Table of Contents
TABLE OF CONTENTS II
INTRODUCTION 1
Thank You & Congratulations 1
Make No Promises, Tell No Lies (Disclaimer) 2
Acknowledgements 3
About the Author 4
How to Get the Most from the "HandBook" 5
LET'S TALK BUSINESS 6
Debunking the 6 Biggest Internet Marketing Myths 6
Profile of an Entrepreneur 10
Quiz: Are YOU an Entrepreneur? 12
Can You Handle the Lifestyle? 14
AFFILIATE BUSINESS BASICS 16
How Do Affiliate Programs Work? 16
15 Reasons to Become an Affiliate Marketer 18
What is a Super-Affiliate? 20
A Brief History of Affiliate Marketing « 21
Affiliating vs. Reselling 22
How to Become an Affiliate 24
Overview of the Business-Building Process 25
SETTING UP SHOP 27
Basic Knowledge 27
Computer Codes and Macros 27
File Management 28
Basic Hardware & Services 30
Computer 30
Internet Connection 30
Telephone 31
Printer 32
Router 32
Basic Software 33
AntiVirus Software 33
Browsers 35
Compression/Extraction Utility 35
Email Software 37
Accounting Software 38
File Transfer Protocol (FTP) 38
Firewall 38
PDF Reader 39
Spreadsheet Software 40
Text Editor 40
Business Expenses 41
RESEARCH PROFITABLE IDEAS 42
What's Your Passion? 42
Targeting a Market 47
Market Research Tools 48
Top 200 Searches in 60 Days 56
Search Toolbars 62
Google Search Engine 64
Pay Per Click Search Engines 65
Market Research Begins 66
What are the Trends for this Industry? 66
Is there Sufficient Demand? 66
How Much Competition Are You Up Against? 73
How Much Does it Cost to Advertise? 77
WHO is Your Competition? 79
Will Your Niche be Profitable? 82
WHERE TO FIND PRODUCTS & SERVICES TO SELL ONLINE 86
BeFree/Reporting.net 89
Casino Coins Network 95
ClickBank 97
ClickxChange 98
clixGalore 99
Commission Soup 102
Dark Blue Affiliate Network 103
FineClicks.com 104
LeadHound 105
Linkshare 106
Quinstreet 108
ReferBack 109
ShareaSale 109
WebSponsors 110
Affiliate Networks - Quick List 112
How To Search the 'Net for Merchant Sites 113
Affiliate Program Directories 113
"Ready-Made" Affiliate Marketing Business 115
Great Product - No Program - Now What? 117
HOW TO CHOOSE PRODUCTS & PROGRAMS 120
5 Ways to Assess a Product or Service 120
How to Choose an Affiliate Program 121
Let's Play 20 Questions 121
Is the Company Reputable? 122
Is there an Affiliate Agreement? 123
What are the Conditions of the Agreement? 123
May I Terminate the Agreement? How? 123
Is My Site Eligible for this Program? 124
Is there a Fee to Join the Program? 125
Does the Program Require Exclusivity? 125
What is the Program Type? 126
How Much is the Commission?..- 126
Do I Get Credit for Recurring Sales? 128
Does the Program Pay Lifetime Commissions? 129
Is the Program 2-Tier? 130
Are Cookies Used to Track Sales? 130
Are Sales Statistics Reported in Real Time? 131
Are Sales Tools Offered? 132
Is Co-Branding Available? 135
When Do I Get Paid? 135
How Do I Get Paid? In Cash? Credit? Food Stamps? 135
Does the Merchant use Third Party Billing? 136
Is There a Minimum Payout Amount? 136
Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Moe ... Choosing Between Affiliate Programs 137
Commission Rates 137
Brand Name Products 139
Should You Affiliate with Bookstores? 140
Sorry, Your Application was Rejected 141
You're Fired! 142
A Good Program to Join 144
A Program to Avoid 147
Programs to Drop 149
Spammers 149
Inconsiderate Affiliate Managers 149
Customer Complaints 151
