If you’re a person with an above average IQ, you probably have several amazing ideas each day. On the one hand, it’s a huge advantage but on the other hand, it’s also something that can work against you if you’re not careful.

No matter how successful or well organized you are, a day still won’t have more than 24 hours and your budget will probably never be limitless either. Yes, it’s true that you need to diversify but that doesn’t mean that you should go overboard. Spreading yourself too thin is just as bad as keeping all of your eggs in one basket.

In Case You Forgot: Focus, Focus, Focus

Most people get really excited about a project at the beginning but end up being distracted at one point or another. The brainstorming process is almost always a lot of fun but when you start implementing everything, things tend to get a bit boring. It’s like that for everyone and it’s perfectly understandable.

While it is understandable, that doesn’t mean that you have to start finding excuses. So you have great ideas? Well, what good will it do if they don’t materialize? Writing stuff on a board or on a piece of paper is great and everything but making money would be kinda-sorta nice too, wouldn’t it? If you always jump from one idea to another, you’ll end up with a lot of “concepts” but no money in the bank. So, what’s the solution?

You’ve Guessed It: Focus, Focus, Focus

Keep your eyes on the prize and be sure to set goals. Reaching a goal always gives you a nice little boost, probably more than enough in order to make it to the next one and so on. Don’t forget to reward yourself, keep it fun!

Ok, so focusing is important. But does this mean that you should let ideas with a lot of potential go to waste? Of course not, be ready to always write a great idea down. Be organized, you’ll thank yourself later on. Notepad is your friend, seriously! Why complicate things? Create a folder, call it “ideas” or something and whenever you think that you’ve discovered the best thing since sliced bread, open notepad or an editor of choice for a moment and let your imagination run wild. Then get back to work, rinse and repeat. That’s really all there is to it.

You’ll cross paths with a lot of shady people as an affiliate marketer, there are always folks who want to make a quick buck and this industry definitely doesn’t represent an exception. It’s even safe to assume that a day never goes by without someone trying to cause trouble in one way or another.

Maybe it’s an advertiser who’s shaving like there’s no tomorrow, maybe it’s the owner of a network, maybe it’s someone who’s trying to intimidate your host, maybe it’s someone who wants to hack one of your websites and the list could go on and on.

Ready to Put Your Tinfoil Hat On?

Well, you should be. A little bit of paranoia definitely doesn’t hurt and it all boils down to this: watch your back! Let’s analyze two possible scenarios:

1. You blindly trust the people you do business with
2. You don’t trust anyone

Now in the first case, it’s only a matter of time until you’d end up being disappointed and possibly even broke. It happens time and time again. Do you think that blindly trusting an advertiser and/or your AM is the smart thing to do? Let’s assume that an offer converts great today and that your AM is insisting that you invest as much money as possible “until it’s too late”. Let’s also assume that you’re just starting out and only have $5,000 at your disposal. Should you invest everything you have? A lot of people do and end up being disappointed. There are more than a few advertisers who lure you in with an offer which converts great, only to start scrubbing like maniacs as soon as they see some serious volume. If you have a huge budget at your disposal then sure, you can afford to lose $5,000 or even more but if not, don’t get carried away!

What about Scenario #2?

Now as far as scenario #2 is concerned, one thing is certain: if you don’t trust anyone, you’ll never end up being disappointed. That doesn’t mean that you should treat the people you do business with like criminals, not by a long shot. Don’t start burning bridges, be rational.

Paranoia can work in your favor as long as you don’t go overboard. Be polite and professional but not naïve, that’s basically all there is to it. Do everything you can to generate win-win situations but don’t forget to watch your back!

