How to get an important free link to your site

»  Home »  Product Reviews »  Site building »  Affiliate marketing case study using SBI
»  Home »  Beginners Articles »  Success stories »  Affiliate marketing case study using SBI
»  Home »  Beginners Articles »  Building a website »  Affiliate marketing case study using SBI

Affiliate marketing case study using SBI

By Rupert Farrow | Published 12/12/2002 | Site building , Success stories , Building a website |

How to get an important free link to your site

The Open Directory - http://www.dmoz.org - will list your site only if it has good content. Since I didn't have any affiliate links up yet for the Yahoo! review I also submitted my site to the Open Directory at the same time.

The Open Directory is staffed by volunteers so the speed of service is not the best. To suggest a site to the Open Directory simply go to the correct category and hit the "add URL link". However, the category that best suited my site did not have an "add URL link" and when I went one category up the online form wouldn't work properly.

After three tries over three weeks I gave up and started emailing Open Directory editors.

All I said was that I was having trouble with the online form and that if he could list my site I would be very grateful. I supplied him with my site's URL, description, title and appropriate category in the Open Directory. The result - boomshanka! Two days later my site was in the Open Directory and it was now ready for all those money-making affiliate links.

Be sure to read the Open Directory guidelines and follow them when you make your submission.

Inktomi and Looksmart

At the same time as the Yahoo submission I paid $39 (via Positiontech.com) to get in the Inktomi search engine because it is one way of getting into MSN.

I also paid to be reviewed by LookSmart just before it switched to a pay-per-click version. After carefully looking at my Site Build It! traffic stats, the LookSmart listing appears to be a waste of money.

Pages: « Back 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Next »

Next: Affiliate programs: The magic links that make you money »

Comments

Comment #1 (Posted by Ralph Wilcox) |

I have heard Site Build It is just a bunch of bunk..Get nVU instead, its free.

[I've not only heard of SBI, my assistants have tested it thoroughly and used successfully for several years. That's why I recommend it. NVU is totally different - it's not a complete suite of tools for website research, brainstorming, building and marketing. Allan.]

Comment #2 (Posted by Sebastian Wick) |

Comparing SBI with the NVU-HTML editor is like comparing Microsoft with a $20 ebook on "How to code your own operating system on a personal computer". And "I have heard" is always a funny thing to say if you don't have a clue what you are talking about. I have heard that computers and the internet were dead but obviously I was wrong because I'm typing these letters on my keyboard. I don't blame stupidity but hawking with it.

Comment #3 (Posted by Jason Willkomm) |

I have been working with SBI websites for over 14 months now. I have just started my third site. I have to agree with the other two comments. I quit my job several months ago already and will never work for earned income again!

Comment #4 (Posted by John P.) |

SiteBuildIt?! Haha-ha, thanks for the laugh. You newbies kill me.

[SBI is very suitable for newbies, true, but if you think only newbies use SBI you're greatly mistaken. Read some of the documented, verifiable case studies here:
AssociatePrograms.com/proof . Allan.]

Comment #5 (Posted by dani sadikin) |

Dear John,
If you can proof to us that you already have got MVP Award, just once is enough, from Uncle Gates, then we are just a puny newbies.

[I don't know who "John" is, but SBI user Marc Liron won the Most Valued Professional (MVP) Award from Microsoft in 2004. You can prove that yourself by using Google to do a site search of Microsoft.com. Allan.]

Comment #6 (Posted by Liset) |

Hi. I'm totally new to this, and I already find it quite overwhelming. I have only used the internet for emails and just plain ol' surfin' the net. What is the fee per month to get a SBI website running? Do I need a domain name and/or hosting? Also I've heard about the 'cool little website.' Is this a similar product?
Thanks!!!

