Well, it looks like the affiliate marketing industry just got the biggest possible endorsement and shot of adrenaline about the future viability and potential of affiliate marketing - Performics, long considered one of the top three traditional affiliate networks, will be changing it’s name to the Google Affiliate Network as part of the integration of the DoubleClick Performics brand(s) into Google.

I’m feeling pretty mixed emotionally about this announcement.

On the one hand, I believe that the name change is a positive for the broader affiliate marketing industry in as far as it recognizes Google’s believe in the power and viability of affiliate marketing.

On the other hand, Google’s resources are infinite, which makes it pretty difficult to compete with a company that apparently could control the world if it wanted to (or is that what they are in the process of doing anyway? - LOL).

For me personally, Google is so big that it becomes almost impossible to get too close to them.  Yes, we all have to do business with them because they control the world (LOL), but I’m a strong believer in the power of relationships.  It’s why I, as CEO, am here writing this post - I’m interested in getting to know you.  To Pepperjam Network advertisers and affiliates you are not just a number - I think that’s one of the reasons why we’ve become the fastest growing affiliate network in the United States.

Yes, Google will capture a nice slice of the affiliate marketing industry - there is no doubt about that.  However, I don’t believe they will be able to manage what Pepperjam Network believes are the two most important ingredients to successful affiliate marketing: (1) relationships (aka, communication), and (2) full and unfettered affiliate transparency.

I’m most curious about what advertisers and affiliates think about the idea of the Google Affiliate Network?

Do any of the other networks (like Pepperjam Network) even stand a chance?

What would an affiliate network based on a Google AdSense model look like? The Wild, Wild West…

Others on the Web talking about this news:

TechCrunch
5 Star Affiliate Blog
Shawn Collins Affiliate Tip
Scott Jangro’s Jangro.com

Alright, back to the grind. We have our niche and keywords chosen, domain and hosting purchased, and Wordpress is installed and ready to rock. Now – we need our plugins.

Plugins are one of the main reasons I build almost all of my affiliate sites with Wordpress. They make life much easier, and in some cases allow me to fluff out otherwise thin sites with images, video, and even auction listings much more quickly than if I had to add these elements in by hand. Over the months, I settled on a group of plugins that are included in my default install Wordpress package. Here’s the breakdown…

Flexi Pages
This little gem makes adding lists of Wordpress pages to my menus quick and painless. This is a big help when using Wordpress as a CMS for a static site instead of a blog because you tend to end up with a ton of pages.

Google XML Sitemap Generator
Just like the name would have you believe, this baby cranks out a Google XML sitemap and updates it as you update your site.

Search Pages
Again, since I’m making pages instead of posts, I need my search feature to scan my Wordpress pages instead of just posts.

Sociable
Super easy social bookmarking.

Google Analytics for Wordpress
Any “white” site I make has Google Analytics installed, but tagging outgoing links is a giant pain. Luckily, this will do it for me.

RSS Footer
Any hand updated blog should have this installed. It allows you to add a piece of text at the start or end of each post in your feed. Perfect for adding in a “This post is from..” line with a link to your blog. There’s no chance of you completely stopping scrapers from grabbing your content, but the amateur ones won’t take the time to wash the links out of them. So, you might as well use them for some backlinks.

Permalink Redirect
Duplicate content is a nightmare. It is by far one of the top problems we see when taking on clients. Sadly, Wordpress and other blog systems are notorious for creating mass amounts of duplicate content. This helps eliminate that headache.

Crawl Tracker
Keep an eye on how much you’re getting crawled. For large sites, this factor is incredibly important. If you’re not getting deep crawled, you’re going to have chunks of your site totally missing from the index. If your crawl rate is too low, you’re in some serious need of new links. As a side note, when using Wordpress for a static site where you write new pages instead of posts, there’s a really easy way to trick Google into crawling the hell out of your site without having anything look strange to your visitors. I won’t write the whole process out unless enough people request it, but let’s just say you’ll figure it out if you think about where blog posts are displayed when Wordpress is used for a static site.