Offical Network List for Launch Date:

Ads4Dough
Affiliate.com
AzoogleAds
ClickBank
ClickBooth
Comission Junction
Convert2Media
Copeac
CPAStorm
EliteComission
FluxAds
MarketLeverage
Maxbounty
Adfinity
AdDrive
AdEx
AdFish
AffiliateWise
Amped Media
Aqasis Media
BlinkAds
Commission Empire
CPA Fuel
CPA Jolt
CPA Valley
CPARev
CXdigital
Eagle Web Assets
eComLeads
EliteProfits
EpicCenter Network
Express Revenue
FireLead
Glipsa
Hydra Network
Jar Media
Karaktr
MarketHealth
MediaTrust (Advaliant)
Millnic Media
Motive
OfferWeb
PepperJam
PrimaryAds
RevenueLoop
Rextopia
ShareASale
Tatto Media
Unique Leads
Wotogepa
YEP!

Remember the first site you’ve ever published? You know, that ugly template-ish thing you spent so much time putting together and which never converted (then again, you probably didn’t even know what conversions are back then)?

The beautiful thing about having money is that you will never ever have to go through something like that again. You have an idea, then pay a designer and a writer to make things happen: bam, there’s your site! There’s so much competition out there that freelancers are working for practically nothing these days.

Finding Freelancers Who Know What They’re Doing

It’s perfectly natural to want things on the cheap but seriously, don’t go too far. If you always chase after bargains, you’re going to end up working with people who don’t have a clue and that’s always bad for business.

Think about it: let’s assume that a decent designer (lots of positive testimonials, an impressive portfolio and so on) charges $100 for a fully coded landing page and that lots of beginners (no portfolio whatsoever and maybe a couple of testimonials) only charge $40. If you go with the person with a great track record, you’ll probably receive a landing page which converts (we can assume that based on the fact that the reputable designer in question has worked with a lot of affiliate marketers) but if you want to save a buck and choose to go with a beginner, it’s hit or miss.

Good Case Scenario, Bad Case Scenario

If the beginner does a great job, you’ve saved $60 but if not, you’ll probably lose a lot of money. Aside from the fact that you’ll have to pay for another landing page at the very least (if you continue to work with the beginner, you’ll probably have to order a handful of landing pages until he finally gets it right), you need to also take the money spent on traffic (probably a good chunk of change) into consideration.

Is it really worth it? Sure, you can save 60 bucks but you’ll probably lose hundreds of dollars as well as time by not working with people who know what they’re doing. Do yourself a favor and learn from the mistakes others have made. You’re better off hiring freelancers with a proven track record, far less variables involved. Given the fact that you probably have a lot on your mind as it is, the last thing you have time for is babysitting a beginner.

Did you think that if your ads have an impressive CTR, the campaign(s) will automatically end up being profitable? Wrong! Think about it: the most important thing is convincing the people who click to perform a certain action. Maybe you’re selling something, maybe you want them to sign up for something.

Even if you have a brilliant landing page, convincing the “wrong” audience to perform the action(s) in question is so hard that it’s just not worth it. Most people think that it’s your job as an affiliate marketer to convince as many people as possible to click on an ad. Well, it’s not.

Do You Want Lots of “Curious Clickers”?

Here’s the thing: even a complete beginner can come up with an ad which is so “different” (weird, interesting, maybe even shocking) that lots and lots of people end up clicking. But there’s just one problem: most of them would be “curious clickers” who have no interest whatsoever in what you’re offering. They would click that shiny ad of yours, drop by and then leave.

In other words, you’d practically be throwing money away. While it is true that you will get cheaper clicks if your CTR is high (after all, networks display ads based on how much money they make from each of them – they make more money from people with low bids but a huge CTR than from people who are willing to pay a lot more per click but have an ad which nobody wants to check out), it still just won’t be worth it in most cases.

Exact Science + Art = $$$

Affiliate marketing is an exact science as well as an art and in this case, you have to find the right balance between creating an attractive ad and not making it appealing to the wrong crowd. It sounds complicated but it really isn’t. If you have at least some basic understanding of marketing, you’ll be fine.

