Archive for January, 2007
Can a “Mini” or “Micro” Site Loom Large for You? – Part II
Posted by Matt Van Atta in Affiliate Marketing Friday, 12 January 2007 16:53 1 Comment
In Part I, we looked at the characteristics of a “micro-site.” For Part II, we examine the related concept of a mini-site.
Neither the term nor the fact “mini-site” went away when micro-sites became popular. Rather, it evolved into something more extensive. (Dare I say, “bigger and better”?)
A mini-site today generally contains the same characteristics as a micro-site, but with the following additional features that distinguish it from a micro-site:
- A topic that is tightly focused, such as a single product within a product line or other subset of your main topic.
- At least 10 pages (some mini-sites contain hundreds of pages, making them not quite so “mini”) of targeted content related to that topic.
- A variety of targeted content – not only sales and transaction pages, but also information-rich content such as product reviews, specs, reports, articles, FAQs, and the like.
If a lower-cost approach and/or enhanced placement in Google search results appeals to you, building out a mini-site can serve your purposes.
Regardless of the differences, both the micro-site and the mini-site can be useful tools to find out more about your niche market. They may even serve to carve a niche within your niche, and the end result could be another topic, another site, and thus another revenue stream for you.
Which approach you take, however, depends on your needs and abilities. The question of whether you use a micro-site or a mini-site approach is similar to the question of fat affiliates versus thin affiliates (see my post on November 13 for more on this topic). Which you choose will depend on who your target audience is and what you can expertly do with the tools at hand.
Can a Mini- or Micro-Site Loom Large for You?
Posted by Matt Van Atta in Affiliate Marketing Thursday, 11 January 2007 17:32 1 Comment
It’s been said time and again that the best things can come in small packages. For many affiliate marketers, the website can be a “small package” that generates a big revenue stream.
But, say your original website topic has grown to include a number of products, services, and other options that you offer to your visitors. You may want to introduce a new product or service to your niche market, or you may want to regenerate interest in a current offering.
Or maybe you feel your site is not as fresh, or your knowledge of the market not as current, and you just need a new approach to see to what degree it reaches your target audience.
Building a micro-site or a mini-site can address these matters.
Reading up on these two concepts can be confusing. Some websites claim that the terms “micro-site” and “mini-site” are one and the same; and in many ways, they are. Just as the Internet evolves at a breakneck pace, so does the terminology associated with it; and this etymological evolution leads to the confusion.
In the beginning, when the Internet was created, a mini-site was known simply as a single sales-oriented page, intended exclusively to sell a product or otherwise entice the reader to take immediate action. Now, however, that same sales-oriented page (or collection of two or three pages) is known as a micro-site.
A micro-site contains the following features:
- A user environment that is somehow unique and autonomous from the main website.
- Either a single landing page or 1-3 pages containing the offer being marketed and perhaps a link back to the main website.
- A look and feel that is similar to the main website, or one that is distinct from the main website.
- Either a website URL it shares with the main website, or (more often) its own unique URL.
Such a site can be a launching point for a pay-per-click campaign to generate interest. Or, it could contain a great deal of SEO keywords, energy, and overall “wow factor” to draw attention.
What is a “Keyword?
Posted by Matt Van Atta in Affiliate Marketing, PPC, SEO Tuesday, 9 January 2007 18:45 2 Comments
Defining a keyword is quite simple; it’s a term that a web user enters into a search engine. Period.
But we all know a more important definition of the word: A key focal point of any affiliate marketing venture. After all, if you’re going to drive business to your website and the product(s) you offer, the keywords you use in describing your site are critical, whether you pursue SEO, PPC, or a combination of techniques.
A Keyword by Any Other Name…
Funny thing is, those who are new to affiliate marketing can be confused by a number of terms that basically mean the same thing as “keyword.”
For instance, what’s the difference between “keyword” and “keyphrase”? Well, perhaps that “keyword” consists of one word and “keyphrase” consists of more than one word, but that’s the only difference.
And while simpler is better, you shouldn’t try to whittle all your keywords down to one word – few things in life can be whittled down to one word, anyway. You need the right combination of terms, whether single words or multiple-word strings, which coincide with the web searches conducted by your target audience.
“Keyword” or “Search Term?”
And what’s the difference between “keyword” and terms such as “search term,” “search phrase,” or “search query string”? Nothing – they all mean the same thing, too. Yet someone new to affiliate marketing (and, possibly, the web in general) probably has done a double-take over this.
Different groups of people tend to use “keyword” as opposed to “search term.” While “keyword” occupies an important, well-honored place in the professional lingo of affiliate marketing, the average web user is probably more likely to use “search term” when describing the same concept.
Google reflects this to some degree. Google’s Web Search Help Center uses “search term” instead of “keyword” in offering guidance for new web surfers, while “keyword” is more prominent in their pages for web advertisers.
So what’s the “moral of the story”? It’s that a keyword by any other name is a keyword. Whatever name you use, your website must contain the right words or word combinations to bring potential web customers to your home page. It’s the first turn of the faucet for your revenue stream.
Online Shoppers Now Choose Service Over Price
Posted by AC Editorial Team in Affiliate Marketing, Best Business Practices Thursday, 4 January 2007 18:57 3 Comments
Last year, KMG did a survey of U.S. online shoppers to find out what affects their purchase decisions, and it was a tie between price, selection, and convenience.
KMG did a follow-up survey at the end of the 2006 Holiday Season, and it looks like consumers have changed their minds about pricing. The winner this year is:
SERVICE!
According to KMG:
“81% of the 1,200 consumers surveyed said they shopped at the stores that had their desired items in stock, and 75% said a simple return policy helped them decide which retailers to patronize. Conversely, just 19% of the respondents cited price as the most influential factor in choosing a retailer.”
One lesson to be learned here is to make sure you pay attention to recent trends. Don’t just keep dong the same thing year after year; even if it’s working, it could be working better.
A few things you can do to capture shoppers are:
- If you have an in-stock guarantee, make sure the guarantee is shown in a prominent place on your web-site, and in any ads that you place if space allows.
- As an affiliate marketer, be sure to mention the return policy of the merchant you are promoting.
You will get more click-troughs to the merchant if you do these two simple things. That should make for a much more profitable 2007.
The other lesson is one that should be obvious: treat your customer well.
Even as an affiliate, maybe especially as an affiliate, you have a lot of influence over how that customer perceives the merchant. Everyone appreciates that extra effort to make them happy. Taking the time to treat each as an individual with a particular need or concern brings them back time and time again.
Happy New Year!
