Free Affiliate Link Masking WP Plugin

It's not cloaking, but it is masking, to make your affiliate links look like there are sub folders or your site. Often times it can be a turn off to a visitor to see a big nasty non-sense redirect url, but if you can make that url pretty and look like it's tied to your site, expect higher click through's. There are paid scripts out there that will allow you to mask your affiliate links, but believe it or not there is a free Wordpress plugin that will do the same thing.

Take your affiliate link from this :
http://www.kqzyfj.com/click-2982118-5655490

To:
http://used-golf-cart.net/used-golf-cart/used-callaway

Of course the url would be redirected to your affiliate landing page, cookie intact. Studies have shown that a better looking url will result in higher click throughs and ultimately better conversions for you.

WP-Affiliate is the free plugin that automatically converts these urls for you to a more manageable and better looking link. The latest version of WP-Affiliate will allow you to search through CJ products and manage all your masked links.

WP-Affiliate on WordPress.org
WP-Affiliate Developer Page

Why Affiliates Complain About Amazon

I see it on a daily basis, affiliates complaining about Amazon.com's affiliate program. The majority of Amazon.com affiliate complaints are that they have very low payouts, but really they are above others in the same categories. While your affiliate commission for an electronics product may only be 4% that's still 1% higher than the leading electronics e-merchant on the net, NewEgg. NewEgg.com offers only 3% commissions on their entire inventory of electronics, except for cell phone plans, in which they can offer up to $25 per contract.

So, lets say you stay away from electronics on Amazon and focus on marketing other products, well then you should be earning a minimum of 6% on all sales. Furthermore this percentage will fluctuate fast, depending on how many orders you get your percentage of commission can jump up to 6.5%-8%. What's great about Amazon's commission tier is that dollars don't play a part, they simply go by the amount of items sold. That means you will increase your commission percentage if you sell 50 couches or 50 pens.

How To Get Around Low Percentage Electronic Commissions

There is an affiliate trick that I use with Amazon to maximize my commissions when dealing with electronic items. I try to focus on those sold by 3rd party members of Amazon, instead of Amazon.com's inventory. All sales through 3rd party sellers on Amazon will result in your tier commission, meaning it's possible to sell electronics and earn only as low as 6%.

Using the method above I was able to earn a staggering 8% on all the Nintendo Wii's I sold. I was able to earn that high percentage on an electronic item because Amazon did not have them in stock, all went through 3rd parties and because I was able to push more than 600 per month.

So, next time you see someone complaining about Amazon.com's affiliate program, remember the real bread winners in affiliate marketing aren't the loud ones on the forums.

GoDaddy Promo Code

Creating an affiliate empire requires domains and your yearly purchases and renewals can really add up. Recently I started dumping old domains I never found time to develop, although still really nice ones, I had to let them go. The registrar of my choice is GoDaddy, because of service, dashboard functionality, and lastly prices, which are not always competitive. That's why I utilize GoDaddy promo codes whenever I can and then I pass them on to my friends.

I just received an email from GoDaddy announcing a promo that will go on until July 3rd 2008 where you can take 25% off an order of $75 or more.

Use GoDaddy Coupon Code gdp0645y before July 3rd 2008 to qualify for 25% off. Also, be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to get updates like these in the mail. Whenever I receive a discount offer on a product I think my readers will like, I'll make sure and post it here and email those on the list so that they can take advantage of the deal as well.

Affiliate News From The Web

What is my greatest tool in my arsenal of affiliate marketing endeavors, reading what others have done! That's right, take in every biscuit of knowledge you can from leading bloggers, newbies trial and erroring, anything. Just remember to apply what you know to what you read and don't expect someone to show you the Yellow Brick Road of affiliate marketing either, the best secrets are kept that way, secret.

I came across a great blog post by Dave Martinez that broke down the top 7 things to look for in an Affiliate Program. Believe it or not it's not just how much it pays and what he covers could save you some serious head aches in the long run. Furthermore, some of the topics he covers will make you more affiliate commissions than just going after something you know nothing about.