All you have to do is make the ad “different” but still make it perfectly clear what you’re offering. The potential visitors need to know exactly what they’d end up finding if they choose to drop by. Show them what your site is all about in a unique way. Tweak, tweak and tweak some more. Find something that works, scale. Rinse and repeat. Have fun!

Most people start out by thinking that being an affiliate marketer is a piece of cake: sitting in front of your computer for a while, checking your stats and… well, that would pretty much be it according to most folks.

In a way, they’re actually right. There are a handful of marketers out there who have decided that they no longer want to hustle, that they want to take it easy and limit themselves to simply keeping their current projects alive. Sure, that involves work as well but still, we could say that these people are “living the live”.

But Can You Do That?

Probably, but definitely not right from the beginning! The problem is that the affiliate marketers who have decided to take it easy are a minority and that getting there was anything but a walk in the park.

Most (probably all) of the people who are now “living the life” have started out as workaholics, there’s just no other way. Learning the ropes, banging your head against the wall, making mistakes: it’s all a part of the game! Some people quit, others keep on hustling. The world can sometimes be a painfully simple place, there are winners and there are losers.

Adapt or Give Up

Unfortunately, nobody really cares if you think that life’s hard. The world is what it is, the Web is what it is. There are lots of life-changing opportunities out there and it’s ultimately your responsibility to make things happen. Ask any successful (online or offline) business owner out there, you simply have to suck it up and hustle when you’re starting out.

After one of your businesses (maybe a site, maybe a campaign, maybe several campaigns) is pretty much on autopilot, then maybe (just maybe) you can afford to take it easy for a while and reap the rewards of your hard work. After the (short) celebration though, it’s back to hustling if you want to stay on top.

If making lots of money online were as easy as most people think it is, everyone would be doing it. Why work 9 to 5 if you can make 10x more money just like that? Here’s the thing: yes, there are countless “harder” careers out there but this doesn’t mean that anyone and his dog can make it as an affiliate marketer. In fact, most people fail miserably because they’re not willing to keep at it when things get tough. Adapt or give up, what will it be?

All of us want a piece of the action and that’s exactly why there’s an insane amount of competition when it comes to traffic, especially sources which have been proven to work. Let’s assume that you’re a beginner who wants some traffic: where do you go? In most cases, the answer is AdWords, YSM and/or AdCenter. Maybe Facebook, it depends on which websites, forums or blogs you have been reading.

But what about “Obscure” Traffic Sources?

Most people don’t have a huge budget at their disposal, so they’re not really willing to venture into the unknown. Second tier traffic sources may or may not be worth it, there’s just no way of knowing for sure until you test.

If you get it right, congratulations: you’ve just discovered a great traffic source where there isn’t a lot of competition. If your test campaigns end up being flops, too bad: learn a few lessons, analyze the data you’ve practically paid for and move on if you think that the traffic source in question doesn’t deserve a second chance.

Is Sticking with Established Traffic Sources the Smart Thing to Do?

There really is no “right or wrong” answer to this question, it depends. On the one hand, at least you know that you’re dealing with a legitimate company but on the other hand, you’ll have to compete with a lot of other marketers for a slice of the pie.

Let’s analyze AdWords Search as an example. If you’re an affiliate marketer and want to target extremely competitive terms, the chances of succeeding are slim to none. Why? Simply because you’ll be competing with networks and/or merchants directly!

And what’s the difference between you and them? The payout! You’re practically competing with people who make more money for each lead or sale they generate and, especially if the merchants are involved, it’s anything but a fair fight. Unless your approach is the best thing since sliced bread, you’re better of focusing on less competitive keywords, on the Content Network or even on other traffic sources.

So, What Will It Be?

If you’re just starting out, it makes sense to check out a few established traffic sources while learning the ropes. After you become more experienced and have a bigger budget at your disposal, you can take things to the next level.

Most people end up failing because they want things to happen yesterday. Be reasonable and don’t rush into anything because you’d probably end up losing your shirt. Seriously, just don’t.

