Easy-to-Create Datafeeds Can DOUBLE Conversions
Thursday, September 14th, 2006 at 6:41 pm by Evelyn Grazini, AC Student and Staff Writer
Ok, I admit, I want to make some sales for the Holidays. But I don’t have a lot of time to set up a really fancy site. I thought I would test doing it the easy way and use GoldenCan’s Datafeed option because datafeeds have been proven to increase affiliate sales.
Here’s how a datafeed works:
* A merchant datafeed is a file with data about products.
* The file can include photos, diagrams, specs, descriptions, and prices.
* Each category of information is identified with a code - sometimes called a token.
* When you add these tokens to your web templates, the product information is inserted into your web page in the appropriate spot.
I decided to use GoldenCan because it is very simple. You just select the company you want to affiliate with. Then sign up for their program (through Shareasale, Linkshare, etc.) and they give you a simple line of code that you put on your site. You can even have several companies displayed on the same site if you want.
It’s AMAZING to me that it works so well. It looks like I have an entire mall at that site. (If you use a company’s individual Datafeed, there can be much more to using it than the simple set up described above.)
The important point is: with a datafeed, your visitors can see and click on the actual product - right there on your page. The result? With datafeeds, your conversion rate - the percentage of clicks that turns into sales - can easily DOUBLE.
So, if you have a choice, look for merchants that offer datafeeds. It may even be worth rebuilding your affiliate site - or creating a new one - to take advantage of datafeeds.
To find merchants who offer datafeeds, and advice on implementing these programs, check out the datafeed forums at AbestWeb.com.
If this is your first experience with a datafeed, be careful to go with a merchant that offers this service FREE. Some affiliate networks charge for datafeeds - anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars to thousands. So be sure to look for free feeds and get accustomed to working with them before you spend money on feeds. (GoldenCan is free.)
You might be surprised at how well they work.
I put three companies’ feeds on my site at www.heartfullofgifts.com using GoldenCan’s “one line of code.” It’s been out there for a couple of months, but I haven’t started advertising yet. The other day I made a $30.00 Commission from a feed link - I think I’ll start advertising now!
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