Check out 7 Things To Look For In An Affiliate Program

Affiliate Programs I Use

I'm often asked where I get access to all my affiliate programs and generally there is no one answer. I stick with a handful of companies that allow me to build partnerships and affiliate for a large number of programs. Below is a breakdown of which companies I'm signed up with and why i use them to affiliate.

• Commission Junction - They have a crazy amount of companies signed up that you can affiliate for. I originally signed up for eBay, but since then have been accepted into the NewEgg.com affiliate program and others. Many of the programs require you to signup individually for which program matches your website content, so you are not automatically accepted into their inventory of clients.
• Max Bounty - Generally speaking, they have the largest number of affiliate programs aimed at the simple 1 form, email gathering, affiliate programs. Meaning they have the $1 to $2 payouts for leading a visitor to submit their email for potential freebies and surveys.
• ebay Partner Network - They pay some of the highest commissions of any program I affiliate for. Their lowest tier of earnings makes you 50% of whatever eBay makes off an auction that ends with your affiliate cookie attached. Plus there are a lot of plugins and scripts to make building sites easy.
• Amazon - Who hasn't heard of Amazon? Some of their payouts are pretty low, but it's easily made up with the amount of volume that's possible. They also offer plenty of affiliate widgets, feeds, and store builder options.
• ClickBank - If it's a digital download, ebook, or some sort of online subscription service you can find it on ClickBank. They offer a huge inventory of these types of products that you can affiliate for with an even larger number of payout options. While I've only had limited success with this affiliate program, the potential is there if you can find a good niche.

Well, those are the affiliate programs I use in a nut shell. They have allowed me to eliminate Adsense on a number of my sites or at least not rely on the revenue from Adsense to earn a living. But remember, now matter how good a product or service may be, if you are not focusing on quality marketing you may just be wasting your time.

Affiliate Plugins for Wordpress

Yes, this is a blogger blog, but I also use WordPress for my hosted sites. What makes WordPress so great is that there are a plethora of plugins that make affiliating easy and automate a lot of the marketing process. Currently I'm utilizing EPN and Amazon affiliate programs on my WordPress blogs and I'll discuss the plugins I use to make money.

Amazon.com Affiliate WordPress Plugin

• wp-Amazon - This plugin allows you to search for Amazon items while creating a new post. By dragging and dropping you can place affiliate links to products while writing, but there are not a lot of options for customizing.

eBay Partner Network Affiliate WordPress Plugin

• phpBay - This plugin is highly customizable and automatically ads products from eBay into your post. It pulls images, titles, bids, and time left and displays it in a table anywhere within your post. The only downside is that it's not free, but it pays for itself very quickly.

I use both of the Affiliate WordPress Plugins above and both have made my life a lot easier. Specifically phpBay, which has allowed me to supplement my Adsense income and even create entire blogs around that one plugin. If you are not utilizing plugins now, it's time to start looking.
:)

Update 06/02/09 New Amazon Auto Poster Plugin

Please view my Amazon Auto Poster Plugin review.

What's Better phpBay or BANS?

Within the past year I've purchased both phpbay and BANS. Both of these scripts are affiliate scripts which allow easy marketing of eBay products but in two very different ways. PHPBay is a WordPress plugin that allows you to automatically generate eBay affiliate links in your posts. BANS is a completely standalone site builder that builds your own niche store showing eBay products of your choice.

Updates

PHPBay and BANS both update frequently and change in accordance with eBay rules and affiliate changes. I would consider both affiliate scripts equal in their upgrade frequency and ease of upgrading.

Customization

Both are easily customizable and only IONCUBE loaders limit a small portion of the code. As far as looks, both can be changed to fit your needs and there is an API available for phpBay which will allow for further customization.

