site regularly and persevere with it. One of the biggest frustrations for newbies is that they give up because they haven't made a million in a week or two. It does take time to establish your site, so build it, update it and be patient!

Do mask your affiliate links. Some anti-virus software will block affiliate links and it is in your best interest to ensure that your site and links are seen by as many people as possible. I can recommend this one.

Do research niches. As I mentioned above forget about the popular sectors, instead focus on smaller niche areas. For example do you or your friends or family have any hobbies? Maybe you do but think that there isn't a market online for them. Think again. I generate around 200 sales a day in a specific niche that I barely knew existed. That's 200 sales a day! Go into your local magazine shop, and look for magazines that cater to niche markets and grab some inspiration from them. Read newspapers, online new, blogs etc. and look for future trends/products. There are literally hundreds of ways to find inspiration.

The beauty of the web is it is global and therefore the biggest market there is, and you can tap into it. So when signing up to affiliate networks etc, look for the smaller, lesser known programs to promote. You know the ones that you usually overlook as you have never heard of them? I promise you there is money to be made from these type of niches.

So there you go, a few ideas on how to get started in Affiliate Marketing. If you have any questions please leave a comment or email questions@here.org.uk.

What I'm listening to right now: Bow Wow featuring R Kelly - "I'm A Flirt"

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