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Affiliate Marketing Apprenticeship Program - Lesson 1/13
written by Anthony Dinh
May 30, 2008 · Posted Under affiliate marketing | backlink building | blogging | make money online | marketing & advertising | seo · 1 Comment
First, I’d like to say thank-you and congratulate you for joining my Affiliate Marketing Apprenticeship Program. You’ve taken the first step in the right direction towards building a successful online business and financial freedom. This 13-step program is your roadmap to wealth, and it’s jam-packed with invaluable information…no tricks or gimmicks here folks, just solid and proven methods that work! SEO (search engine optimization), copywriting and various internet marketing methods will be covered throughout the tutorial. I suggest that you read through it once, let it soak in, try it out, then go back and read it again because you’ll surely pick up something new that you missed the first time around.
Here’s a breakdown of each lesson:
Lesson 1 - Set Your Goal
Lesson 2 - Find Your Niche
Lesson 3 - Keyword Sniping
Lesson 4 - Research Affiliate Programs
Lesson 5 - Build a Website Around Your Keyword
Lesson 6 - Incorporate Affiliate Links in Your Posts
Lesson 7 - Build Quality Backlinks
Lesson 8 - Submit Your Site to Web Directories
Lesson 9 - Submit Your Post to Article Directories
Lesson 10 - Add More Content and Build More Backlinks
Lesson 11 - The Waiting Game
Lesson 12 - Tweak Your Site
Lesson 13 - Scale Your Campaign
Before we begin, please bookmark this page and subscribe to full RSS feed as there are 13 steps, so you definitely won’t want to miss out!
Affiliate Marketing Apprenticeship Program
Lesson 1 - Set Your Goal
First, you need to set a goal so you know where you’re going and when you get there. Otherwise, you will be wandering aimlessly, and you’ll have no way of gauging your progress. You don’t get up in the morning and just walk out the door without setting some goals for yourself do you? Subconsciously, we all set goals for ourselves without even realizing it such as making some new business contacts, making a sale or meeting a deadline.
I recommend that you start with a modest goal at first, one that you can achieve relatively easily. Of course, we all want to earn tens of thousands of dollars per month, but a more realistic one would be about $300 a month. If you start off with an unattainable goal, you’re just setting yourself up for failure, and you will probably be discouraged and give up without giving adequate time for your goals to be realized. Once you are consistenly hitting your target for a couple months, then you can certainly aim a bit higher, but taking baby steps until you’ve mastered the process is key.
…Next >> Lesson 2 - Find Your Niche
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Too Lazy to Blog From Scratch? Purchase One from Sitepoint
written by Anthony Dinh
Before I built DiariesOfABlogger a little over a month ago, I contemplated the possibility purchasing an established site that was already generating some decent traffic and revenue, but just needed that extra little boost from a wide-eyed and eager newbie blogger like myself to pump new life back into it. You’d be surprised, but there are many blogs out there that have been abandoned by their owners due to personal issues, new business ventures, lack of time or simply because the owner just lost interest. Also, many blogs are built by serial domain flippers with the intent of making a quick sale a few months down the road. Whether you opt to build one from scratch like I did or decide to purchase an established one, here are some things to consider in weighing the pros and cons of each:
Advantages
- established traffic and RSS readers
- already generating revenue
- indexed and ranked
- aged backlinks
Disadvantages
- requires a lot of time and effort
- design not exactly the way you want it
- domain name not to your liking
- takes time to index and get ranked
- possibility of getting sandboxed by Google
- takes time to establish loyal RSS readers
After doing a bit of research, I stumbled upon Sitepoint. Not only is Sitepoint a marketplace where webmasters come to buy and sell domains, but it’s also a great resource site for web developers, offering an array of books, web kits, articles, scripts and training videos. The domains listed for sale range anywhere from just a few dollars to 5 figures. Some of the more notable blog acquisitions that have transpired within the past few months include MomsCashBlog, JohnCow and BobMeetsWorld. GamerzReviewz and DebtConsolidationBook, owned by blogging heavy weights JohnCow and Garry Conn, respectively, are two upcoming blogs that will be listed in a few weeks once the Cowpetition winner has been announced. If you’re leaning more towards purchasing a mature niche blog rather than starting from scratch, I would recommend you check out the following affordable sites which have great potential that are currently up for sale at Sitepoint. If you want an even bigger head-start, they also have a Premium Sites section with sites boasting higher page views and income for those of you with deeper pockets.
Description: This Small yet growing community is running on phpfox. The site was custom skinned for the tattoo theme. Also, I purchased a vbulletin license and integrated it with phpfox. The site gains visitors/members without any advertising, however I’m sure that with the right advertising (on places like tattoodles or others) that this place could grow exponentially.