Price

phpBay : $49.00
BANS: $97.00

The prices are completely worth it, if you don't expect a get rich quick. Furthermore, each price are a one time fee, all upgrades are free for life and your license never expires. Keep in mind neither license are transferrable.

Overral Closing Statements

I actually use both, fairly effectively in their own right. I have several niche blogs, which are over a year old, that i utilize phpbay for. However, on some of my new sites I'm utilizing BANS ease of site creation and customization. Both of these scripts use EPN, which is eBay's in house affiliate program, so no additional accounts are required to use both.

For a more indepth review of phpbay please read my personal blog.

Free BANs Template

Looking for a free BANs theme or template? I've just released Magazine, a free BANs theme compatible with the latest EPN version of BANs.

Anybody is free to use it, but if you are making 3 figures a day, please send me some cash. Not only have I had success with BANs but I've also been having success wit phpbay. I've got a detailed review of phpbay in my blog, if you are interested in more information or how to get started makign money through the eBay Partner Network.

Time To Switch to EPN

Don't forget all you affiliate marketers out there, it's time to finally make the switch to EPN. The deadline on earnings is May 31st through Commission Junction, which means any CRU's sent through their cookies that don't go active before May 31st will not be paid out. For some of us that could add up to a big headache.

Personally I've been using the new EPN affiliate system for over a month now and had great success. I've been selling used golf carts and used refrigerators and making a boat load of cookie stuffing. The amount of people looking for a good used golf cart right now is rising and accessories have never been easier to find. Likewise for finding a good used refrigerator or kegerator.

Sony Style Affiliate Time

Get Sony the way you want it. Only at Sony Style. Select, personalize and enjoy hundreds of thousands of products including computers, electronics, accessories and services you can’t find anywhere else. If it’s Sony, it’s at Sony Style.

As a member of the Sony Affiliate Program, you can expect a successful and profitable relationship, including:

Assoication with a #1 Brand that customers trust! Deep Linking with text link 10396361 3.5 - 4.0% commissions on all Sony computers and electronics Average Order Size over $595 45-Day Initial Visit to Return Day Cookie Access to Computer & Electronics Product Datafeed Sony commissions gift card sales at time of purchase – available at $25 up to $1000 increments Sony Logos may not be used to create a Sony replication page or website. Logos may be used only to highlight the company, reference in an email campaign, be used in place of a banner, etc. The logo is meant for recognition of the Sony name/brand and not to be used to create a “Sony” site. If you have questions regarding the use please contact us before you implement.

Looks like the time to start affiliating with Sony Style may have came and with such a recognizable name it's hard not to make the good green stuff.

Current Deals from Sony Style for Affiliates

Exp. 2/10/08 Save $200 on all pre-configured Sony VAIO® TZ Models: Enter coupon code VAIO200TZ.

Exp 1/28/08 Order any Sony BRAVIA® HDTV Flat Panel by Jan. 28 for free FedEx 3-day delivery in time for the big game.

Sony® VAIO® CR Notebook Red Collection. Shop Now, Just $999.99. Save an additional $100 with Coupon Code VAIO100 Exp. 2/10/08

Save $100 on all pre-configured Sony VAIO® CR Models: Enter coupon code VAIO100 Exp. 2/10/08

Save $10 on Sony 4GB Walkman® Video MP3 Player A series. Enter coupon code WALKMAN10. Shop

Music for two. Share your love of music and save big when you buy a pair of Walkman® Video MP3 players.

Get the gift they will love. Sony Style Gift Center and Gift Cards. Shop Now

Get the gift they will love. Gift Cards now available from Sony. Shop Now

Affiliates for Video Game Sites

Sometimes it can be hard to find an affiliate program that matches the content of your website. However, it's all a matter of where you look and what bets fits your visitors budget. If you can find a program that caters to your sites topic and offers a range of variably priced items, then your in business.

Currently, I run an affiliate program with Mad Catz, which allows me to integrate a CPA program with my video game related site. While I can market Nintendo's console the Wii, I can also sell different products like controllers and skins. It just so happens that MadCatz is offering a few special items this month to promote.

