The second part of this informative podcast is now available.

Affiliate New Review is now a podcast on MediaSwamp.com. Featuring the editor of AffiliateNewsReview.com, Durk Price, the podcast interviews Mike Allen, CEO of Shopping-Bargains.com. Shopping-Bargains.com is one of the top affiliate websites and was a finalist for the LinkShare Golden Link Award as nominated by affiliate managers at LinkShare. Mike tells about his experiences about starting out in the affiliate industry and how he became a top producer. Mike will also soon be featured in his own blog at Revenews.com.

The direct link to the podcast is: http://www.mediaswamp.com/blogs/anr/default.aspx

Media Swamp features original and syndicated podcasts and vodcasts focusing on Web 2.0, search marketing, web design, social networking, web development, politics, religion or clean houses. Whether you’re looking for info on search engines, Microsoft or Apple development, podcasting, rss feeds, ajax, .NET, Cocoa, blogging, social networking, how to keep your house healthy and happy or even the separation of church and state, you’ll find it here at Media Swamp. We are currently developing shows on Linux (LASP), Multiplatform development with Realbasic, along with shows dealing with Legal and Technical issues. Our show list is growing – and soon we’ll be covering many more listener-targeted subjects.

Top 10 Affiliate Website Mistakes an Affiliate Manager Sees

With over 12,000 affiliates to manage in 5 separate merchants programs, I review countless affiliate applications and their corresponding websites.

It isn’t a pretty picture. And that’s part of the problem.

So I thought it appropriate to share the 10 most common mistakes I see affiliates make over and over each and every day.

1. The affiliate’s website is poorly designed. A lot of times it’s just plain ugly. Ugly I can stand if it has a purpose. I started my Internet career doing web design and programming. I understand good website design, both for function and look. The affiliate site has to have at least one or the other to be effective, having both is the best. Without one or both of these factors, what are the chances for a visitor to be referred to my merchant’s site?

2. The affiliate site has no affinity to the merchant site. If you have a website without anything in common with the merchant, how do you expect to sell the merchant’s products to your visitor? If your site is all about computer equipment, why are you signing up for my wigs site? Why are you wasting both of our times?

3. The affiliate site has no voice or character. How will a visitor find value on the affiliate’s site long enough to have reason or need to clickthrough on my merchant’s text or banner link? None I would say.

4. The affiliate site has too many banners or text ads. How will the visitor differentiate my offer from the competition? If the site is messy and busy, I may get lots of impressions, but clickthroughs will be low and probably conversions too. Don’t junk up your site with too many ads that don’t have purpose.

5. Affiliate sites with expired coupons. Seeing a site like this implies it’s a “weekender’s” site a part-time affair. Many affiliates started out this way, but today it is highly unlikely that such a site will generate any traffic or sales for my merchants.

6. Affiliate sites with broken banners. It still happens, merchants change their creatives, affiliates don’t keep up and there is an ugly red “x” where a banner should be. Don’t let this happen to you.

7. The affiliate site has no privacy policy. This is a red light for visitors. This means the site is just trying to make a buck and has no interest in visitors for any other reason than getting them to make them money. A sophisticated consumer, as most are getting as Internet experience increases, wants a sophisticated site to convert through. Not having even a simple privacy policy is a giveaway as to the lack of sophistication of the site owner.

8. NO ABILITY TO CONTACT THE WEBSITE OWNER. If you will not disclose who you are, provide an email link or a site form, it is unlikely a visitor to your site will get warm and fuzzy about his site visiting experience and will not covert as a result.

9. NO CONTACT INFORMATION AVAILABLE FOR THE AFFILIATE MANAGER. In olden days affiliates didn’t want to be bothered by affiliate managers. Now with the tools and special offers merchants can offer through producing affiliates, it is essential for good communications between the affiliate manager and the affiliate. It means more money for both.

10. Affiliate website owner not participating in the industry forums. More and more as I talk with affiliates, we discuss forum postings, industry news and blogs. The top producers know what is going on in the industry. They are creating the news and are creating financial opportunities at the same time.

Durk Price is a professional affiliate manager. He has managed affiliate programs for large retailers like LimitedToo, BeautyTrends.com, WeShipBabyGifts.com and others. He has launched affiliate programs and had affiliate sales account for 27% of total online sales within 90 days of launch. His primary focus is managing affiliate programs for retail companies. To learn more about his services of putting top level affiliates together with top quality merchants visit http://www.affgoo.com or email him at stick[at}affgoo.com.