I just recently emailed about 60-70 tattoo artists to start the process of link swapping. So far a few have agreed. But the opportunities are endless.
Established: Sat Sep 30 2006
Page views/month: 45,000
Monthly Revenue: 10
Revenue Sources: Adsense
Google Pagerank: 0
Uniques/Month: 1,200
Price: $1200
Description: USAblogger.us is an automated internet business blog, launched on December 28, 2007, This automated site grows rapidly without advertising. All new feed items are banked and stored for life! USAblogger.us was built with Wordpress system that allows complete control of the website. We are including the unique website with complete ownership, all source files, the outstanding domain name (free transfer with godaddy) plus hosting which is paid until December 31, 2008!
The website is outfitted with google adsense ads and CJ ads. This website is being sold as a turnkey business, therefore treat as no/minimal revenue and traffic.
Website Launched on: Dec 28, 2007
Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Created on: Nov 2, 2006
Domain Expires on: Nov 1, 2008
Revenue Details: We estimate $10 to $150 in revenue with ZERO marketing. The site could earn $500+ per month with only 5 referral hosting signup via the link in the header.
Price: $249
Description: I’m selling this site because I have no longer time to update it. Site is not monetized, but I think there’s a huge potential with adding affiliate links to the products reviewed.
More information upon request.
Revenue Details: There’s only text-link-ads currently on the site and it has been there only a few weeks.
Traffic Details: 92% from other sites, 7% from search engines. Good rankings for keywords like funny gadgets, weird gadgets.
Price: $2000
Description: I want to sell this site because of this 2 reasons
- I don’t have time to update it every day
- I need money
I guarantee this site can bring more revenue and has very good potential. I can also provide screenshots.
Established: Mon Apr 30 2007
Page views/month: 6,000
Monthly Revenue: 120
Google Pagerank: 4
Uniques/Month: 3,000
Revenue Details: site currently makes money from the banners sold on the site.
Price: $1225
This is just a small sample of what’s out there, but if you really take the time to look, you will surely find one that falls within your niche. Many of these sites have great potential and are very interesting with great content, a loyal user base, high page rank and are already generating some revenue.
The reason I ended up building my own site is because I’m very meticulous and particular in nature, so I needed to have complete control of every aspect from beginning to end. Also, personal satisfaction and knowing that I did it myself was a big driving force. I wanted the challenge of being able to build a blog from scratch, generating traffic and eventually earning money from it. I accepted the fact that it was going to take some time to establish a loyal user base and the possibility of even getting sandboxed, and I was willing and prepared to put in the long hours that it would take to nuture DiariesOfABlogger into a thriving money making machine. Whether DiariesOfABlogger ultimately ends up succeeding or failing miserably, at least I will know that I was in control of my own destiny.
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Download Peel Away Ads for FREE!
written by Anthony Dinh
May 27, 2008 · Posted Under affiliate marketing | make money online | marketing & advertising · 4 Comments
By now, I’m sure most of you have noticed the nifty little Peel Away Ad feature that has been implemented on various sites around the blogosphere such as on JohnChow.com. This ad unit also goes by the name PageEar, PagePeel, Magic Corner and PeelAd. Basically, the ad is located in the upper right-hand corner, and the full ad is revealed when a user hovers over it to “peel away” the page. Not only is the ad very cool looking, but its also non-intrusive and very effective in increasing campaign CTRs as well. Within an hour of implementing it, John says that five new members signed up for the product that he was promoting.
Normally, the plugin is priced at $127, but you can get it through John’s affiliate code for only $37 which is a huge discount. Today, you won’t even have to spend a single penny because I’m going to tell you how you can download this feature for FREE from WebPicasson.de. The script is pretty robust and will support Wordpress, Joomla and Typo3 content management systems. PageEar has been tested and runs on just about every browser including IE, FireFox, Opera and Safari.
Download
PageEar v1.2a
Installation
- upload the entire ”pageear” directory to your wp-content/plugins folder
- login to your Wordpress control panel and activate PageEar under plugins
- you will now see a ”pageear-config” link under plugins where you can edit the configuration
- make your desired changes and click save
You will need to create two creatives, one thumbnail at 100×100 pixels as a teaser to pique the visitor’s interest, and another at 500×500 pixels for your full banner. The larger 500×500 image will be revealed to display your full ad when a visitor hovers over the 100×100 thumbnail.