Slow Payments 151
DOMAIN ISSUES 153
Free Domains - Worth about that Much 153
How to Choose a Domain Name 155
Register Your Own Domain Name 157
Web Hosting - How to Choose A Home for Your Domain 158
Key Hosting Features 158
Support 159
Value 159
Recommended Hosting Services 160
PLAN YOUR WEB SITE 162
Don't Build a Mall... Build a Theme Park! 162
One Topic - Multiple Domains? 164
Site Structure - 'Micro' or Content? 165
Develop a Site Plan 166
BUILD YOUR SITE 171
4 Site Building Options 171
Do it Yourself 171
Use a Template 171
Get A Web Site Package Deal 172
Hire a Designer 173
Design Software 175
Graphics Software 175
HTML Editor 175
HTML/Graphics Combination Software 175
Web Site Essentials 177
Logo 177
TAG line/Slogan 177
Privacy Statement 178
Contact Information 179
Ezine/Newsletter Sign-Up on Every Page 180
Design Rules-of-Thumb 181
Font Face, Color & Size 181
Links Should Look Like Links 182
Color Scheme 182
White Space 182
Page Width 183
Page Backgrounds 183
Consistent Navigation 183
Bandwidth Hogs 184
Use of Pop-Ups 184
Music/Noise 185
Frames 186
Keep it Fresh 187
Web Site Building Primers & Help 187
9 Ways to Make Your Pages Search Engine Friendly 188
Keyword-Rich Page Names 188
Site Map 189
Relevant Content 189
Eliminate Clutter 189
MetaTags 189
Dynamic Pages 190
Avoid Tricks and Deception 191
Scripts & Code Snippets 192
Bookmark this Page 192
Date & Future Date 193
Make Homepage 193
Hide Status Bar 194
OnMouseOver 195
Open a New Window 195
Pop-Up - On Entrance 195
Pop-Up-On Exit 196
Pop-Up-Timed 196
Right-Click Disabled 197
TURN CLICKS INTO CUSTOMERS 199
How to Write Compelling Product Endorsements 200
Learn the Art of Copywriting 201
Credibility Pays 203
29 WAYS TO PROMOTE YOUR AFFILIATE BUSINESS 205
9 Ways to Get Traffic Fast 206
Google AdWords: 206
Pay Per Click Search Engines 207
Pay for a Yahoo! Listing 209
Google's Premium Sponsorships 210
Ezine Advertising 210
Build an Opt-In Subscriber List 211
Publish an Ezine, eCourse or Both 212
How to Use Auctions to Sell Affiliate Products 213
Site Submission Services & Software 216
9 Ways To Get Traffic To Your Site For Free 217
Joint Ventures 217
Write Ezine Articles 218
Free Directory Listings 219
Search Engine & Crawler Listings 220
Group and Forum Postings 220
Link Trading, FFA's & Banner Exchanges 222
Use an Email Signature 226
Start or HomePage Traffic Networks 227
Refer-a-Friend Scripts 228
11 Ways to Market Your Site Offline 229
Car decals 229
Business cards 229
Personalized Stationery 229
Speaking Engagements 229
Classified Ads 229
Press Releases 230
Trade Publications 230
Wear Your URL 231
Promotional items 231
Tell Your Friends and Family 231
Happy Customers 231
MANAGE YOUR AFFILIATE BUSINESS 233
How to Get & Stay Organized 233
Regular Tasks 236
Evaluate Your Site's Performance 239
Stats to Track & Numbers to Crunch 239
Collecting Data 242
Recording Data 245
How to Prevent Commission Theft 251
25 Avoidable Mistakes 254
GROW YOUR BUSINESS 257
How Much is Your Effort Worth? 257
Forums: Participate & Learn
Super Affiliate Handbook 260
RESOURCES 262
Glossary of Terms 262
Rosalind's Directory of Goodies 273
A Few of My Favorite Affiliate Programs 274
Recommended Reading 276
AFTERWORD 277
Continue reading here: Debunking the 6 Biggest Internet Marketing Myths
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