From wireless contollers to wireless thumbpads for the PlayStation 3, MadCatz has you covered. Otherwise, if you need Wii merchandise there are other places you can purchase from. My personal Wii Shop allows the best deals for Wiimotes, Wii Games, and other Wii accessories. The best part is I can offer all of this through my Amazon.com affiliate program. So never fear, there is a program available to help any site topic.

123Reg Announces Double Commission

UK domain registrar 123-Reg.co.uk has announced double commissions for the month of May. This bonus commission is only effective on the first referral you send to them. However, this could mean up to £140.

Becoming an affiliate for 123-Reg is easy and is free, simply sign up at CJ.com.

Avoiding Duplicate Content Penalty

One of my most favorite blogs recently published a post regarding affiliate datafeeds and duplicate content penalties. It's a big deal if you rely heavily upon search engine traffic, so it's worth a read. If your not familiar with 'duplicate content penalties' it's where popular search engines (Google) penalize your site's rankings because you have 'similar' content with another site.

With so much competition it's important to cover yourself whenever possible. Read about duplicate content over at 5StarAffiliatePrograms.com. The ever changing face of search engine algorithms means that this news may be dated by the time you read it, but it's important to keep moving forward. Simply copy'n paste is not always the correct answer. ;)

Easy CGI Affiliate

Through CommissionJunction I'm often contacted via email in regards to up and coming new affiliate programs. Lately, it seems that all I'm getting are programs geared toward hosting companies, which is an already crowded market.

Often, hosting companies offer exuberant payouts, due to the high competition and large profit margin. While this may seem appealing, it can be difficult to earn even a dollar from such a program.

The latest offering is from EasyCGI and boasts some eye-catching numbers.

We now offer one of the most compelling commission structures in the market with a 120-day cookie length. We are giving away $110 per sale with an opportunity of earning up to $150 per sale.

And you get a big cookie!

Time of the Year

Affiliate marketing is a ever changing dangerous beast that requires constant attention. From what I've seen there is no auto button that once you reach a certain point your 'done' with your website or marketing plan. Thanks to competition there is always something that needs to be done to keep your site at the top of the SERP's and revenue constantly flowing. Ultimately maintaining or growing business performance requires constant attention.

Keeping traffic is a different topic altogether, however keeping the revenue flowing from your existing traffic requires change with the seasons. I'm sure all of you, including myself, enjoyed increased sales ending 06, due to the holidays. But now we've got a fresh year and a new plan, possibly product, we need to focus on.

Do testing, find what product does best at which part of the year. Test, retest, placement change, etc until you find it works. Again, no auto button and what may have worked the end of 06 may not be true today.

Good luck to a successful 07 and may we all grow together!

Lexington Law Affiliate Program

Being a member of Commission Junction offers so many benefits, besides the ability to market the best products in the industry. It also gives you insight into what's coming and direct relations with it's advertisers.

Today I received a new email from Lexington Law announcing a new affiliate program and plans for 07.

Q1 2007 is the time to be working with financial programs, since people typically evaluate their financial health after the holiday season. Lexington Law is the largest and most trusted name in credit repair. Join us in our strongest performing quarter and increase your commissions.

Publisher benefits:

• Highest payout and EPC in the industry, with the opportunity to get to a VIP level
• Phone order tracking - we track and compensate those customers who are not comfortable purchasing items online, with our 800 number tracking
• We follow up each lead with our own marketing efforts via phone calls and emails and track any sales back to our affiliates
• We have the ability to work with affiliates to deliver unique creative that is just right for your needs, including content links

Note: If you are a coupon publisher, please contact us. We have an opportunity to work well with your business model.

The Fair Credit Reporting Act gives Americans the right to contact credit bureaus directly and dispute items on their credit reports. Consumers can dispute any and all items on their credit report that they think believe to be inaccurate, unverifiable, or misleading. If the bureaus cannot verify that the information on their report is indeed correct, then those items must be deleted. The experts at Lexington Law help consumers get these incorrect items deleted to strengthen their credit history and gain the financial leverage they otherwise would lack.