Well, now that my link dropping and apparent love for Yoast’s work is over and done with, why don’t you go ahead and download each of those and get them loaded up into your Wordpress installation.

(Our last plugin that we’ll be using for this project is phpBay. However, that deserves a post of its own.)

Now, each of these plugins have their own installation instructions, which you can get by clicking the link for each. However, the usual process is as simple as unzipping the plugins and ftp’ing them into the /wp-content/plugins/ folder. Just make sure you go to the plugins section of Wordpress and activate each one.

Next time we’ll look at phpBay and how we’ll use it on our sites.

After a week of vacation, and then a second week spent frantically catching up on the backlog of emails and work that poured in while I was away, we’re back on track and ready for part three of our series. As a recap, in Part 1 we covered brainstorming a topic, as well as potential monetization methods. In Part 2, we covered finding and buying a domain name, as well as keyword research.

In Part 3, we’re ready to cover installing Wordpress as the CMS for our affiliate site. This may be a step a lot of you can skip, as Wordpress is really simple and once you install it once, you should be able to install it again without any issues in just a few minutes. For those of you who had never used it before, read on.

What we need to do is set up a MySQL database and user for Wordpress. Many hosts now offer cPanel, which makes this task a breeze.

Just click on the MySQL Databases link…

click to enlarge

We want to…
1) Add a new database (write the name of this down somewhere)
2) Add a new user and password (write this down as well)
3) Add the user to the database with all privileges

Simple enough, right?

Now, since we’re going to be using Wordpress, head on over to Wordpress.org and download yourself the latest version. (Make sure you keep up to date on these, new security updates are added pretty often as exploits are found. And, you know… blackhats looking for quick link injection opportunities. Which I’d know noting about. For the record. Ahem)

So, you’ve downloaded Wordpress and have it saved on your hard drive. Now we need to do a bit of editing. Don’t worry – they have made this as simple as possible. All we want to do is look for the file named “wp-config-sample.php” and open it up in Notepad (or whatever your editor of choice happens to be.) Right up at the top we see…

Now, all you need to do is put in your database name, user name, and password. These are the items you just made a few minutes ago. Aren’t you glad I made you write them down? Insert those into the fields labeled ‘putyourdbnamehere’, ‘usernamehere’ and ‘yourpasswordhere’. Like the note mentions, chances are localhost will be fine. If you run into trouble with this, contact your host and they should have an answer for you quickly. If not – it’s time to look for a new host. Now, after we put the three new items in, we want to save the file as “wp-config.php” and get rid of that “sample” that was on the end.

That’s it – you’ve just done all the editing needed. Now, we need to upload Wordpress to our host. You’ll need an ftp program for this. Personally, I use FileZilla since it’s free, easy to use, and available for windows and linux so I don’t have to get used to two different interfaces when I switch from my laptop to my desktops. In 8 years, I’ve yet to find a feature in any of the non-free FTP programs that I’ve needed. Don’t buy one. Seriously. As for your ftp information, it should have been provided by your host. You will normally connect to ftp.yourdomain.com with the username and password you received when you purchased your hosting account.

After you’ve uploaded all the files, you’ll want to go to: http://yourdomain.com/wp-admin/install.php and click to install Wordpres.

Fill in your blog title, and email and then hit install. Write down that username and password combo – you’ll need it to log into Wordpress. Don’t worry – you can always change it later on. Congratulations, your site is set up, and ready to be tweaked, filled with content, and monetized.

In Part 4, we will cover uploading new plugins and themes to Wordpress so that you don’t have to keep the standard template. I’ll also share a pack of the free seo plugins I use with every installation of Wordpress, plus recommendations on a premium plugin or two.

We are proud to announce that Pepperjam has officially partnered with the eBay Partner Network to bring eBay’s links and graphics to Pepperjam’s affiliates at www.pepperjamnetwork.com

This program is in partnership with eBay and is supplemental to eBay’s recently launched partner network.

HIGHLIGHTS: Make up to 75% of all the transactions and up to an additional $35 for every new active user you send to eBay. Pepperjam has in place a dedicated eBay affiliate management team to work with you in real-time to maximize your eBay revenue. Learn more about our aggressive commission structure by logging-in to your Pepperjam Network account!

