Associate Programs Newsletter #180

Introducing...

I'm delighted to announce that I have a major new sponsor, GoCollect, which is very appropriate as Christmas approaches.

Why not start a "Christmas Gift Ideas" page?

GoCollect promises "the Web's widest collection of collectibles and gifts" and pays 13% commission.

The company works hard to help affiliates, inviting them to ask for a FREE consultation "where we will work with you directly to best target your audience and assist you in earning".

You'll receive a 3% bonus if you sign up here now:

gocollect.com/associates.html

[UPDATE:
Try this link: http://www.gocollect.com/affiliate/join/index.asp]

CONTENTS:

1. Has Yahoo! clobbered your site?
2. FreeFiliate improvements coming soon
3. A better way to track PayPal sales
4. Doing our bit for the U.S. economy
5. PayPal rival offers to give you $10
6. eToys.com returns, and other news
7. CJ announces 3.2% conversion rate
8. Overture's new rules won't worry best sites
9. Only three Sponsor Spots still available
10. Read a chapter of Ralph Wilson's new book
11. Thought for today: Union of Amazon Affiliates

__________________________________________SPONSOR__________

EARN MORE THIS HOLIDAY SEASON...

Join the NEW GoCollect Affiliate Network now:

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Weekly Newsletters, promotions, FREE consultations and support

Sign up NOW through AssociatePrograms.com and receive a 3% BONUS
through 11/22/01: aff.gocollect.com/associates.html

[UPDATE:
Try this link: http://www.gocollect.com/affiliate/join/index.asp]
___________________________________________________________

==================================
1. Has Yahoo! clobbered your site?
==================================

Have you noticed that Yahoo! has changed the way it presents search results?

Depending on how your site is listed in Yahoo!, the changes could result in a significant increase or decrease in traffic.

Alphabetical listings are now far less important than they used to be.

For example, try a search at Google for "affiliate programs" and "associate programs" and you'll probably find that my site - http://www.AssociatePrograms.com - is No.1 as usual.

Now try the same searches at http://www.Yahoo.com .

Whoops! What a disaster.

Yahoo! is now serving up new 20-sites-per-page lists from its directory.

Under the new system, the AssociatePrograms.com main page has slipped badly to 12th place for "affiliate programs". It has collapsed to 153rd place for "associate programs".

Yahoo! has also introduced a list in order of popularity (based on click-throughs, I guess) - with AssociatePrograms.com in the top spot in its category.

However, you can see the "popularity" listings only if you search by category, and I expect even fewer people will do that now, choosing instead to visit sites in Yahoo's new search results.

If you try a few searches at Yahoo! you'll see a clear pattern in the search results.

Sites which now score highly at Yahoo! have keywords in four places:

The web site title.

The site's description.

The domain name.

The Yahoo! category. (Before submitting a program, try a search for your keywords and see what category pops up.)

If you're launching a new site, check those four things to optimize your ranking in Yahoo!

Here's something to beware of. In the title, the words in your key phrase MUST NOT run together.

For example, having "AssociatePrograms.com" in the title doesn't do me any good.

However, an old listing written in 1998 for the "Associate Programs Forum" now ranks No.1 for a search for "associate programs".

If your site has slipped badly in the rankings at Yahoo!, you now face the very difficult task of persuading an editor at Yahoo! to change your listing.

This page at Yahoo! may help:

"How to Suggest a Change to Your Yahoo! Listing"
http://add.yahoo.com/fast/change

Unfortunately, you must have a "compelling reason" for wanting to change your listing. Simply wanting to improve your ranking is NOT regarded as a compelling reason.

Good luck!

Yahoo! could become even more powerful. It is offering a "Yahoo Essentials" service which will take over Microsoft's Internet Explorer by turning Yahoo! into its default home page and search engine, redirecting any keywords entered into the IE address bar into Yahoo's search results.

Details:
news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-7625957.html

=======================================
2. FreeFiliate improvements coming soon
=======================================

Here's an update on Shawn Collins' review of FreeFiliate, which provides a cheap, easy way to set up an affiliate program ("No free lunch, but FreeFiliate comes close" -
http://www.AssociatePrograms.com/search/newsletter179.shtml ).

Improvements to FreeFiliate are on the way.

Shawn said that there can be only one destination URL, and he is right - but not for long, says FreeFiliate's President, JB McKee.

"The engine is already in place that allows affiliates to link to ANY page inside the merchant's site. The documentation and supporting scripts just need to be completed," JB says.

As for integrating PayPal...

JB says that the majority of FreeFiliate merchants have successfully integrated PayPal with their FreeFiliate program. It has worked quite well.

While the way Neil Shearing is doing it works, there are far more effective methods.

"First, it was true that PayPal would not pass third party variables. The way to get around that was to set a cookie when the customer clicked on the PayPal payment link that was subsequently read on the other side. This worked well for some time," JB says.