Please see our affiliate site at http://www.progrexion.com/affiliates for more information. You will also find resources and tools to help you grow your commissions.

Join Lexington Law now by clicking the link below and scrolling to the bottom (you may need to login to your Commission Junction account first if prompted).
Lexington Law Detail Page

Regards,
The Lexington Law Affiliate Team

Amazon Product Previews

What makes an online affiliate successful, is it placing links in a certain place, the type of links used, or traffic? The answer can be one, or any combination of these elements, so it's always a good idea to test and utilize all tools available. The latest tool from Amazon Associates is one that can potentially increase your earning potential.

When a visitor hovers over an enhanced text or image link for 400ms, a small window will appear next to that link. That window is the Product Preview. When a user's mouse is within the window, the window will remain visible. When they move their mouse outside of the window, the window will disappear. If a user clicks on the window, the window will remain visible until the user clicks the window's "Close" button. Users can also click and drag on the top border of the window to move it around your web page. Please note that the 400ms delay is a common period for triggering user-activated events on web pages, and is the same timing we use on our retail site for similar features.

Typically my pages are on the heavy side, so I'll use this method sparingly. However, it's never bad idea having more tools in your toolshed.

Commission Junction Provides the Tools

CommissionJunction is a highly respected affiliate program that not only creates an inventory of products/services, but also helps out with the tools. For publishers, it can be a daunting task to get started and make that ever important first affiliate sale. CJ makes it easier with CJU a free university to affiliate publishers.

CJ is attempting to start things off right in 07, with their Affiliate Publisher resolution.

Year in and year out, many sing the tired old New Year's resolution tunes about losing love-handles and firming jiggly thighs. Jazz up your New Year's resolutions by making ones that will drive revenue.

We are all here for the same thing and that is knowledge which will eventually lead to revenue. Make sure and do your homework, because there is no free money on the internet...it does take hard work.

Christmas After Christmas with HP

Did you get everything you wanted for Christmas? The answer should be no, that is unless you don't want anything next Holiday Season, or ever for that matter. :P Which brings me to my next question, why can't Christmas be year round, with the present giving and what not?

I think the answer is, we can, if we are friends with the right folks, whom love giving away free stuff. PayPerPost.com is one such company that pats itself on the back from the ability to hand out nifty HP digital camera and printers...after the holiday.

Admittedly it's been a few months since I've taken part in the success of PPP, not from lack of being paid, or from lack of opportunities, rather I've been busy with a full plate. But what better way to win me back over, than an opportunity to when a 6 mega pixel digital camera and/or photo printer from HP?

Thanks to the players from PPP for the consideration and a personal thx to HP.

HP sponsored this post.

Text-Link-Ads Now Blogger Friendly

It looks like Text-Link-Ads.com finally joined the new Blogger and introduced their service to the program. This has been a highly anticipated move by many bloggers, looking to take advantage of TLA's affiliate sales and publisher commissions.

The following email was received yesterday morning:

We are excited to announce that Text Link Ads publishing program now is compatible with Blogger! Your blog has already been approved with TLA so all you have to do now is login to your account, click on "Install ad code", then click the "Get ad code" link to the right of your domain. Choose "Blogger" in the code dropdown and follow the simple installation instructions. If you have not yet upgraded to the newest version of blogger, you will need to do so in order to use our ad program.

Thanks for your patience with us while we got our ad program ready for Blogger. We look forward to servicing you and making you some money!


Patrick Gavin
President

The major problem facing most bloggers now is that their blog is not upgradeable. For example, if your blog contains thousands of posts or numerous comments, it's not available for upgrade. Likewise, even if your blog is capable, it's still not open to be switched. Luckily, Google says the ability to merge blogs will become available further down the road.