Where the focus is everything about online marketing, including key business strategies, innovative marketing methods, effective online advertising techniques, emerging advertising trends in technology and much more.
Speculation swirls that Commission Junction may be
about to announce a new general manager.
I've been enjoying the "lifestyle"
and resting my tired (and very
fabulous) bones. But fear not, I
may be on an extended holiday, but
my spies are everywhere. These intrepid
wannabe Woodwards are very
dedicated and they've been report ... More BY THE SPIDER
Maybe you are familiar with this rule of thumb, maybe not; but the basic philosophy is to
never put more than three clicks between your visitors and the product purchasing page. This
can be accomplished by a variety of ways: landing pages, search boxes, direct linking, and
"get it" buttons, all of which have proven to be successful in converting ... More BY CECILY ROBYN LOUGH
As the pay-per-click (PPC ) advertising landscape becomes increasingly multifaceted, it's important for affiliate marketers to capitalize on emerging trends. Among the trends already starting to impact how affiliate marketers run online ad campaigns is vertical pay per click. An increasing number of PPC engines have divided their networks by "verti ... More BY TIFFANY GUARNACCIA
In the "old days" of the Web, you published articles and waited for search engines to come and index your pages. Nowadays powerful syndication techniques will bring your content to readers, search engines and respected news sources. One of the most effective ways to syndicate site content is through online press release distribution services.
With ... More BY GARY MARCOCCIA
An advertiser's keyword list will determine the cost, size and reach of his advertising account. However, many new online marketers are unsure where to start when selecting an effective list. Will very broad keywords bring too many untargeted customers to the site? Will keywords that are too specific not bring in enough traffic? Unfortunately there ... More BY SANDY PARISH
In the beginning there was affiliate marketing, and it was good. Retailers around the country began opening up affiliate programs left and right and clamoring for more affiliates. Merchants looked to this new channel as an incredibly cost-effective method of attracting customers - both new and repeat shoppers. Many did not fully understand how affi ... More BY JAMIE BIRCH
1. Natural Search Is DeadThere is nothing that could be further from the truth. Natural search engine optimization is still thriving. It is more difficult today than it was five or six years ago, but the core of search results are still free. Natural search engine optimization being dead is a popular myth because of the standardization of methodolo ... More BY JOE LARATRO
Anybody watch baseball? One of my favorite baseball philosophies is the offensive strategy of Get 'em on, Get 'em over, Get 'em in. It's so powerful, yet so simple.
Get someone on base.
Move them into scoring position.
Bring them home.
"What does baseball have to do with affiliate marketing?" I'm glad you asked.
Too many affiliate pr ... More BY MICHAEL NUNEZ
Unique website content is something that is difficult to find these days. Some manufacturers / vendors want to have complete control over their content. So, every time you get a data feed or go to download a product-based link from an affiliate network you get the same content that thousands of other affiliates have access to. Youre stuck without a ... More BY LAURA PARVEY-CONNERS AND MATT RANTA
How many times have affiliates griped about being refused for a merchant's program? Maybe yoursite isn't up to snuff or you applied too soon. Or, perhaps, application processes are automated andone little thing is what got you kicked back.
What is less talked about is the opposite of that - the scrutiny you should be giving the programsthemselves. ... More BY ERIC REYES
I love affiliate marketing. (Bet that got your attention!) I know it's often considered the black sheep of e-commerce, but in my seven-odd years in this industry, I've learned to appreciate the nuances of this business from the perspective of an affiliate, a couple of merchants and now a network. After experiencing the highs and lows of each of tho ... More BY CAROLYN TANG
I created my first website in 1995. Shortly after it went live I realized that nobody apart from me could see it. It dawned on me that this "Internet thing" is all about being part of an interconnected network of websites. I needed to start getting connected to other websites.
