Ok...well, not really stolen, but I had this idea a few months back and thought it was neat and then I moved on. I guess I'm not the only "genius" who can think up simple affiliate program business models, because someone is actually doing it now... The idea was a way for these new "user generated Web 2.0 video sites" to maybe have a chance at competing with YouTube.com (the absolute dominating "Google" of videos). A friend recently took a position as a COO of a company that thinks they have solved the major "business and revenue generation issues" that YouTube has and can launch and be far more successful. So, I got to think about the best way he could market that site with a bang and of course my mind drifted to my favorite form of marketing - AFFILIATE marketing. But, since these types of sites are ad-revenue based, how can you have an affiliate program? That was when I thought about Ebay's program - when they launched they were offering something like $5.00 per free account! So, maybe these video sites can't afford that much, but less - they have a chance at being the only "free user generated web 2.0... Read More →

Many years ago, before Google was important (can you remember back that far?), it was thought that the more keywords you had on a page, the better your search engine ranking would be.

That's not the case anymore.

Because search engines can not check every page of a site, and developers get tired of spammers hiding keywords in the background (or in tiny print, or any other Black Hat way they could use to get rated high), keyword density became less important.

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Get ready to pull off the saddle and take a break from your busy schedule. When you head out to the lake you're going to want to take the August issue of Affiliate Classroom magazine with you. Whether you favor Black Hat or White Hat, or something in between, find out how to keep your site safe and ranking high. We've got a full review of the latest techniques and show you how to keep your website from getting penalized and keeping it up on the SERPs. We tell you the difference between White Hat and Black Hat, weighing the pros and cons of each. Evelyn Grazini explains what Black Hat SEO is all about, and shows you how to keep from getting banned. Brad Callen, a master of the subject, gives 5 Tips for SEO success. (And five from Brad is worth fifty from just about anyone else!) And, as a special treat, read the highlights of the Affiliate Summit East, 2006. If you didn't go, you'll want to next time after finding out who was there and what they said. (Lots of links to video of the conference!) So, hang up your spurs. You've got some readin' ahead.... Read More →

Over the last weeks I have been getting more and more tired of long sales copies. As a matter of fact, all the products that Affiliate Classroom sells are planned for a complete site re-do that involve no long sales copy. Since I started online, I have seen nothing but long sales copies and so that is just what I started doing as well. Then, a few months back I sat down and thought about the things I buy and when I really read the sales letters... I realized that I almost NEVER read the sales letter, as a matter of fact - it's gotten so bad that when I want to find the price of what I'm buying I have to do a "CTRL + F" on my keyboard and SEARCH for the $ symbol. But then that doesn't work that great either! Why? Cuz of all those crazy "bonus value 'oober goober' stuff..." I was so happy to see this posting by James D. Brausch titled "Long Copy Sucks And Other Heresies" James makes mentions of various tests he did to prove that he is right - he even used the top selling products on Clickbank (the god of having products with long sales letters... Read More →

Even if you've only been in Internet Marketing for a short time, you've heard that it's important to build an email list. It's so important, that the Affiliate Classroom Step Program teaches you all about list building in Step 9. However, with ISPs/ESPs now doing more spam blocking, some people have given up on list building. They are fearful or frustrated that their message is not going out, and that they are wasting their valuable time. If you're one of these people, stop being afraid and keep building! Email technology is getting better, and this problem is gradually being addressed. If you are building a list the reputable way, using a double opt-in system, you have a lot less to worry about. In the meantime, here are some things you can do to up the odds of getting your messages delivered. At the same time, you can increase the traffic to your site. Make sure to send your list a message at least once every two weeks so they remember who you are. They'll be more likely to open your email. And, make it a short message. People tend to scan emails for material they are interested in, so give them very little to scan. Write a short line of teaser copy or give a sente... Read More →

