Remember how we brainstormed the list of KEYWORDS and then
chose the best? We're going to choose affiliate partners in the same way. And,
of course, Search It! will be our super-efficient assistant as usual.
Solid research sets a solid foundation. That’s why the
strategies below try to cover almost every angle for choosing POSSIBLE
PARTNERS. However, being this thorough can be overwhelming, especially if you
are already time-crunched. So pick and choose the strategies that you know you
can realistically execute.
And then do them!
I highly recommend that you do at least four types of
searches if at all possible. You want to increase your chances of finding
quality affiliate programs that fit best with your business blueprint. But more
importantly, you want to be confident about the merchants that you represent!
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Grow Through Search Engines
A good place to start your search for merchants would be, of
course, at the Search Engines! Do a search for one of your keywords, plus the
word “affiliate.” Let’s use this example...
+ab exercise +affiliate
(The “+” sign means that both words must appear on the Web
page returned by the search.)
Grow Through Directories... Search and/or Drill Down
Directories are also a good place to research POTENTIAL
PARTNERS. An interesting place to start is…
Since this is a large directory and there is a substantial
annual fee, it has only serious merchants. Many of the sites listed here will
have affiliate programs so this search is like hitting pay dirt in a gold mine.
Grow Through Specialized Affiliate Directories
Now let’s investigate your POSSIBLE PARTNERS and add some
new merchants, too. How? Easy...
Visit a site that appeals to you. If it has an affiliate
program that fits your Site Concept, first enter what kind of merchandise it
sells and then enter the URL of the “join page” into POSSIBLE PARTNERS for that
keyword (as explained above). Check the top ten sites -- twenty if you are
feeling ambitious -- and record those with potential.
Repeat the process for each keyword in your Master Keyword
List (i.e., replace “exercise” with another keyword like “ab exercise”),
starting with your specific high-profitability keywords and then following up
with your general Concept Keywords (ex., “weight training” and other
“concept-level” keywords that you develop, such as “exercise equipment,” etc.).
Read the review of each potential match. Look at the ratings
and take advantage
of any evaluation services offered.
You can also look for “cross-concept companies.” These are
companies selling products that, because of their nature, fit with most or all
Site Concepts. For example, whether your concept is about “Renaissance art” or
“pricing” or “exercise,” you’ll find books about it. So always include a
bookstore in your group of affiliate programs.
Still in the searching mood after all that? Try this final
suggestion… You already have a list of POSSIBLE PARTNERS. Use the search tool
at AssociatePrograms to check out partners. Just enter each domain into the
search tool.
If you want to be really, really, really thorough, and you
have more spare time than I do, you could check out these affiliate
directories…
Associate Programs
http://www.associateprograms.com/
Refer-it
http://www.refer-it.com/
1webindex
http://www.1webindex.com/
Grow Through The ClickBank Network
ClickBank, through its fast-growing Marketplace, gives you
access to over 10,000 digital products and a commission range that extends as
high as 75%.
http://www.clickbank.com/
Its account setup is simple and free. And ClickBank’s
tracking and payment procedures are reliable and accurate. The company manages
the publisher (merchant) relationship so you always receive your payment.
Grow through Affiliate Backend Providers/Networks/Aggregators
There are several companies that provide the tools,
technology and services that online businesses need to register, track, report
and pay affiliates. In other words, merchants don’t have to “do it themselves”
because these companies provide all the backend functionality necessary to run
an affiliate program. The “backend providers” prefer to call themselves
“affiliate networks.” Why? Because they do more than just provide merchants
with affiliate software. They also provide merchants with affiliates, and
vice-versa. Since they have a pool of hundreds of thousands of affiliates, a
merchant’s program gets instant exposure to potentially interested affiliates.
And affiliates get exposure to a wide variety of merchants.
So join each of these backend providers. You will likely come across many of
the same merchants that you found in the affiliate directories. But you will
also find new ones. So it is worth checking to see whether they feature any
programs that fit with your concept....
Commission Junction
http://www.cj.com/
LinkShare
http://www.linkshare.com/
If you find merchants with products that fit, enter what
kind of merchandise they sell and also enter the URL of the “join page” to the
POSSIBLE PARTNERS column in your MASTER KEYWORD LIST for each keyword that is
relevant.
Grow through Alexa
Use Search It! to find potential affiliates through Alexa or
Quantcast. Choose the Popularity search category. Alexa, for example, displays
traffic ranking, in-pointing links, and even visitor reviews! Once you
establish which sites in your niche are the big players, use the Related Links
tool from Alexa to expand your horizons!
Grow Through Search Engines & Directories...
Favorite Tricks Now for a quick peek at a couple of my
favorite tricks... How else can you find merchants through the Search Engines?
Easy!...
1) Visit the advertisers!
2) Sniff affiliate sites (They’ve already done the homework
for you!)...
These “linked-to” merchants already have affiliate programs
-- all you have to do is check them out and see if they fit with your Site
Concept! Add the ones that do fit with your list of POSSIBLE PARTNERS.
Grow Through Back Links
Find other sites that link to a site with this query….
Many of these sites will be content sites that also link to
other exercise-related merchants as affiliates (you can often tell by the
linking URLs). More than likely, these linked-to merchants already have
affiliate programs -- all you have to do is check them out and see if they fit!
Add the acceptable ones to your list of POSSIBLE PARTNERS for each keyword.
And you can use link-finder technique for
all of your POSSIBLE PARTNERS for all of your keywords! Google is your friend.
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