As we at Affiliate Classroom welcome a new year, we would like to start it off right with a look at one of the most important aspects of affiliate marketing: content.

We will look at ten reasons why content is still King (and Queen) in this two-part article!

So, let’s take a look…

#1 – Content Feeds Hungry Spiders
It’s been shown over and over that content – especially fresh content – attracts search engine spiders. If you are running AdSense, want to get rid of PSAs, and trigger the display of fresh ads from new, hungry publishers, feed the spiders with text that includes good keywords and useful collateral information.

#2 – More Content = More Ad “Contexts”
Every AdSense publisher should write the formula above on their wall in 3-foot high letters. Since AdSense is CONTEXTUAL advertising, it needs a context – to crawl and analyze so it can churn out relevant ads. If you don’t have enough CONTEXT, you won’t get relevant ads.

Relevant context is even more important when promoting affiliate products. “Filling out” the content on a substantial website can raise the relevancy of your landing pages and increase quality score.

#3 – Content Is Sticky!
If you want people to click on contextual ads, they need to stay on your pages long enough to notice them. Over and over again we hear of publishers running the so-called “lowest performing” ad formats… yet their income goes through the roof! Why? Because their content is so good, people actually stay on their site to read the entire article… scan the rest of the page… and READ the ads.

Content has proven to be the stickiest of stuff in the online world. And the higher the quality, the more likely it is to keep those eyeballs on your page long enough to get the click through. Which leads us to…

#4 – Content Gets The Bookmark
Anyone who thinks that getting added to that Favorites folder isn’t worth much anymore… well, they obviously haven’t got a niche content site! The tighter your niche, and the more your content speaks to them and only them, the more likely you’ll get REPEAT visitors.

Of course, after a while repeat visitors end up with “ad blindness.” That’s why smart contextual ad publishers with a loyal following will vary their ad formats and colors when click throughs start to lag. Combine a little fresh content with a slightly different shade of blue or gray, and you can “wake up” those conversions.

#5 – Content Increases Page Views
If you’re smart about leveraging your content for maximum page views, you are one wise publisher indeed! Yes, it means a little more updating of your pages. But if you are willing to put in the extra time to put a little of your freshest content, along with your ads, above the fold, get ready for a big boost in your income.

In fact, the wisest publishers do what all the big content providers have been doing for years. They break up long articles into chunks of around 350 words or so, divide this content over several pages, and put a “more” or “continued” link at the bottom of each section. This not only maximizes the number of ad impressions, it’s much easier on your readers!

#6 … to be continued in part 2 of this blog …