The Super Affiliate Handbook: How I Made $436,797 in One Year Selling Other People's Stuff Online

280 Pages·2016·1 MB·English

by  Rosalind Gardner

Super Affiliate Handbook

The Super
Affiliate
Handbook:

How I Made $436,797 Last Year Selling
Other People's Stuff Online

By Rosalind Gardner, Super Affiliate

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Super Affiliate Handbook
Copyright © 2003 Rosalind Gardner, WebVista Inc.
Published by Rosalind Gardner, WebVista Inc.

All rights reserved.

All content contained within the "Super Affiliate Handbook" is copyright © 2003 Rosalind
Gardner of Webvista Incorporated.

All literary work contained within the "Super Affiliate Handbook" belongs to and is the sole
property of its respective authors and is reprinted with permission. Reproduction, copying, or any
other form of use of the pieces contained within the ebook is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN without
express permission from the author him or herself. If perjury is discovered the offenders will be
prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Note: The owner of this ebook is permitted to print ONE copy for his or her own use.

These rules have been established to protect the rights and ownership of the authors and to
ensure that their work is upheld as their own.

National Library of Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Gardner, Rosalind, 1959-
The super affiliate handbook : how I made $436,797 last year selling
other people's stuff online / authored by Rosalind Gardner.

ISBN 0-9733287-0-3

1. Internet marketing. I. Title.

HF5438.35.G37 2003 658.8'00285'4678 C2003-904359-2

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Super Affiliate Handbook
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
STUFFIT EXPANDER CAN BE DOWNLOADED FROM THE FOLLOWING
SITE................................................................................................ 36
Email Software............................................................................................................37
Accounting Software..................................................................................................38
File Transfer Protocol (FTP).......................................................................................38
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Super Affiliate Handbook
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
Keyword Research Tools............................................................................................49
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
Affiliate Networks...................................................................................... 86
Affiliate Fuel...............................................................................................................87
BeFree/Reporting.net..................................................................................................89
Casino Coins Network................................................................................................95
Casino Rewards..........................................................................................................96
ClickBank...................................................................................................................97
ClickxChange..............................................................................................................98
clixGalore....................................................................................................................99
Commission Junction..................................................................................................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
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Super Affiliate Handbook
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
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Super Affiliate Handbook
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
'About Us' Page.........................................................................................................180
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
Meta Tags..................................................................................................................189
Dynamic Pages..........................................................................................................190
Avoid Tricks and Deception......................................................................................191
TURN CLICKS INTO CUSTOMERS................................................... 192
How to Write Compelling Product Endorsements..................................... 193
Learn the Art of Copywriting.................................................................... 194
Credibility Pays........................................................................................ 196
29 WAYS TO PROMOTE YOUR AFFILIATE BUSINESS..................... 198
9 Ways to Get Traffic Fast........................................................................ 199
Google AdWords......................................................................................................199
Pay Per Click Search Engines...................................................................................200
Pay for a Yahoo! Listing...........................................................................................202
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Super Affiliate Handbook
Google’s Premium Sponsorships..............................................................................203
Ezine Advertising......................................................................................................203
Build an Opt-In Subscriber List................................................................................204
Publish an Ezine, eCourse or Both...........................................................................205
How to Use Auctions to Sell Affiliate Products.......................................................206
Site Submission Services & Software.......................................................................209
9 Ways To Get Traffic To Your Site For Free............................................. 210
Joint Ventures...........................................................................................................210
Write Ezine Articles..................................................................................................211
Free Directory Listings.............................................................................................212
Search Engine & Crawler Listings...........................................................................213
Group and Forum Postings.......................................................................................213
Link Trading, FFA's & Banner Exchanges...............................................................215
Use an Email Signature.............................................................................................219
Start or HomePage Traffic Networks.......................................................................220
Refer-a-Friend Scripts...............................................................................................221
11 Ways to Market Your Site Offline......................................................... 222
Car decals..................................................................................................................222
Business cards...........................................................................................................222
Personalized Stationery.............................................................................................222
Speaking Engagements.............................................................................................222
Classified Ads...........................................................................................................222
Press Releases...........................................................................................................223
Trade Publications....................................................................................................223
Wear Your URL........................................................................................................224
Promotional items.....................................................................................................224
Tell Your Friends and Family...................................................................................224
Happy Customers......................................................................................................224
MANAGE YOUR AFFILIATE BUSINESS........................................... 226
How to Get & Stay Organized................................................................... 226
Regular Tasks........................................................................................... 229
Daily Tasks...............................................................................................................229
Weekly Tasks............................................................................................................230
Monthly Tasks..........................................................................................................231
Quarterly Tasks.........................................................................................................231
Evaluate Your Site's Performance............................................................ 232
Stats to Track & Numbers to Crunch........................................................................232
Collecting Data.........................................................................................................235
Recording Data.........................................................................................................238
How to Prevent Commission Theft ........................................................... 244
25 Avoidable Mistakes.............................................................................. 247
GROW YOUR BUSINESS................................................................ 250
How Much is Your Effort Worth? .............................................................. 250
Forums: Participate & Learn..................................................................... 253
RESOURCES.................................................................................. 255
Glossary of Terms .................................................................................... 255
Rosalind's Directory of Goodies................................................................ 266
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Super Affiliate Handbook
A Few of My Favorite Affiliate Programs................................................... 267
Recommended Reading............................................................................ 269
AFTERWORD................................................................................. 270

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Super Affiliate Handbook
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