"However, you may have noticed that I said it WAS true. It no longer is. You CAN now pass variables through a query string on the web accept return URL. This has made life a lot easier for all of us.

"Yet, if you are selling just one or a few products, at least when using the FreeFiliate system it is not necessary to pass any variables at all. Just put the tracking tag in the page that customers are returned to after payment. (There is a little more to that story.)

"One thing that we have done with FreeFiliate is provide a shopping cart for members to use at no charge that integrates directly with PayPal. This makes the whole process very simple," JB says.

[UPDATE: FreeFiliate has been renamed FusionQuest and is no longer free.]

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___________________________________________________________

=====================================
3. A better way to track PayPal sales
=====================================

Jim Reardon of http://www.SiteGadgets.com says he has a better way of tracking PayPal sales than the method Neil Shearing described in his recent tip.

Here's Jim's letter:

"Actually, PayPal will track a single third party variable (you could actually do more, too, if necessary). PayPal will pass along a field called 'custom' that you could set to an affiliate code. Also, you can use the item_number field or include the affiliate code in the item_name field.

"For example, I offer an ad-free service to my users of SiteGadgets.com. Users can enter their username, pay via PayPal, and using their Instant Payment Notification system, it automatically sends this information to a script on my server which upgrades their account reading in the 'custom' and 'item_number' field. You could do this for affiliate codes.

"You can see an example Buy Now button here:
http://upgrade.sitegadgets.com/user.html?sitegadgets

"The way you do it below (Neil Shearing's way -
http://www.associateprograms.com/articles/193/1/FreeFiliate-review )
is actually a very bad idea. It is rather easy to fake a PayPal email - while nobody might think to do it, it is a way you are opening yourself to fraud. The IPN system PayPal offers sends a unique confirmation code that will let you know if a transaction is legit (my system doesn't use the PayPal e-mail at all, it's all done 'behind the scenes').

"I didn't realize a lot of the options I needed to do this were available until I really looked into it - might be worth looking into on your end to make your system a bit more secure (and a bit better than doing it manually!!)

"Hope this helps!"

Jim Reardon (jim AT amusive.com)
what do you want for free? http://www.freecenter.com/
free forums, polls, and more! http://www.sitegadgets.com/?sig

[UPDATE: At least two people have created scripts so affiliate merchants can use both ClickBank and PayPal to accept payments:
Adam Hodgetts: paypalpower.com
Lynne Schlumpf: click2payem.com PayPal: http://www.AssociatePrograms.com/pal ]

=====================================
4. Doing our bit for the U.S. economy
=====================================

Joanna and I have just returned from our all-too-brief trip to the U.S. which included Mark Joyner's Guerrilla Marketing Boot Camp.

We gawked at movie stars' houses in Hollywood, rode a cable car in San Francisco and went on a boat ride under the Golden Gate Bridge. In Las Vegas, we stayed in a pyramid - the Luxor - and had a delicious meal in a replica of the Eiffel Tower. We had a lot of fun.

I did my best to help the U.S. economy - I bought a new laptop.

Did you know they come with CD/DVD-ROM/CD-RW drives now? It's one small step towards making my business even more mobile.

Now is a wonderful time for a vacation - you can find all sorts of bargain-priced air fares and cheap beds at hotels.

Unfortunately, I can't tell you what was said at the Boot Camp. I signed a non-disclosure agreement which stops me from even summarizing it.

If Mark ever puts on another boot camp, I recommend it. It was great conference.

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[UPDATE: This link is obsolete.]
___________________________________________________________

======================================
5. PayPal rival offers to give you $10
======================================

Citibank's rival to PayPal, c2it, has a referral program with Commission Junction. It pays $5 for each new member you refer.

Similar to PayPal, it allows you to send cash to almost anyone in the U.S. with an e-mail address from your bank or credit card account. You can also send money to 50 countries, via checks or direct transfer.

To attract members, c2it is offering to give you $10 when you sign up and send money for the first time.

Unfortunately, only U.S. residents are eligible to join c2it. One day, the Internet will go global. Truly!

You can join the affiliate program at Commission Junction

(I wonder how many millions of dollars it will take to launch that dreadfully unmemorable name, c2it?)

[UPDATE: c2it.com seems to have disappeared.]

====================================
6. eToys.com returns, and other news
====================================

The eToys.com web site, bought by KBkids.com, is back online again and has a LinkShare affiliate program paying a bounty of $5 per new customer.

Here's the good news...

Because the eToys web site is under new ownership, every customer will be considered a "new" customer, even if they shopped at eToys before.