Offering this desireable ad space to your advertisers will surely help your blog to generate some extra income. Currently, John is offering this space on his site at the rate of $1000/m, so it goes to show that advertisers are willing to pay a premium price for ads in highly visible areas on well trafficked sites…what are you waiting for? Go install the PageEar plugin and start making some money!
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Web-Reviewers.com - Did You Get Your Free Review? I Did
written by Anthony Dinh
May 23, 2008 · Posted Under backlink building | drive traffic | marketing & advertising · 7 Comments
A couple weeks ago, I posted a blog discussing my thoughts on paid reviews in which I shared with you a handful of sites where you can get your blog reviewed for free. If you missed it, I recommend that you go back and read it at Why Pay for Reviews When You Can Get Them Free. I took advantage of all of these free services, and found that the quality and length of each review varied drastically from a few lines to a full blown, in depth analysis. Some reviews were completed within days, while others are still awaiting their turn in the queue. Regardless, this is free publicity and exposure, so you have nothing to loose, but everything to gain. Not only will you build some strong backlinks from trusted authorities, but you may also get a boost in traffic or even gain some new RSS subscribers.
Of all the reviewers, I liked the one done by PR3 site Web-Reviewers.com the most which was based on my blog’s content and design using their 5 star rating system. The review offered extensive and honest constructive criticism, and it appears that they actually took the time to look around my blog before providing me with some meaningful feedback instead of giving some generic comments. Overall, I received a pretty good report card, scoring a solid 4 stars across the board. Here’s the full review:
Diaries of a Blogger
Archived in the category: UncategorizedPosted by Web-Reviews.com on 21 May 08 -
If you opt to not take advantage of all of these free site reviews, I would recommend that you use the services offered by Web-Reviewers.com at the least. The tips that they provide on the shortcomings of your site and how to improve them will be invaluable.
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How Frequently and How Long Should You Blog?
written by Anthony Dinh
One question we as bloggers have found ourselves asking at one point or another is, how frequently should I blog and how long should they be? This is a subjective question to which there is really no right or wrong answer. Everyone has their own valid opinion when it comes to this matter, you just have to find a balance and go with what works best for you.
Post Frequency
Whatever frequency you choose to blog, just be sure to keep it consistent so your readers know what to expect. At the moment, I myself can only find the time to post once a day during the week, so that gives me about 20 posts a month. Don’t post 3 times one day, then go for a whole week without posting. This erratic frequency of posting will confuse your readers, and it will become a guessing game as to when your next post will be published. You will end up alienating them and they will eventually stop coming. Also, once you get into a rythm, keep it up because once you stop, it’ll be difficult to get back into the groove. Personally, I recommend having no fewer that at least 3 posts sitting in your queue ready to go at a moment’s notice. That way, you can preschedule them for weekend editions, as well as have a safety net for when you can’t find the time to write because when life happens, it’ll be nice to not have to worry. Not only that, it’s a good idea to have posts ready to go for guest post opportunities that may arise on short notice.
Post Length
Don’t bound yourself to strictly long posts or short posts, or set a goal like 500 or 1500 words, etc. Just do whatever is natural and whatever makes sense for the topic at hand. If it’s just a quick random thought that takes only 100 words, so be it. Conversely, if it truly requires 1500 words to properly get your point across, then don’t be afraid that the readers will get bored because if it’s that good, they’ll read it! However, don’t write a book…not every post has to be a masterpiece or doctoral dissertation. If you think the post will be too long to read in one sitting, consider breaking it down to a series of more manageable posts. This will also save you from having to think of new ideas for your next few posts.
Stockpiling for Writer’s Block
As bloggers, we’ll all encounter the frustrating syndrome known as “writer’s block” from time to time, so it’s always a good idea to stockpile your posts for a rainy day, especially when you are in a writing mood and the ideas are flowing. I highly recommend having a notepad or your cell phone with you at all times, so you can immediately record or jot down ideas as they come to you. I know you’ve all had a great idea at one point and ended up totally forgetting about it because you didn’t write it down…I’m guilty of this myself! Even if you wake up in the middle of the night and happen to conjure up a great idea for a post, either get up and start writing while the idea is still fresh, or jot it down on a notepad at the least. You can also start a post in draft mode with a one-liner which summarizes your idea so you can go back and finish it at a later date. Visiting other blogs is also a great way of getting ideas to post about, but remember, use them for inspiration only, do not copy! You can also ask fellow bloggers to guest post on your blog to buy you some time until you can get over the hump. Finally, if you are really desperate for ideas, you can always recycle one of your older posts with a follow-up post by updating it with any new facts, figures or developments, etc. If the recycled post is old enough, chances are, you reader won’t even notice.
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