This is a review of the key points made by Ken Evoy in Affiliate Masters Course (AMC). Ken's comments are highlighted in Yellow and all the comments, discussion, supplementary ideas and links to other information will appear following the points extracted from the course.
If you haven't already started the course, some of these points won't make much sense to you.
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Secret of traffic-building: Do something ... See how it works. Do something else ... See how that works. And then try something else ... And see how that works ....
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Some traffic building techniques are simple common sense, others are more novel but deserve a second look. Click on this page to learn about Viral Traffic-Building Systems
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Good results tell you what's going right. Poor outcomes show you what needs to be fixed.
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The best traffic-building techniques are high-yielding and sustained.
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Astonishing Mail
is a one-stop resource to create, print and mail all in one step. 800,000 photographs and a database of 110,000,000 households are all seamlessly integrated into this one easy to use Web site.
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When you "get it right" at the search engines, they'll deliver you traffic for months, even years
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Way to get "word of mouth" advertising: Deliver great content.
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Your image is worth more than the few dollars per month that a quality listhost will charge you ... avoid free services.
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Don't rush to publish your e-zine. Put up your
subscription form when traffic-building efforts cease working.
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Submitting your site to the engines is a tedious affair: each engine likes to receive submissions in different ways.
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Seven major free search engines will account for about 95% of your traffic.
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You are listed automatically in AOL's search engine when you bid on keywords at goto.Com
You are listed automatically in msn's search engine when you submit to Inktomi.
You are listed automatically in Netscape's Search Engine when you bid on keywords at GoTo.com
You are listed automatically in WebCrawler's Search Engine when you submit to Excite.
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Batch submission: Many people speak well of DumpTRUCK! This is shareware (US$15) that batch submits URLs for you ... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
dumpTRUCK! features:
batch URL submission to top search engines!
submit up to 25 URLs per batch!
create unlimited batches!
import lists of URLs!
automatic submission reports in HTML format!
ability to create and modify the search engine list!
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Check indexing at AltaVista: enter "url:YOURDOMAIN.com" into the search box to see every page from that domain that it has been indexed.
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Every engine has a different protocol. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Tracking rankings manually takes time. There are services or software that will do it for you. But none is both complete and reliable ...
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3) AgentWebRanking Suite -- runs on *YOUR* computer instead of on the Internet. It's free. And many people speak well of it. Download and try it from http://www.aadsoft.com/agentwebranking/ranks.htm
4) WebPositionGold -- probably the Cadillac for ranking. Is client-side software. expensive, complicated to use. best for consultants http://www.webpositiongold.com/
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So WHY do all the pros do it? Because it's so important to know where you stand. Every situation is different. You have to get the lay of the land (YOUR land) and see where you stand in it.
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The Free Major Search Engines are still the best way to build traffic on the Net
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When your site has reached 10 pages, link with Open Directory and with ONE minor directory that is a "theme hub" related to your Site Concept
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Remember, links go BOTH ways (IN and OUT).
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Add other links (both ways) with major directories and theme-related ones
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Trade links with other sites as you discover them.
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Here are a few general e-mail guidelines on requesting reciprocal links:
Change the phrase reciprocal links to "Reciprocal Themed Links".
DO NOT commercialize your email in any way.
Do not include ANY links in your email signature area except links to your web site.
Keep your message short and to the point. Ask for a reciprocal link and that's it.
Include a personal comment in the message to prove beyond any shadow of a doubt that you personally visited their web site.
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Web site traffic is NOT like the weather! You can do much more than just watch and talk about it. Such as:
Start to tweak your pages.
Add an extra keyword to the title
Increase the amount of content
Or decrease it
Note which pages are doing well and reproduce those successes.
... Tweak, re-submit, and track
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Try to get HALF of your pages in the Top 10 in at least HALF of the engines. At that point... STOP TWEAKING
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if you have a spot in the Top 10 for ANY page, NEVER try to make that page better... you'll go backwards more often than not.
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You can write a good new page far faster than the repeated tweaking cycles each page requires.
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The more sites that link to a site, and the more important they are, the more "popularity points" for that site.
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Popularity, and "off-page" criterion the engines are using more and more, is not YET a dominant weighting factor ...
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To search for all the links that point to a site (internet.com) use ["link:internet.com"]
to get links-to minus those that link to itself use ["-host:internet.com"].
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Link popularity is expected to grow in importance.
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To increase your popularity ...
1) List with major directories like Yahoo!, Open Directory, LookSmart
2) List with directories that are specific to your area of interest
3) Try a Link Popularity Enhancement Program
4) One-at-a-time, site-by-site, link exchanging...
5) If you have several domains on related topics, don't forget to interlink them all!
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"How do I find directories my area of interest?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Use AltaVista.
Enter this into the search box: "+XXXX +directory" (without the quotes)
where "XXXX" is a keyword for YOUR area of interest.