Your complete satisfaction and success as an eBay affiliate through the Pepperjam Network is our main priority!

About the eBay Partner Network and Pepperjam Partnership:

It will come as no surprise that eBay is The World’s Online Marketplace®, enabling trade on a local, national and international basis. With a diverse and passionate community of individuals and small businesses, eBay offers an online platform where millions of items are traded each day. Founded in 1995, eBay Inc. connects hundreds of millions of people around the world every day, empowering them to explore new opportunities and innovate together. eBay Inc. does this by providing the Internet platforms of choice for global commerce, payments and communications. Since its inception, eBay Inc. has expanded to include some of the strongest brands in the world, including eBay, PayPal, Skype, Shopping.com, and others.

Coupling access to the unparalleled scope of eBay’s global marketplace with industry-leading tools and a dedicated support staff, the eBay Affiliate Program on Pepperjam Network offers success to all types of publishers, from the casual blogger to the experienced Internet entrepreneur. The eBay Partner Network is one of the most profitable affiliate programs in existence today, paying affiliates up to $35 per active new user, and 75% of its revenue on hundreds of categories of products.

COMMISSIONS: Up to $35 per active user, and 75% of its revenue on hundreds of categories of products.
ACCEPTANCE: Manual; Special consideration and attention is given to 3, 4, and 5 (transparency) bar Pepperjam Network affiliates.
QUALIFYING TRANSACTIONS: An end user completes a bid or BIN that results in a successful transaction on Participating Sites and Content within 7 days after clicking your Link. An end user (a) registers on the Participating Sites and Content for the first time within 30 days of clicking on a Link (b) confirms his or her registration and (c) visits Participating Sites and Content and places a bid or BIN to purchase an item within 30 days of the original registration.

To join the eBay Affiliate Program through the Pepperjam Network visit www.pepperjamnetwork.com

In my last post, “Launching a Simple Affiliate Site – Part 1” we covered selecting a topic, as well as making sure we had multiple ways to potentially monetize the site. This week, we’re going to cover keyword research, buying a domain, and getting hosting.

There are plenty of premium keyword research tools out there that come with a monthly fee. However, one of the goals with this guide is to keep costs as low as possible. With that in mind, my first stop for keyword research was the Google Adwords Keyword Tool. In the text field for “descriptive word or phrases” I enter a few of my base keywords. Since the site topic is “Philadelphia Eagles Jerseys”, my initial keywords are: Philadelphia Eagles jerseys, Eagles jersey, Eagles jerseys. I also added in the phrase “New Jersey” in the filter options to keep out a million New Jersey keywords.

Once the results are returned, at the bottom of the list there is a link to export the result to .csv for Excel. Now that I have my keywords in excel, I sort by average search volume, then weed through the list by hand and remove any keywords that wouldn’t make sense in my site. In this example, I got some keywords like “nba jerseys” and “hockey jerseys”. After trimming my list down, I’m left with 25 or so keywords. These will serve as the focus for the pages of my site. Any of the more generic keywords like “authentic jerseys” will be modified to fit my site topic. So, “authentic jerseys” becomes “Eagles authentic jerseys”. Once I get my keywords more targeted to my topic, I break them down into relevant groups. This step is really similar to what you would want to do if you were creating a PPC campaign. The keywords get broken down into tight, relevant groups. I already have my keywords sorted by search volume, so it’s easy to identify what the most important words in each group are. The groups ended up breaking down into the following areas: General, Authentic, Cheap, Custom, Replica, Throwback, Kids, and Players. These will serve as the main categories for my site, with the general keywords being the used on the home page.

click to enlarge

By this point I have both my topic, and a list of keywords to target broken down into relevant groups – now it’s time to find a domain name. Glancing over this list, the phrase “Eagles jerseys” appears an awful lot, and for good reason – it’s the main focus of the site. So, let’s see if EaglesJerseys.com is available…

Well, EaglesJerseys.com is taken already, and is currently the home of a junk parked page, complete with a pop up. However - EaglesJerseys.org is available for $10. At this point, I can do a few things. I can either email the owner of eaglesjerseys.com and make an offer on the domain, I can pick up one of the other TLD’s for a very minimal cost, or I can continue my hunt for a better .com name.