KBkids.com has been renamed KBtoys.com. The LinkShare program covers both eToys and KBtoys and the two sites look fairly similar: http://www.eToys.com    http://www.KBkids.com

You can join the affiliate program at LinkShare: http://www.AssociatePrograms.com/linkshare

Affiliate merchants are cheating affiliates out of commissions they deserve. Jason Ciment explains how merchants often use techniques to improve conversion rates after a visitor leaves - and the affiliate fails to benefit.
clickz.com/aff_mkt/aff_mkt/article.php/905831

Kowabunga Technologies has launched a new affiliate directory, AffiliateCash, which lists merchants who are running their programs with My Affiliate Program Software. If you want an alternative to programs run by the large networks, this is a good place to look. http://www.AffiliateCash.com [UPDATE: This site no longer exists.]

E-mail publisher Larry Chase of http://wdfm.com/ braced for the worst when he told his 39,500 subscribers that they'd have to opt into accepting stand-alone third-party offers to continue receiving his free weekly newsletter. He was surprised when only a few opted out. Before you try this, ask yourself how loyal YOUR readers are.
imarketingnews.com/

If you're holding "flooz" digital dollars there's little chance they're worth anything. Secured creditors are higher in the pecking order than those who hold $12.9 million in flooz dollars.
atnewyork.com/news/article/0,,8471_907451,00.html

NetRadio.com has ceased its service after six years of broadcasting because it couldn't get funding. The web site says it "might be back one day". NetRadio had an affiliate program tracked by Be Free.
http://www.NetRadio.com

The .biz registry, which was supposed to be up and running for real-time registrations on October 23, has been delayed until November 7. A lawsuit is pending.
news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-7564491.html

Dan Gray, author of "The Complete Guide to Associate and Affiliate Programs on the Net", gives an overview of affiliate marketing today.
webtechniques.com/archives/2001/11/gray/

What does it take for a dotcom to make it these days? For starters, there's grit, tightfistedness, agility, and a greatly reduced sense of grandiosity. Ralph King reports.
business2.com/articles/mag/0%2C1640%2C17421%2CFF.html

Amazon, E-tailers Approach Holidays on Thin Ice
dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nf/20011024/bs/14377_1.html

====================================
7. CJ announces 3.2% conversion rate
====================================

Commission Junction has released the following year-to-date statistics (Jan.-Sept. 2001):
Total impressions served and tracked: 43,997,287,959
Click-through rate: 1.9%
Conversion rate: 3.2%
Total sales transactions: 2,054,858
Total sales amount: $97,615,235
Total lead transactions: 24,452,986

Wouldn't it be great if Be Free and LinkShare revealed their stats for the same period?

==============================================
8. Overture's new rules won't worry best sites
==============================================

Overture (GoTo) has changed its listing policy to improve the relevancy of search results.

The pay-per-click search engine says there must be "a direct relationship between the search term and the main purpose of the Web site".

If you have substantial, useful CONTENT on your web pages this shouldn't affect you.

However, if you have managed to get pages listed in Overture which merely contain affiliate links with NO useful content, you could find that Overture will eventually locate and dump those pages.

Now would be an excellent time to re-read Ken Evoy's free "Affiliate Masters" course, which tells you how successful affiliates provide content in a way that all the search engines love.

Download the 10-day free course here...

http://www.AssociatePrograms.com/articles/302/1/Free-Affiliate-Masters-Course

(By the way, if anyone wants to start a petition to encourage Overture to bring back GoTo, I'll sign it. Who on earth could like a company called Overture?)

[UPDATE: Overture is now Yahoo! Search Marketing.]

===========================================
9. Only three Sponsor Spots still available
===========================================

If you want to advertise in the Associate Programs Newsletter before Christmas, you'll have be quick.

I have only three Sponsor Spots available before Christmas. All the top Sponsor Spots have been sold.

Book your Sponsor Spot now or miss out.

For details on availability, send a blank email to:

classads AT AssociatePrograms DOT com

=============================================
10. Read a chapter of Ralph Wilson's new book
=============================================

One of the highlights for me of Mark Joyner's Boot Camp was having a leisurely meal with Dr Ralph Wilson, whom I've admired for many years.

I like the way he provides heaps of useful information without hype.

Ralph was very generous in giving me tips on how to organize my business better. With his massive site and huge readership, he HAS to be an expert on being organized.

I look forward to reading his new book, "Planning Your Internet Marketing Strategy", which should be available at Amazon this week.

You can see the table of contents and read Chapter 4, "Defining a Unique E-Business Niche", here:

http://www.AssociatePrograms.com/search/marketing-strategy.shtml

[UPDATE: This old page no longer exists.]


=================================================
11. Thought for today: Union of Amazon Affiliates
=================================================

"Seems like it's time for someone (not me, sorry) to start the Union of Amazon Affiliates." - Shel Horowitz, http://www.frugalfun.com

"I think people have an incredibly difficult time imagining today just what a big deal e-commerce will be 10 years from now ... So if you look out over the long term, this is absolutely day one, and we are incredibly optimistic about the future." - Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos

 

All the best

Allan Gardyne