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Don't waste time surfing endlessly looking for niche sites with good traffic BUT e-mail them as you discover them in the course of doing other, more productive work.
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Do *NOT* do the FFAs.
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Create a links page that sends links OUT to terrific, non-competing, high-traffic (verify with Alexa) Web sites.
1) theme-specific sections of the major directories
2) theme-specific minor directories ("theme hubs")
3) theme-related, non-competing, sites
4) links to your other domains on related topics
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Linkage COUNTS both ways with the engines, INcoming and OUTgoing
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Code your HTML so that you open a new window with outgoing links
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Pay-per-clicks allow you to bid for keyword placement. Saves time! No tweaking, submitting, etc.
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The MOST popular keywords have become quite expensive at GoTo.com (the first and biggest engine) and are rising at the others.
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Best strategy is to work the niches. Bid on hundreds of less popular keywords related to your Theme-Based Content Site
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Drawback to bidding on hundreds of words... the time involved to research and actually bid upon them all.
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Ahem! Now a word from our sponsor ... (you didn't think that guru Ken would give you soooo much information without at least plugging his own products did you?)
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Site Build It! Manager takes care of all research and bidding for you
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Actually "Manager" is just one part of Site Build It! which is a great bundle of products. It was used to create and publish Affiliate-Master.com™ (this site).
I've written a fairly comprehensive review of this product which you can find at: Site Build It! Review
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Register for a bidding account with GoTo.com at: https://secure.goto.com/s/dtc/center/.
While you're there, download their mass-submission Excel template (Basic or Power form, either one is OK -- they prefer if you use the Power form).
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Bid a penny higher than the highest site that seems to reach YOUR TARGET VISITOR.
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If the descriptions for the first three sites are clearly aimed at someone who is NOT your target, why outbid them?
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Stay a penny higher than your COMPETITORS, as long as that bid makes FINANCIAL SENSE from a PROFIT-MAKING viewpoint...
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What Makes sense, financially?
You need to know:
How much per click you pay,
Your Click-through rate
Your conversion Rate and
Your commission.
Suppose:
Each click costs 2 cents, then 1000 clicks will cost $20.00
20% of your visitors click-through to profitable links, so (20% of 1000) 200 click-throughs have cost $20.00
Your conversion rate is 1.5%, so 1.5% of your 200 click-throughs buy, meaning your merchants get 3 sales. Those three sales have cost $20.00
Your commission is $15 per sale, meaning you have 3x15=$45.00 commissions from these sales.
You've paid $20.00 for these sales, leaving you a profit of 45-20= $25.00. This, DOES make financial sense!
Naturally, if you only have one affiliate program, and this is ALL you ever get from it, you may not think that it is worth all the time and effort. We would probably expect this to go on every month, and further now that we have established this with one merchant, repeat the process with several more.
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If you've chosen good affiliate programs, ones that offer lifetime customer commissions, you've gained 3 lifetime customers ... ongoing income with no further expense!
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Let's do a bit of speculation here, just to see what makes good business sense.
Suppose that instead of 2 cents per click you paid, 4.5 cents. You've now spent all your income. But what if, as Ken suggests, you have customers in a life-time program and those customers buy a similar product every year for the next five years.
You've invested $45 to receive $45 next year, the year-after, the next-year-after, and so on for a total of 5 years. That is STILL an excellent investment, but it is dependent on having assured customers in an excellent life-time customer program.
In fact, if you are really confident of your merchant and his reliability to both provide on-going products and payment to you, it would even make sense to pay MORE than these 4.5 cents. The biggest drawback (and there is a risk attached) is the delay in receiving your payment.
You can be sure that some people have already figured this out and THAT is why some very astute business people are paying some very high prices to acquire new customers.
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GoTo.com does more than just provide its own search results at its highly popular engine. It supplies listings for many major search portals (such as AOL Search, Netscape Search, Lycos, AltaVista, etc.) and large meta search engines.
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The key to success is to bid upon hundreds of keywords related to your site.
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Ken slyly gets in another plug for his wares by providing you with the following advice:
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Use "SBI! Manager" as follows...
MASTER KEYWORD LIST... build a list of KEYWORDS, including PROFITABILTY (i.e., DEMAND and SUPPLY) data about each, with SUPPLY SITE INFO research for each.
Use the "PROFITABILITY" info for each KEYWORD to help you pick the best topics for your site.
Use the Site Build It! SERVER-side site-building tool to develop your Theme-Based Content Site, full of Keyword-Focused Content Pages
PAGE SUBMISSION INFO Form... prepare for submitting bids to the pay-per-click engines by entering the info that they require into the Manager's PAGE SUBMISSION INFO Form...
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Of course, you CAN do all of this without SBI or Manager, but if you do, and really do it well following the course to the letter you'll soon be wishing you had started using SBI from the beginning.