Affiliate New Review is now a podcast on MediaSwamp.com. Featuring the editor of AffiliateNewsReview.com, Durk Price, the podcast interviews Mike Allen, CEO of Shopping-Bargains.com. Shopping-Bargains.com is one of the top affiliate websites and was a finalist for the LinkShare Golden Link Award as nominated by affiliate managers at LinkShare. Mike tells about his experiences about starting out in the affiliate industry and how he became a top producer. Mike will also soon be featured in his own blog at Revenews.com.

The direct link to the podcast is: http://www.mediaswamp.com/blogs/anr/default.aspx

Media Swamp features original and syndicated podcasts and vodcasts focusing on Web 2.0, search marketing, web design, social networking, web development, politics, religion or clean houses. Whether you’re looking for info on search engines, Microsoft or Apple development, podcasting, rss feeds, ajax, .NET, Cocoa, blogging, social networking, how to keep your house healthy and happy or even the separation of church and state, you’ll find it here at Media Swamp. We are currently developing shows on Linux (LASP), Multiplatform development with Realbasic, along with shows dealing with Legal and Technical issues. Our show list is growing – and soon we’ll be covering many more listener-targeted subjects.

Affiliate Marketing SEO, PPC and Datafeed Tools
Monday, July 17, 2006 – Nicky Senyard

Every visitor to an affiliate marketing site has arrived there at a cost to the affiliate from site development and maintenance, to content research and distribution, and on to PPC and email marketing campaigns.

Successful affiliates watch their affiliate profits like a hawk, measuring these costs against their ROI and shifting focus where necessary. There are hundreds of SEO, PPC and datafeed tools available to affiliates. At Share Results, when affiliates in our network ask for our favorites, they’re likely to get different answers from each of our web-savvy affiliate managers! We do agree on the value of several key resources, however, outlined below:

SEOChat [http://www.seochat.com/]

Find all manner of scripts and software tools to help you SEO your affiliate pages, plus busy forums ready to answer your questions.

Digital Point [http://www.digitalpoint.com/]

Browse a good selection of webmaster tools free for anyone to use, including affiliates!

Google Publisher Tools [https://services.google.com/inquiry/publishertools?hl=en_US]

Many affiliates are taking advantage of Google’s entire suite of publisher tools, including Google AdSense, Google Sitemaps, Google Analytics and Google Maps.

SEOBook [http://www.seobook.com/]

Find several free SEO toolsets from Aaron Wall, including comprehensive keyword research help for your affiliate marketing campaigns.

Marketing Sherpa [http://www.marketingsherpa.com/]

No free SEO tools available here. Instead, browse a treasure trove of research for affiliate marketers, including case studies, statistics, and how to guides for marketing, advertising, and public relations professionals.

We Build Pages [http://www.webuildpages.com/]

Rely on free affiliate marketing help such as the “Neat O Backlink Tool” and “Cool SEO Tool”.

GoldenCAN [http://www.goldencan.com/]

Popular with affiliates looking for data feed and coupon help.

We hope this helps streamline your SEO, PPC and datafeed practices to improve your affiliate ROI today!

About the Author

Nicky Senyard is CEO of Share Results, a boutique affiliate network working exclusively with large brands and niche merchants as committed to affiliate partnerships as we are. Discover affiliate programs powered by Share Results’ affiliate software and affiliate management services, including Photobucket, eDiets and Real Networks: http://www.shareresults.com

The Sharper Image is one of the most recognized brands in the retail industry. Our award-winning Web site features hundreds of innovative products that can be found nowhere else. As a Sharper Image affiliate, you can leverage the power of our world-class brand and products to enhance your Web site, attract new visitors and earn commissions.

As a Sharper Image affiliate, you will enjoy:
• 8-12% commission
• 14 return days
• High average order size of $175
• Text links, banners, Individual Product Links & Storefront creative
• Exclusive monthly offers
• And much more!

Welcome to Sephora, the ultimate destination for the latest beauty trends, advice, and even hard-to-find products. From the hottest fragrance and skincare for women and men to gifts and to the world’s largest selection of makeup lines, Sephora is the premier online source for beautiful living.

We currently offer a tiered commission structure from 5% – 7%
We offer monthly payments with a $25 payment threshold.
Our average order size is $75, which means your participation in this program could provide a new and profitable source for your company.

Our program will earn you commission on every sale referred from your site, plus provide your users with access to the world’s best brands in makeup, skincare and fragrance. With online exclusives with such prestigious names as Stila, Philosophy, Dr. Perricone, Gucci, Dior, and Benefit along with more than 230 prestigious brands – Burberry, Urban Decay, Smashbox, Murad, Dolce & Gabbana, Sue Devitt, and many more – Sephora redefines online shopping by bringing the most sought-after beauty brand names to your home.

