My affiliate question

the best way to go about it for "my site"

[sadelb]

Ok, so lets say that I am in the process of finishing a web site. Selling a product that I love or lets say affiliating products that I love. (reseller) Now I am doing it in a way that I am listing the object, the price, picture and when the customer clicks on that description it will take him to the check out menu of the website that actually sells this item. Ok now here is my question. I feel that the website I have created is very professional looking I didnt make it for just website banners. I want to actually show the products on my website like I am the actual store. Now do I have to go through a commission junction or a company like that in order to affiliate with these websites or can I actually go to the actual companies as well? can i do both? I guess what I am trying to say here is that if I am affiliating a product, and people are clicking through from my site and actually buying it, I want to know that 1) I will definitely receive credit for this.. and 2) the best way to set a system up so I can keep track of everything. There are many websites that are not on cj or other sites similar that I would like to affiliate with. I just want to be lead in the right direction so I am not wasting my time selling other peoples products with no return. Thanks in advance. I hope I was clear.

Ben

[Marcia]

You have to go through the merchant, and if they're with a network like CJ or LS, through them. Some use a network plus have an independent direct program of their own.

People who have a proven, verifiable track record can at times get special arrangements, but it still has to be arranged with the merchant directly. And it doesn't happen just starting out.

[percentages]

>do I have to go through a commission junction or a company like that in order to affiliate with these websites or can I actually go to the actual companies as well?

In many cases you can go directly to the merchant, and you will get much more favorable terms by doing so.

>can i do both?

Often yes, and often you should. For some merchants I take some of the commission from CJ/BeFree and some from the direct relationship.

>I will definitely receive credit for this

If it is via an affiliate network 98% of the time you will get the credit. If you want to deal direct the risk is larger, therefore you need to build a good relationship with the merchant to improve your chances of being paid.

>the best way to set a system up so I can keep track of everything.

I personally code everything in PHP and keep my own counters for CPC merchants. For those that pay by the lead/sale it is almost impossible to ensure you are not cheated unless they co-brand and you have control of the form. All I can offer is that if you think the numbers don't add up, then ditch 'em and look for a more honest partner!

[sadelb]

Thanks guys, both are helpful. I feel that you can be successful in this business if you work hard at it and add your own original ideas into your work. I guess I was just skeptical but the fact of the matter is, if you are getting companies sales; why would they screw you over. But I just have a few more questions, whats the differece between getting paid for clicks and getting paid for actual leads. What is more beneficial? I feel that there is much more potential if your site can guarantee leads rather then just clicks. And I havent really ran into a merchant that advertises paying affiliates for clicks...(unless there are reliable third party websites like cj)

Ok... one more skeptical question.....If my widgets are selling like crazy... Lets say www.greatwidgets.com just sold $50,000 worth of widgets this month from customers clicking through from my site and buying from theres..... Is greatwidgets.com or cj literally going to write me a check of $5,000? (or whatever the percentage of commission is)

Also, one more thing... how do you determine weather your site can 1... make money off affiliations or 2....make money off selling advertising space... Does it depend on the popularity of your site? what other factors are included?
I'm sorry if I asked a lot of questions. I hope some of them can be answered... Thank you and I wont bug you guys this much anymore... :)

Ben

[buckworks]

Is greatwidgets.com or cj literally going to write me a check of $5,000? (or whatever the percentage of commission is)

Yep. :-)

[Catalyst]

Ben,

Lots of things come into play but 2 of the biggest keys are:

1) Traffic and marketing. You sound new, do you know how to do SEO or have other ways to get LOTS of traffic to your site? Considering avg conversion rates are only 2% or less, you need lots of traffic to make a living.

2) Conversions - you need to find the right mix of merchants that convert well and pay.

There is lots more to this game, but considering you sound very new to this I had concerns for you regarding #1.

[graywolf]

Is greatwidgets.com or cj literally going to write me a check of $5,000?

Yeah I had a hard time believing this before I got my first one. Feels good walking up to the bank teler plunking one of those bad boys down.

[sadelb]

Catalyst and everyone else,

Yes I am new to this.. I am building my site right now.. (Or at least designing it and having somebody help me build it) Its not the typical affiliation site. I set it up really nicely. Descriptions, pictures, products... everything orgranized extremely well.. Customer friendly was the most important thing for me. Something that interests the customer. Has a great mix of items that all relate. Lots of diversification. Thats not the part I am really worried about. I would love to learn about SEO and the best ways to achieve it successfully. Are there any places I could look to find the best ways to do it. Any threads? Do you mean basically setting up my site so it is liked very highly with google? As far as affiliating with companies, I am going to the marchants that have the items that interest me and going through their sites or those third party sites as well. That 2% conversion rate is very low but I feel if your site is build in a way where the customer will actualy remember it and want to come back that conversion rate could be much higher. I guess my main concern is when actually affiliating with thsee companies; I want to organize it in a way where I can keep track of everything very easily. I would also like to learn how to do SEO or a reference where I can learn about it in much more detail.. thanks again guys.

Ben

[sadelb]

Oh yeah , one more quick thing. I am not doing this to make a quick buck. If the money comes, it comes. I would rather have somebody see my site and a week later come back to it because it actually interested them. If I can accompish this, then who knows where it can go from there.