[SBI costs $299 a year, which includes the annual domain name registration and very reliable web hosting. You have to add your brains and motivation. You use the SBI tools and instruction manual to build your own unique site. Dave's Cool Little Website is entirely different. It supplies a ready made website, si it appeals to the lazy. The huge problem is that you end up with a website which is like thousands of other websites. How would people find YOUR site among thousands of similar sites? They wouldn't. For long-term success, it's hugely important that you build a site which is different from everyone else's. Allan.]

Comment #7 (Posted by Narayan Ramos) |

I just want to say that I wish that there were kung fu affiliate programs! Hi, my name is Narayan and I'm also an SBI owner/SiteSell Affiliate who's only on his third day. I've been on this third day for what seems like an eternity, but alas, I'm about to start the fourth day. I'm just hoping that I'll be able to start making some sort of cash before my first year as an SBIer is done with. However, I agree with Allan; in order to achieve anything in this life one must apply a lot of "elbow-grease"! Well, I hope my elbows don't dry out before I start making money, is all.

Actually, I have to say that you, Allan, have truly inspired me; and I won't stop applying my "elbow-grease" until I achieve my desired objective! Godspeed, and oh yeah, when are you going to have affiliate chinese martial arts programs. Perhaps, I'm going to have to manifest this! Huh? Back to the drawing board!
Thanks for allowing me to express myself on your site.

[Stick with it. Niche sites really do work. For kung fu products, try this search in Google: "kung fu" +affiliate .
Allan.]

Comment #8 (Posted by Theliefie1) |

I would have read more, but the backbiting, insult hurling and reference to microsoft as some sort of admirable icon turned me off. Constructive commentary would have been much more suitable to the effort this guy put into making available this resource. You don't have to agree with it to be respectful.

Comment #9 (Posted by haneef) |

hey why did u forget traffic hurrican which can build iooo pages with customisation u want from scrap.
http://www.googleyahoomsnaskdogpile.blogspot.com

[The above article is a case study. You can find a discussion on Traffic Hurricane on our affiliate forum. That would be a good place to discuss it. Allan.]

Comment #10 (Posted by Michael) |

Most web "professionals" put down Site Build It because it does what they don't - Build a Web BUSINESS not a web Site. I have had at least 10 websites built for my offline business by web designers, none of which gave me a ROI. My first SBI site started producing income within 3 months of going live. As a business owner, I love SBI.

Comment #11 (Posted by David Siembab) |

Site build it and NVU are both junk if you want a real HTML editor go with HTML kit by chami it's free and is a lot less complicated than NVU plus you can edit any kind of programming with it it has numerous add-ons. Why would you pay for site build it or spend hours trying to figure out what and what not you can do with NVU when you can get HTML-kit for free

[SBI has many thousands of satisfied users. It's much more than site-building software - it's a package which includes training in how to create a successful business. That's why so many people choose it. Allan.]

Comment #12 (Posted by Julia) |

Whoah ooo Very interesting and very full on. I`m a complete beginner site build it sounds do-able. I`m wanting to know if there is software in existance that will build a survey site/squeeze page for me, thats not too in your face or maybe even customizable...by a beginner...am I only dreaming???
Julia

[The best place to ask such questions is on our affiliate forum, which has lots of friendly, helpful members. Allan.]

Comment #13 (Posted by Elizabeth) |

SBI works. I have tried many GRQ (Get rich quick) schemes on the internet, only to fail. SBI is not a GRQ, it takes time and dedication. But it works, and as the snowball starts rolling, the $$ comes in. As for the comment about Nvu, that person is obviously confused. Nvu is an HTML editor ... SBI is an all-emcompassing site building program including keyword research, site building tools, content building tools, monetization guides, and much more. I use Nvu to build some of my pages as it is compatible with SBI, but Nvu is a very small fish in the big pond of SBI. SBIers discover early on that this is for real, and the advice/help/support in the forums alone are worth the $300 a year that it costs to join. Want to see an example site? Visit me at http://www.organic-baby-and-mom.com