Unlike some web sites that offer a limited selection of beauty items and that have no ties to the brands they carry, Sephora is owned by LVMH (Moët Hennessey – Louis Vuitton), the world leader in luxury brands. Thus, Sephora is uniquely positioned to provide its customers with the insider’s edge on the hottest trends in beauty. With over 11,000 products and 230 brands in makeup, skincare and fragrance – Sephora offers the largest selection of beauty products. Joining the Sephora Affiliate Program will give your site a competitive advantage and allow you to provide additional value for your visitors.

Sephora offers Free shipping on all merchandise orders over $75, Free gift packaging and three Free samples with every order.

Once your site is approved into our program, you may use the code we supply to generate links from your site to ours. We offer a wide variety of links, including text links and seasonal banners.

Guidelines For Approval
——————————————————————————–
To become a participant in Sephora.com’s Affiliate Program, please submit a complete Affiliate Program Application via our Web site or LinkShare Network. We will evaluate your application and notify you of your acceptance or rejection.

We may reject your application if we determine, in our sole discretion, that your Web site is not suitable for the Affiliate Program for any reason, including but not limited to: inclusion of content that is in any way unlawful, harmful, threatening, defamatory, obscene, harassing, or racially, ethnically or otherwsie objectionable, which by way of example only, contains:

(i) sexually explicit, pornographic or obscene content (whether in text or graphics)
(ii) speech or images that are offensive, profane, hateful, threatening, harmful, defamatory, libelous, harassing or discriminatory (whether based on race, ethnicity, creed, religion, gender, sexual orientation, physical disability or otherwise)
(iii) graphic violence (which may include certain types of game sites)
(iv) content related to liquor, tobacco, firearms, drugs, gambling, crime or death
(v) politically sensitive or controversial issues (e.g. abortion, capital punishment) or other political content (e.g. lobbyists, political campaigns) or
(vi) any unlawful behavior or conduct.

If we reject your application, you are welcome to reapply to the Affiliate Program at any time, provided you alter your Web site and delete all offending content.

At this time we only ship to the United States and Canada, so we are unable to approve your application if the majority of your visitors live outside of the U.S. and Canada.

Please note that while we try to respond to approval requests quickly, we receive a high volume of approval requests every day. For this reason, you may not hear from us immediately. However, if you do not hear from us within a reasonable amount of time, or you have questions concerning our program, please let us know.

Please note that if you fail to meet the terms of our agreement, we may remove you from our affiliate program at any time.

Linens ‘n Things, Inc. is one of the leading, national large-format retailers of home textiles, housewares and decorative home accessories.

LNT.com Facts:
– 30 Return Days
– AOV of $90
– 2% Conversion Rate
– Top Selling Products includes blenders, toaster ovens, Roomba, Roomba Schedulers, and Black and Decker products

The affiliate program offers a competitive commission structure. See below:

$0 – $12,000 5%
$12,000 – $15,000 7%
$15,000 – $20,000 8%
$20,000 10%

Plus, 30 Return Days

GNC sets the standard in the health and nutrition industry by demanding truth in labeling, ingredient safety and product potency, all while remaining on the cutting edge of nutritional science. As our company has grown over the years, so has our commitment. In fact, General Nutrition Centers is the world’s largest company of its kind devoted exclusively to helping its customers improve their quality of life.
GNC.com Facts

– $60 AOV
– Above 1% Conversion Rate
– GNC Mega Men & GNC Women’s Ultra Mega Supplements are GNC’s Top Selling Products
– GNC.com provides extensive information for every product including a download of the actual product label.

GNC.com Affiliate Program Highlights:

Starting from 8% – 12% Tier

– 30 Return Days
– Private offers for high performing affiliates
– Always Free Shipping over $50
– Gold Card Members receive 20% off 1st week of the month
– Individual product links available

The Fuller Brush Company Affiliate Program!

America has trusted Fuller Brush since 1906! High quality products have made us famous. Today, 8 out of every 10 Americans over the age of 35 recognize our name. With the Fuller Brush Affiliate Program, you can offer your customers access to over 300 products from America’s Premier Home Care Experts!

We are offering you a 10% commission on over 300 home care and personal care products purchased by visitors who are referred to us from your Site.

Coldwater Creek Affiliate Program at LinkShare

5% commission / 2% commission on selected goods is offered to you on items purchased by visitors who are referred to us from your site.

Once you are approved for our program, you can use the code we supply to generate links from your site to ours. We offer you a variety of links and link types. Use your creativity and your knowledge of the people who come to your site to choose the types of links that will be most appealing and most likely to invite clicks. The more your links lead to sales on our site, the more money your site will earn.

You may create links to our site in the form of banners, textual, individual product, search box and store front. You may choose to use one or many of the links we provide, or you may create your own links. However, we will need to authorize any links that you create independently.