Adding affiliate ads to your existing website is easy. But to be effective and increase your income, you must choose the right ones, and place them on your webpages in ways that work.
An affiliate is someone who hosts ads for a company in exchange for a commission of the sales. Each company sets their own commission percentage. And they will wait until you've accumulated a certain amount of cash before paying you.
There are 3 steps to getting affiliate ads onto your web pages.
1. Finding a company, product, or service.
2. Applying for affiliate status with that company.
3. Placing their ads on your pages.
Finding Your Affiliate
Start by going to the sites of companies whose products or services relate directly to your readers' interests and needs. Then check their home page to see if they offer an affiliate program. If they do, you'll see a tab, usually on the bottom of the page in small letters, that says Become an Affiliate. They might also use the term Associate.
When you click on the site's affiliate tab, you will be taken either to the company's application page or to an affiliate clearinghouse. For example, Amazon handles its own affiliates, whereas Sephora or Macy's will re-direct you to their clearinghouse, also known as a marketing network site.
An easier way to find a company to represent is to go directly to one of the marketing network sites, and apply there. Some popular networks are Clickbank, CommissionJunction, AffiliateShop, PayDotCom and Linkshare. The advantage? More choices. And it's fun to browse through all the companies, evaluate the styles and artwork of their ad links, and compare benefits. Often a company will have special promotions that you can pass on to your readers. 1800Flowers recently had a special on roses. If you were their affiliate, you could promote that special on your site to get more sales.
Applying for affiliate status is easy. Whether you go to a single company or apply through a network site, simply click where indicated. You will be taken to an introductory page, where you will fill out a form describing your website.
Some companies will take a few days to review your application, and some approve you immediately.
If you get rejected, simply choose another company and move on. Don't take it personally! For the most part, you are reviewed, accepted, or declined by a software program. Some companies simply want affiliates with a certain volume of traffic.
Once you're accepted by a company, you will have access to ads to place on your website. Each ad will contain your affiliate identification. You don't have to worry about being paid. The company or network does it for you. You will have a password to get to your account page, and you'll be able to check it as often as you like to see how your ad is doing.
Choosing an Ad Link
Ad link sizes, shapes, and formats vary widely. Choose from text only, small or large buttons, horizontal and vertical banners, and even flash animations. Some are colorful, some blink like slideshows, some are elegant, some are interactive. Find the ad links that blend with your site's look and feel. And make sure they support the content on your web page.
Amazon lets you set up your own link, and even build a bookstore that you title yourself. Other companies' ad links take readers to a landing page where they can get more information about the product. Gaiam, a lifestyle product company, occasionally offers links in the form of movies!
Placing the Ad Link on your Site
1) Once you've chosen a link, you'll see a small window with HTML. Highlight it and copy it to your clipboard.
2) Now go into your own site, and paste the code into the appropriate page. Often you can do this through your HTML, or by using a module plug-in. Check with Website-DoItYourself if you need help with this step.
3) Pull up your website's page view and see what the ad looks like. Is it where you want it? Is there enough space between the ad and your content? Does it enhance the reader's experience? Is it easy to see?
4) Choose an ad style that blends in with your content. Some experts say that a banner across the top of your page is effective, and others say an ad in the middle of the content works well. You want your readers to see it, but you don't want to annoy them. A huge, flashing button in the middle of your page is probably going to be offensive. But the same button might look good on the top right, with content text wrapped to its left. Don't be afraid to experiment.
Tracking your Progress
Your affiliate or network will have many ways for you to keep track of your ads. Don't be intimidated if you've never done this before. They all have excellent instructions, and responsive help desks.
As the days go by, note which ads - and which placements - are bringing in income for you. Get rid of the ads that don't get hits. In this way you can fine-tune your ads and bring in more income.
With affiliate ads, as opposed to, say, Google Adsense, income depends on your readers actually purchasing the product. Clicking on the ad is not enough. So you want to make your ad links context sensitive. And you want to offer your readers products and services that will enhance their lives.
There is no limit to how many companies or products you can represent as an affiliate. Just as you try different ad link styles and page placements, you will also want to try different companies. It costs nothing to become an affiliate, but don't take the process lightly. Do a lot of testing. With Adsense, you never ever want to click on your own ads. That's a law of the universe. But with affiliate ads, it's okay to click on the links to test them. If your performance is not what the company wants, they may place you in a lower commission category.
So enjoy the process, but choose your programs carefully. Once you're an affiliate, give it all you've got!