Comment #14 (Posted by ryan) |

hi to all people here. im one who is also very interested in affiliate marketing and is constantly learning more about this subject. just like to find out if any people here knows if "site built it" can help me build a internet business if im base in singapore? and i had also read before stories about super affiliates. how they do and their giant earnings. can SBI! helps to achieve that as well? say a minimum 5-figure income monthly? thanks for reading this. -ryan-

[As a general rule, where you live doesn't matter. So living in Singapore shouldn't stop you. However, some vendors accept only U.S. affiliates. Once you've earned your first dollar or your first $100, you can use that knowledge to build more successful websites. Can YOU do it? I don't know. Between 3 figures a month and 5 figures a month, there's a HUGE difference in the level of skill and determination needed. SBI is an excellent place to start to give you a really good all round education on building a business online. Once you've earned your first $100, you'll have a much better idea of what you can achieve. Allan.]

Comment #15 (Posted by Rick) |

This may not be the proper location for this comment. Allan, I want to thank you a lot. I bought SBI after reading your test with Rupert. I had trouble at first due to a bit of ADD. Adult Disabling Distractions.

By my 6th month I had made almost $100. My goal was to make at least $500 in a month in my first year. My 12th month I made $940. My 23rd month I made over $3000 for the month. I have held down a full time job while building my SBI sites as a hobby.

My first site while still ugly is still working great. www.compare-prepaid-cell-phones.com

Thanks again,
Rick

[Thanks. That's a wonderful example of how determination and persistence can pay off. Allan.]

Comment #16 (Posted by John) |

Hi,
Here's a comment for Ryan. I don't live in the USA, and have no problem with any of the affiliate programs or Clickbank because of this. You may not know this, but Ewen Chia is one of the most successful affiliates out there and he lives in Singapore. He's not the only successful affiliate from Singapore either. Just do it! That's the best advice there is.
Regards
John

Comment #17 (Posted by Terry Beckham) |

Allan,
I joined the 5 Pillar Club back in '04, I think, but have never done anything with it... seemed a bit too complicated for me... I have been following SBI and Ken Evoy's efforts through the years, though.

I am determined to buy SBI, real soon, so you should get your commission from it. If you were me, what affiliate program would you start with? I have no experience with internet promotions, etc.... Would you be willing to help me along the way, once I buy SBI, to get my site working right? Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. I am, at this very moment, printing out days one through five of the SBI Action guide.
Thanks, Allan,
Terry Beckham
http://fun.business-starter.com

[If even the block-by-block option in SBI is too complicated for you, perhaps your not suitable for affiliate marketing. Perhaps you're not determined enough to succeed. You'll have to make that decision. If you do get SBI, don't look for an an affiliate program to join. Look for a good topic you can write about or a market you can serve. I can't tell you what that is. It has to be something that suits YOU. Design your own business to suit your skills and interests. Re-read Ken's free Affiliate Masters Course. You can find it at the Beginners link at the top left of this page. It contains a really good section on choosing your niche. Feel free to ask any questions you like on our affiliate forum. I answer questions there most days. Apart from that, I can't give you individual help. I just abut killed myself in the past trying to help everyone who asked for help. I won't attempt that again. When you get SBI, you'll receive full access to the SBI private forum where SBI users ask questions and share tips. It's a fantastic resource. Allan.]

Comment #18 (Posted by jimmy) |

it seems SBI is very useful. Maybe I can have a try.
Perfectsea.com

Comment #19 (Posted by Jamie) |

My wife used SBI but canceled because the templates were not flexible enough for what she wanted to do. The menu only allows for large buttons which makes it difficult if you have a large site that demands a large menu. True, the information she received was excellent but it wasn't anything that you can't find in many other places on the web. The thing that bothered me is that they act like SBI is the only way to have a site come up well in the searches. For example, when she canceled it was as if she were leaving a cult or something. Their "Analysis It" tool (an SEO tool) is *WAY* too lenient on the percentage of keywords that it allows. Consider this famous SBI site that is used as an example by SBI; http://www.anguilla-beaches.com/ (the daughter's site of the owner of SBI). This site has a keyword density of 13.86% on the word Anguilla! Maybe google is letting her get away with this for now but who knows when google will crack down on this sort of keyword stuffing. SBI is *great* for beginners, but if you are experienced you can find other much less expensive ways to put up a site.