It’s no secret that as an affiliate marketer, you need to risk money to make money. There’s just no other way. Test and see what sticks, that’s pretty much all there is to it concept-wise.

In theory, you could even sell used toothpicks if you spend lots of time and money in order to find people who would actually be willing to buy something like that. And since we’re looking at 10 figures when it comes to the number of Internet users, you’re bound to find at least one demographic that converts.

But Is Every Campaign Worth It?

Of course not! Yes, you could even sell used toothpicks if you were to test and test until you find people who are willing to buy them but we’re talking about so few potential customers and so much hassle that it just wouldn’t be worth it.

The time required to turn such a campaign into something profitable is always better spent working on campaigns with potential which can actually be scaled. But if you’re interested in becoming a professional time waster sure, go for it.

What If I’m Not Bill Gates?

Leaving campaigns which don’t have any potential whatsoever aside, there are lots which do have potential but are extremely “tricky”. In other words, campaigns which are definitely scalable but which practically devour a small budget just like that.

Just how much can you afford to pay for data? If you get carried away, there’s always the risk of being stuck with an “almost there” campaign and a depleted budget. You need to be realistic, painfully realistic. Your financial situation is what it is, end of story. Once you have more money to work with, you can afford to play the game on a different level but for now, focus on making the most out of your current situation.

Where Do You Draw the Line?

As an affiliate marketer, you need to know when to say no and move on. Analyze the data you have at your disposal and rationally determine if tweaking the campaign is worth it or not.

Let the numbers do all of the talking and based on your financial situation, decide what the best approach is. Don’t let your ego get the best of you and don’t take the “test, test and test some more ‘till something sticks” concept too far. Seriously, don’t!

When selecting keywords for your search campaign, many of the concepts of SEO keyword selection apply. The biggest difference is that, since we are paying for each click, we need keywords that are very specific and have a high probability of converting.

Develop a Preliminary List

The first step in developing your list is to find a large number of potential keywords that we can peel down through research and testing. Using the Google Keyword Tool as described in the SEO article, enter a few generic terms which would apply to the demographic you want to target with your offer. The Google Keyword Tool will give you a number of keyword ideas to work with.

Scout the Competition
There are two main pieces of information you need to gather during your competition research stage. The first piece is which keywords are currently being used for the offer you are promoting. If the offer is not currently widespread, this may not be important. If, however, you are promoting an offer which many others are promoting, you will want to know which keywords they use.

When checking out others promoting the same offer, you will want to take note of which position your competition is paying for. This will of course affect bid price and should play a part in your total analysis of which keywords you bid on and at what price. The second major type of reconnaissance is the competition for keywords you are interested in using. If the competition is not promoting your offer for a given keyword, this could be an opportunity for you if you think the keyword could be successful. You also want to know the types of offers being promoted for a given keyword. If the offers are similar, this is a good sign as it shows you may be targeting the correct audience. You need to be careful of keywords with heavy competition as the bid price may be
too high for you to bid on that keyword.

Keyword Elite and Google Keyword Tool

As with evaluating keywords in the SEO article, you should perform an analysis of competition vs.
searches. Using the Google Keyword Tool, green bars will show you the number of searches on a
keyword in a given month, as well as the competition for that keyword. Always compare searches to competition level – a word with high searches and low competition offers an opportunity to get your ad shown for a low bid price. Of course, you must always mind how well the keyword is targeted to your audience as I will explore later in this article.

Keyword Elite is a paid tool which offers more detailed research on keywords. I would suggest using a paid tool such as Keyword Elite if you are serious about putting together professional keyword lists. Keyword Elite will show you exact search numbers and competition levels, providing you with much more detailed research. Of course, Google’s free tool still provides enough information to develop a strong keyword list.

Less is More

You DO NOT need an enormous keyword list to be profitable with search marketing. Instead, you need a list of quality words targeted to your audience. It all breaks down to a science – you need keywords that have a higher conversion rate (producing more revenue) than what you spend bidding on the keywords.

