Business – Vitals

If you have a web site then you must learn, at the minimum, how to make simple changes and upload the changes. (There is one exception to this).

Even if your site has been designed by a professional there is always going to be a need for some change. Do you want to pay for, and wait for, a designer to do a simple alteration which could take you minutes ?

So you will need to learn the basics of HTML. You can pick up a good understanding by studying the code of existing sites and there are numerous resources on the Net.

You may find however some of this too technical, ideally you want to learn from the angle of setting up a business site.

Fortunately there is an ideal book specifically written for marketers which will show you how to create your First Business Web Site In 10 Days. Click here.

If you then want to start adding a miscellany of special effects to your site, take a look at another book by the same author – 65 Instant Web Design Answers. Examples of some of the tips

How to create a table with rounded corners
How to make a graphic act as a button
How to make an automatic deadline for receiving free bonuses

It’s possible to earn affiliate income simply from posting ads (in ezine publications for example). But the next step up is that you must have your own website.

As websites continually evolve you want to make sure that future changes are simple to apply so it’s important to get the foundations right from the start – this is why stylesheets and Server Side Includes appear in this section.

And there’s advice for you when you do decide to redesign.

We address the familiar topics of whether long copy is preferable to short copy and whether pop-ups should be used.

And show techniques to boost your sales conversion rate.

1. For the most comprehensive directory of affiliate programs visit Allan Gardyne’s AssociatePrograms.com
2. For simplicity of operation, ease of sign-up and reliable payment choose any of the thousands of products at the ClickBank MarketPlace.
There is currently no direct search facility – instead you can use any of the free storefront sites. Click here

3. As a perk of having my own book I can make a personal recommendation.
FutureWorld offer an excellent source of information products in the form of hard books and tapes. You need to pay to join their affiliate program but the commission is 50%, as well as residual commission for recruiting others.

Here are two ways to stay ahead of the competition

1. Your potential customer may have visited several sites, all promoting the same affiliate programs as yours, before deciding to purchase.

So what can you do to do to convince him to return to your site and buy ?

You announce a special offer, stating that you will provide a bonus (give details) if they buy from you. Tell them to send details of the receipt after purchase.

2. As an affiliate, once your visitor clicks on your affiliate link, you have lost him.

If he visits the product site and decides he is not interested there is no way you can get in touch and persuade him.

And even if he does purchase there are some affiliate programs which don’t reveal the name of the customer so you would be unable to follow up with further promotions.

So is there a way you can make contact ?

Yes – you should offer a free report or free ebook which presells the product. You then have the contact details and can do whatever follow up is necessary.

It’s a proven fact that many customers will not click on an affiliate URL at your site.

Maybe they resent seeing commission paid to an affiliate, maybe they feel less security when buying from an affiliate.

So, suppose they see a link looking like this in the browser status bar

http://www.abc.com/123

where ‘123′ is your affiliate code.

They may decide to bypass the affiliate code and just type in the home page URL

http://www.abc.com

And that means you lose out on the commission.

Here is how to conceal not only the affiliate code but anything about that Url which may indicate it is an affiliate link. Use some Javascript.

onmouseover=
"window.status='ABC';
return true;"
onmouseout=
"window.status=' ';
return true;">

As an affiliate you want the visitor to read through the sales page and hit that order button with you getting credit for the sale. There are a number of reasons why this does not happen

1. There is an overt link to an affiliate sign up page. So your potential customer could simply become an affiliate and purchase the product through his own link.

2. There are many external links which distract the visitor from reaching the order page.

3. The merchant captures your commission, for example

There are offers to join a mailing list or claim a free report: you should get credited for any sale ensuing from these leads but an unscrupulous merchant may follow up and make the sale via his own link.
Similarly the merchant may use a pop-up upon exiting a site to convert a leaving visitor into a sale for which you do not get the credit.
4. Your product is just one of many unrelated products on a page – a put-off for the potential customer.

5. Remember ClickBank mentioned previously ?

If you are a ClickBank affiliate and the merchant offers multiple payment options (such as Paypal) then if ClickBank is not chosen you do not get the commission.

If you plan to have reviews of several products at your site then consider putting them all on one page.
Why ?

Well, quite obviously, it gives the visitor a chance to see your other offerings should he not be interested in the one you directed him to.

See how I do this at my Product Reviews page.

Notice the introduction

A review of all products at The ClickBank Guide which are personally used and endorsed by the webmaster, Harvey Segal of SuperTips
followed by the list of products
——————————————————————————–

You direct your visitor to a specific product by using an anchor field in the link, as explained below

1. Link to an individual product p1 like this
"http://abc.com/page.htm#p1">

——————————————————————————–
2. At the product review site, Product 1 is preceded by an anchor

Here is a way to get free reviews of your site – and you can win customers as you do it !

The design and content of your home page is so critical that it’s worth seeking expert advice.

But there’s no need to pay a hefty fee to a consultant – ask the people who really matter … your visitors !

Just add this to your main page:

We’d love to hear your opinion on our site
what did you like
what don’t you like
how can we improve it
All your comments will be welcome
Then sit back and get lots of advice – for free.

But here is how to get super added value from this idea:

Make it simple for your readers to submit their comments – don’t make them hunt around for your email address.
Thank each contributor individually rather than send a standard automated message. This will invariably lead to further exchanges and new promising contacts.
Never lose the opportunity to promote your business. In your thank you letter remind the reader – who has already been to your site – about a particular feature such as a free newsletter.
And now … here’s how to multiply your response dramatically.

It’s been said that there are only 3 things needed to succeed in online marketing

A product that is in-demand
A site that really sells
Targeted traffic
There are volumes of books with ideas for bringing targeted traffic to your site. In this section, you will find some unique ideas, and we will also see how to track the success rate of your promotional activities.

Plus two enterprising ways to get your product noticed

What is the best way to attract visitors to your site ?

Many would say by providing free information – but just how does this work ?

Here’s an example which you can adapt to any business:

Suppose you are a supplier of video recorders. Hopefully you will be the owner of a professional sounding domain name, such as www.VCRworld.com

You write an informative article entitled “How to Choose a Video Recorder” which explains

the key features of video recorders
a guide to prices
handy tips for using video recorders
useful accessories
potential problems
future developments
Put this article on your website or have it available by email (on an autoresponder if you expect a big response).