There's been a lot of talk lately about the Google "slap" at affiliates. I receive several Internet Marketing newsletters and all they can talk about are the new Google rules. It's all very scary to me because, even though I've been doing Internet Marketing for over five years, I still feel like a newbie when it comes to the search engines and how they rank pages. I search for my URL and my name every now and then to see how many times I'm listed in the results. I mostly do this to see where my articles are ending up, and to make sure no one is stealing my web pages. (And, yes, I still get a kick out of seeing my name in print!) I recently discovered a few easy ways to tell if a site has been penalized or banned by Google that I want to share with you. (Note: YouTypedThis.com refers to the URL you typed in to do your search)

1. Do a search for your exact URL on Google. If you get the following response: "Sorry, no information is available for the URL YouTypedThis.com.", then you've been penalized. This is Google's kiss of death � it means you've been banned!
2. Another message you might see is "Find web pages that contain the term YouTypedThis.com." T... Read More →

Many people (including me) believe that blogging is one of the best ways to make money these days. And it may be true. Blogging is often much more personal than other kinds of information on a website. You write a blog post like you are actually talking to a person; giving people real advice and information. These people become your "friends" and return to your blog over and over. However, you can't just stop at blogging. If you want to make money at it, you still need to treat it like a business. Here are a few things you might want to consider adding to your arsenal of blogging tools. You should already know the basics, even if you're just blogging for fun. Put Google AdSense ads on your sidebar. Also, include affiliate links inside your content, and randomly include an affiliate banner or two at the end of your posts. The most important thing, and the one that is most overlooked, is to find other blogs that are similar to yours and leave comments. Most bloggers love it when people comment on their blog. It shows them that somebody is reading what they write and is interested in the subject. When you make an informative comment, the blog owner, as well as the reade... Read More →

There seems to be an increase in the number of people selling "niche" information: How to find niches, how to profit from them, etc. They would have you believe that a niche is a secret thing that only they know about, but they will let you in on their little secret... for a small fee. So, what really is a niche? In biology, it's the separate ecological position of an organism within a community. Distinguishing itself and occupying the niche helps it survive better. In marketing, it's pretty much the same thing. Simply stated, a niche is a high-demand, low competition market. Once you've found one, you try to occupy it more or less alone. Otherwise "low competition" would quickly become "much competition. But did you know that you could create a niche for just about any product or service? Here are a couple of tips on how to do that: Offer a product or service with mass appeal to a micro market � The idea here is to dig for keywords and concepts that match a large potential population with a product they will badly want. Then, build your website like it was created just for them. Make it personal and intimate. For example, you might offer a product for balding golf... Read More →

You put a lot of thought into deciding what niche to cover. Which you choose will help you pick an article topic. Choose a subject that has a lot of interest, and a targeted niche audience. It helps if it's a subject you have some knowledge of and are passionate about. Take a look at what you know and what you do for hobbies. Do you fix pinball machines or garden? Pinpoint at least three areas that you know something about and just start writing. Don't worry too much at first if the articles aren't great. You'll improve. Check out article distribution sites, such as ezine @rticles and see what others are writing about. You'll find dozens of topics with hundreds of examples to follow. Blog sites are also an excellent way to get new ideas. Search Technorati or use Google's blogsearch site for some interesting blogs. You'll find an endless stream of ideas for things that you can elaborate on in your own articles. Once you have decided on a niche, do a little more research to make sure there is c... Read More →

This is the first of several "Q & A" posts that I will be making. In each one, I take a question asked on the Affiliate Classroom's Private Members Forum, and answer it here.

In my opinion people are getting tired of squeeze pages. I don't give my email address anymore unless the site is owned by some big name, or it has shown me a glimpse of something so exciting that I would like to see or have, or there is a huge buzz on the net about a product. Otherwise, I hit the back button. Again, a personal opinion, but if you want to sell something to me, you need to make it easier for me to get into your site. Remember, there is another marketer a URL away who would sell me the same thing without any hassle... A member.

I think this Affiliate Classroom member is right, to an extent. The majority of people interested in the "Make Money Online" market do seem to be getting tired of squeeze pages. For those who may not know the term, a squeeze page is one placed only to get the name and email address of a visitor. I, for one, avoid most such pages, (unless they are owned by someone I trust). I just read the HTML code and find out where I'd land after I ga... Read More →