A good strategy is to develop a number of small keyword lists with separate sub IDs so that you can track the success. Pay attention to each keyword click‐through ratio, as this shows attractive keywords, but you also need to use sub IDs to know how well your keywords are converting. By creating a number of small lists with separate sub IDs, you can easily track how well your keywords are doing, and delete those which are not profitable.

Targeted Keywords

When selecting keywords, always think about the audience you want to target. Think about the
demographic of the users clicking on an ad displayed from each keyword you bid on. Are there multiple reasons why a user would search for that keyword? Would users searching for that keyword be interested in the offer you are promoting?

Focus on keywords that are very specific, as opposed to generic, broad keywords. Broad keywords may show your ad, but will probably not target your audience well. If the broad keywords don’t convert on your offer, you will end up spending a lot of money and making very little. Pick specific keywords and track their conversion rates. Delete keywords which aren’t producing.

Keyword List Mistakes
1. Broad or popular keywords which are not targeted to the audience you know will convert
2. Not researching the competition
3. Targeting keywords with very few searches
4. Failing to test your keyword list and update as necessary

Test, Monitor, Re­Test

Using sub IDs, you should always be monitoring the click through ratios and conversion rates. By
breaking down your keyword lists into small groups with sub IDs, you can track performance and make modifications just as you should with your landing page. After you test and monitor, you can delete keywords that are not paying off, and re‐test to check performance. Competition and audience taste is always evolving, so testing and modifying is essential to keeping your keyword list profitable.

Banner Ad Placement

Even if your site is bringing in plenty of traffic, impressions alone do not guarantee riches when using the CPC advertising model. Obviously, clicks are all that matters. Of course, impressions are not limitless, so what we really are looking for when using the CPC model is a high click through ratio (CTR). A high CTR means that the banners on your site are getting clicked on frequently and thus bringing in more revenue. Throughout this article we will focus on the small details that can impact your CTR in a very positive way to earn you more money.

Placement

A variety of scientific studies have been conducted looking into the eye pattern of a person viewing a web site. Google, in fact, publishes a hot-spot diagram which documents the areas of the screen user’s look at the most. While getting user’s to look at your ad is important, many webmasters fail to realize that the real trick is to convince a person to actually click on your ad. There are two trains of thought on how to approach the “appeal” factor:

1 – Ads that stand out

I’m sure that you have seen the flashy ads on websites which flash neon colors or shift back and forth to imitate movement. Having ads stand out is one strategy that has seen success in the past. Although people may complain about their intrusiveness, it is often these people who are the ones clicking on the ads. One caveat with making ads stand out is that this strategy worked well in the early days of internet advertising, but today’s web surfers are much more cognizant of your advertising intentions.

2 – Ads that blend in

Our current preferred strategy is to make ads blend into your site as much as possible. The goal is to make web surfers think that your ads are actually part of the content on your site. It may sound like a deceptive tactic, but if your ads are targeted to your content, you will be doing your users a service by connecting them with products or resources they may be interested in.

The first step in making ads blend in with your site is to match the ad’s text color to the text color of your site’s content. Likewise, match the link color of the ad to the link color of your site. In this way, your ads appear to be an extension of your content.

In addition to making ads look like your content, you can place ads in strategic points on your site to increase the odds of getting clicks. Placing ads “above the fold” is one very basic rule you should try to stick to unless you have a very strategic area at the bottom of your site. “Above the fold” means that ads appear towards the top of the page so that a user does not need to scroll down. If a user has to scroll down to see your ad, this is considered “below the fold”.

Other strategic ad placement includes near the top “X” where you close the page or to incorporate ads near your navigation. Again, our goal is to get clicks, so if an ad blends in with your content and appears near where users would click normally, this can lead to a higher click through ratio and more money in your pocket.

At the end of the day, blending your ads as much as possible will earn you more money, and hopefully help your users be directed to targeted resources.