Much has changed since then, but it seems the desire and pressure you f ... More BY MICHAEL CHENEY
It's hard work building a site, sifting through sponsors, updating the pages and promoting it. The payoff is getting checks in the mail. But, like most affiliate marketers, you want fatter checks, and some of the ways to achieve this is to fully optimize your traffic and your sponsors. Here, in a nutshell, are several ways to put some extra bucks i ... More BY KEVEN KNUHTSEN
The holidays are just around the corner and your site should be fully prepared to service the volume of expected visitors. Traffic and sales increase during the holiday season. Sometimes this season is a flash between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but for others it lasts from October to January. Whatever your traffic pattern, if you want to have a su ... More BY GUS BRITO
Knowing the right people in this industry can translate into a serious increase in your affiliate commissions. There is no reason to hide your affiliate skills in a business atmosphere driven by results. Affiliate managers need your sales. Making a good connection with the affiliate managers of one or two companies can mean all the difference for y ... More BY RICHARD A. LEWIS
You can have the greatest site on the Internet, but if you don't have traffic you don't have anything. And if you do have traffic and it is not the right traffic, you still don't have anything worthwhile.There are several questions that must be asked and, even more importantly, must be answered if you want to close more sales and make more money on ... More BY RICK SCHWARTZ
In light of the recent changes Google has made to its AdWords program, affiliates are scrambling to find ways to build websites in a search engine-friendly and customer-centric manner. Moreover, because online shoppers are now savvier than ever, affiliate marketers must use extreme precision when merchandising their pages and presenting information ... More BY J.T. STEPHENS
A popular debate among affiliate managers centers on whether or not value is added to affiliate programs by CPA Networks, which are online marketing companies that recruit advertisers from around the Web and pay them to promote different merchant offers.
Some affiliate managers argue that CPA networks fail to add value because they poach advertis ... More BY J.T. STEPHENS
Search engine marketing and optimization have become important components of most company's online marketing strategies. Proof of this ranges from the high market capitalization of Google to the increased percentage of marketing budgets being directed toward search.
When working to boost the effectiveness of any online marketing initiative, it's ... More BY ANDREW WETZLER
Tool 1: Keep Track of Your Google RankThis is a very nifty tool that lets you keep track of where your website is listed in Google.com for your key phrases. You can also input other websites and keep track of them as well (you didn't hear me say "competitors" did you?).Tool 2: Check for Broken LinksOne of the things that can really annoy visitors t ... More BY MICHAEL CHENEY
Navigating the complex world of processing fees is not easy for anyone including online merchants.
However, if merchants pay keen attention to a handful of key factors and put measures in place to prevent them from happening, they can save thousands of dollars in annual processing fees.
Visa and MasterCard have come up with an interchange catego ... More BY ANNA SOLOMON
In August, Google made yet another algorithm change, shaking the foundations of the content-based search marketing world. Search engine optimization (SEO) experts believe that this recent change stemmed directly from the oversaturation of duplicate content in Google's listings. As a result of the change, many affiliates who employ a combination of ... More BY J. T. STEPHENS
Since 2000 there has been an explosion of online purchasing, yet there seems to be a lack of companies that are qualified to guide merchants through the complex process of setting up systems to enable online payments and transactions.So, while the number of merchant service providers has grown, their complete understanding of online transaction pro ... More BY ANNA SOLOMON
With layoffs and corporate downsizing filling the news, entrepreneurship is being touted as the new corporate lifestyle. Instead of sending out résumés, laid-off workers are investing in themselves by starting businesses or purchasing franchises.
According to a recent study, The Entrepreneur Next Door, by the Kauffman Foundation, entrepreneurship ... More BY KAREN LANGE
There's a war raging between unique content and product lists - at least on Google. And it appears that content is winning the battle.
That means affiliates who want to effectively compete on Google needs to add new, fresh and targeted content to their site or risk vanishing into a black hole. Of course, every good affiliate wishes they had uniqu ... More BY CHRIS SANDERSON
The holiday shopping season has come to a close, but consumers are still shopping. Many affiliates and merchants optimize their sites for the large year-end holiday shopping season utilizing special holiday promotions and coupons. At this time of year there are a few key things you can do to keep your commissions growing.
The Post-Holiday Shopper ... More BY GREG VAN HORN
Online advertising is forecast to grow by 30 percent this year, and the affiliate marketing segment is expected to grow in line with this estimate. Merchants are expected to either add affiliate marketing to their existing online sales channels or upgrade their platforms to expand their existing programs even further.
A key part of running a succe ... More BY PETER KONING
As an online marketer who has also managed an affiliate program, I know that one of the most common types of affiliates is one who owns a virtual mall or Web shopping or search portal. While many of these dynamically built sites are visually impressive, they face a major battle to gain inclusion into natural search engine results because many of th ... More BY JOSHUA SLOAN
A new year has begun, and if you are like most people you'll want to improve your results over last year.Ensure each of your goals follows the SMART concept: specific; motivational; action-oriented; relevant to your situation; and time-bound.
Specific: "I will increase my sales by 15 percent compared to last year." Be as specific about your goal a ... More BY KELLEY ROBERTSON