The title for your Web page need not be your actual page title. Best use a title which contains the keyword that you bid for, since the click through will be higher. GoTo.com cuts the title off after 40 characters ... so keep it short.
Description -- Get your most important, biggest point up front. Copy-and-paste your META description
URL -- Direct your potential visitors DIRECTLY to the specific page on your site that has the information they request, not just to your home page.
Each KEYWORD that you bid upon must clearly relate to its Title and Description, and to the contents of your site.
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All of the above is carried out through the pay-per-click submission function of Site Build It! Manager.
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Directories are different than Search Engines.
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Somebody - a real person - actually looks at your page and decides if it gets in.
Directories are like gigantic bookmark lists, organized into categories and sub-categories, and sub-sub-categories, etc.
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The Major Directories in order of importance...
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or ... become a "Go Guide" and then submit your site -- be nice and submit other sites that fit in the same topic, too. Give... then take. :-)
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AOL Search -- you are listed automatically in AOL's directory when you submit to Open Directory.
MSN Search -- you are listed automatically in MSN's directory when you submit to LookSmart.
Netscape Search -- you are listed automatically in Netscape's directory when you submit to Open Directory.
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RealNames is a cross between PAY FOR LISTING/PLACEMENT and "pay-per-click."
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**IMPORTANT**
If your site is set up to deliver traffic exclusively to ONE merchant it is unlikely to be accepted by the best directories, PAID or NOT.
**IMPORTANT**
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The best thing about the pay-per-clicks is that they are guaranteed, targeted and cheap traffic.
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The free engines are a better bargain IF you can figure them out -- some people will do better at it than others.
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Build a good site that delivers HIGH-VALUE content, you'll get into the directories
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If you know study the nature of your INCOMING and OUTGOING traffic, you can maximize your returns for every dollar and minute that you spend!
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The key to traffic analysis is to simplify.
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Getting right to the pure essence of things, here's what you need to focus on:
Page Views
the number of pages viewed by all the visitors during all the visits. A single visitor might view only one page ... or twenty.
hits
Useless information ... a line in your site's log file.
Most popular pages
knowing which pages are most popular, you understand better the needs of your visitors
Most frequent exit pages
not necessarily "bad." If a "high exit" page is where visitors click on your links OUT to your income-generating programs for you, that's good
How you SPEND your traffic-building time and money
Discover what's working, and what's not. SPEND only on the techniques that bear fruit.
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Track how to best spend our traffic-building time and money via click in analysis. OFF-SITE links that bring traffic IN to you
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Track what's generating income by click through analysis.ON-SITE links that send traffic OUT.
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Track Click-ins by creating a special tracking link for each of these "untraceable links," you'll KNOW what has been previously unknown.
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Promotion Link Testing
An easy way to test promotions is to give each a special
promotion code which is included in your URL like:
http://yourdomain.com/index.html?promo1. ("promo1" is your
code)
Add a question mark to your normal URL and follow it with your
promo code.
http://yourdomain.com/index.html?promo1 and
http://yourdomain.com/index.html?promo2
will both lead to the
same page but will show up in your site's logs as 2 separate
entry pages.
If you've used a certain code in only one promotion
you can see exactly how many people have responded to that promotion by checkingyour site's log.
This isn't necessary with Site Build It! which provides a special tool for creating AND tracking
incoming off-site links.
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In order to do Click Through Analysis, convert your regular OUTGOING links into special tracking links.
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One way to track outgoing links is by using a Jump Page
To create a Jump Page use code such as the following, replacing
"index.html" with the URL you want the visitor re-directed to.
You create this page on your own site, using a name that you choose to identify it with the link to which it leads.
Next, instead of a link directly to the URL you have substituted (in blue, above), use use a link which leads to the page you've just created.
This take your visitor to this Jump Page which -- a split-second later-- takes her to the URL of your merchant (or whatever). The reason for using this "detour" (which your visitor probably will never even notice) is that it shows up in you site's log as a visit to the jump page, and gives you a record of how many clicks have gone to your merchant partner's site.
You could also use this same jump page address in e-zines or other places outside your site when you want to send traffic directly to a special address, but want to keep track of how many people have gone there.
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Know your visitors -- by following traffic statistics
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Tracking links IN and OUT is the key to maximizing INCOME while getting the most return from all your traffic-building EXPENSES.
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Site Build It! -- automatically creates all links OUT as tracking links. You don't have to make special jump pages or use other methods of tracking these clicks.
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Know Your Visitors
Know where your visitors come from and what words they use to find you at the Search Engines.
Create special tracking links to measure the success of OFF-SITE promotions.
Measure the success of ON-SITE links to know what exactly people are clicking on and what they are not.
Build on what works. Improve or eliminate failures.
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Repeat the process for every new Theme-Based Content Site that you develop.
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