[The templates and block-building are just the first step, not something you need to stick with, and not something you need to even use, if you wish. They're just one option. If the templates didn't suit your wife's needs, she had the option of combining any other site-building tool, such as FrontPage or the free NVU or whatever, with SBI. Re your opinion of SEO methods versus Ken Evoy's, I'll back Ken any day. You need to remember that with the data he has access to from many thousands of SBI sites, he's in a unique position to know from analysing data what works and what doesn't. Yes, there are cheaper ways to build a site. What you get with SBI isn't just a site builder, it's an extremely valuable education. Allan.]

Comment #20 (Posted by KJ) |

I'm confused about the cost for Site Build It. I have seen $300 and I have seen $1500. Which one is it and if it's both what is the difference between the two?
Thank You!!

[Perhaps someone was telling you that all the tools that are included in the package are worth $1500. Allan.]

Comment #21 (Posted by Dean) |

I have to say that I was quite skeptical about SBI. I recently spent $2000 to get a professional website done. It is very well laid out and flashy but it just sits there in the middle of internet "space". I came across SBI and was hesitant. I ended up purchasing the course after making a reminder note in my blackberry to "cancel SBI subscription" on the 25th day after purchase. Well, guess what! After 3 months I was making $ adsense and it has increased every month since I purchased. I have since bought my second site for my brick and mortar business. It works!

Dont think so? check it out for yourself.
www.signs-of-a-cheater.com

I am quickly approaching my goal of becoming top 2% of sites on the web and I won't stop until I do.
Dean

Comment #22 (Posted by Mark Logan) |

This SBI has all the right concepts... my 3 sites SecuritySaint.com, ProColorLLc.com, and StunWeapon.com all could have been built with this system. I only found out about SBI recently and researched, all their methods took me years to learn from many different places. I could have saved many hours and $ using SBI.
M. Logan

Comment #23 (Posted by HCG's Mom) |

I started my SBI site as a way to test the service. I wanted a site where I could add my own content without having to become an expert in Dreamweaver, HTML, etc.

During the previous year, I had shelled out over $2000 for design and hosting of a site I really didn't like (and was clunky), $3000 for someone who took off and didn't complete it properly, and nearly $10000 for someone who did a great job (but now I know it's not really any better than what I can do with SBI). I am still amazed that SBI only costs $299 a year. Once you get in and see what it does for you, you will see it's a bargain.

Anyway, I created a site with my horsecrazy 9-year old daughter just for fun. And fun it is! After some 5-6 months of work on it (part-time, evenings and weekends) we are getting an average of 380+ unique visitors per day from 30 countries. The SBI tools have allowed us to publish over 500 pages of content with the help of other girls who are horsecrazy. And my 9-year old goes in and edit and publish submissions! She is constantly checking her site stats, google adsense account, and coming up with more ideas to increase traffic.

I understand why webmasters aren't crazy about SBI. They may feel they are beyond that. But I wish they would understand their clients would be a lot happier if they built them SBI sites that clients could update without having to contact the webmaster, wait for them to change it, then write another check. (Oh, that's why.)

For anyone who wants to really focus on what makes a website work -- focused content, and getting raving fans who come back again and again, this is a really great way to go.

Oh, and Sydney is thrilled we are up to over $250 in adsense commissions. She's saving for a horse, of course.

Comment #24 (Posted by Keith) |

The answer to "comment 20" is that you have the option of building your own SBI website for $299 or letting a SBI expert build you a 30 page web site for $1599. See http://services.sitesell.com/

Submit Comment

Advice Articles

Popular Articles

Site Menu

Collaborate

Article Options

Affiliate marketing case study using SBI

How to get an important free link to your site

Comments