In this case, I’m going to go with the .org. I think I can safely assume the current owner is going to be asking way more than the domain is worth, especially for our purposes. My main goal for the site will be to get it to rank for the base keywords “Eagles jerseys” and “Philadelphia Eagles jerseys” - so EaglesJerseys.org will work just fine. Using the coupon code OYH1, I get 10% off my GoDaddy purchase, and we have ourselves a domain name. Now, it’s time to shop for hosting.

Because we’re really only looking to make a simple affiliate site, a small shared hosting package should suite our purpose. No need to go and drop $200 a month on a dedicated box to serve up 25 pages and some banners. For budget hosting, I have had good experiences with CyberWurx.com and SuperbHosting.net. Both can have you up and running for less than $7 a month. The Superb Hosting blog plan is $42 for a year, and comes with a $25 credit for Yahoo’s PPC program. Either of these two hosts will provide us with everything we need to get a Wordpress site up and running, without any issue at all. As a side note, when shopping for a host keep in mind there is no such thing as “unlimited bandwidth”. I’d be cautious with any hosts who promise this. They’re going to cap you at some point – try not to buy the sizzle. As I mentioned, I can personally recommend either of the two hosts I mentioned, but feel free to try out any on your own.

Once you pick your host and purchase your plan, we’re finished with phase two. At this point we have our topic, a list of potential monetization methods, our keyword list, a domain, and a hosting account. Next week we’ll cover installing Wordpress, setting up our plugins, and adding pages to our site.

Two Pepperjam Network Affiliates and top internet marketing bloggers announced a competing contest today that will ultimately decide once and for all who’s a better blog marketer - John Cow or Garry Conn?

Now I know both of these guys and the truth is that they are both excellent bloggers and internet marketers.  Yes - John Cow has the edge in RSS Subscribers….most likely because of the confusingly similar association with celebrity blogger (and fellow Pepperjam Network affiliate) John Chow, but Gary has himself a loyal following.

I actually subscribe to both of these blogs and you should too.

You’ll have to check out Garry Conn’s and “John Cow’s” blog to learn more - they are not only giving away thousands of dollars in prizes, but they are also dedicated to sharing money making tips for how they make money through blogging.

Best of luck to both contestants….but they don’t need it.

I’ll finish by encouraging PJN readers to participate in the contests and I think you’ll agree that the real winners here are not Garry or “John,” but those of us who learn (for FREE) from these experienced marketers as they duke it out over blog money making supremacy.

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE:

Pepperjam Network Announces 175 New Affiliate Program Launches in First Quarter 2008

WILKES-BARRE, Pa., April 2, 2008 /PRNewswire/ — Pepperjam, the fastest growing full-service internet marketing agency in the United States, announced today that Pepperjam Network, the company’s much talked about next generation affiliate marketing network launched 175 new affiliate programs during the first quarter of 2008, including New Line Cinema, Sesame Street, LifeLock, BabyPhat, Rocawear, RealtyTrac, Jelly Belly, Teleflora, Video Professor, NetShops, VistaPrint, and Playboy Store, among others.

“We are absolutely thrilled by the overwhelming support we have received for Pepperjam Network from both the advertiser and publisher community. We are being told by advertisers and publishers alike that our proprietary technology is revolutionary and that it has successfully addressed many of the shortcomings of other affiliate networks, including poor communication tools and lack of affiliate transparency. With Pepperjam Network, we empower advertisers with communication tools such as Pepperjam Chat, along with full and unfettered affiliate transparency,” said Kristopher B. Jones, President & CEO of Pepperjam.

“The launch of Pepperjam Network represents a paradigm shift in affiliate marketing. The Big Three Affiliate Networks are being challenged by more innovative and nimble companies such as Pepperjam Network that are able to provide next generation technology along with an unparalleled level of personal attention and service. Pepperjam Network has officially changed the face of affiliate marketing forever and advertisers are jumping aboard quickly because of our advanced tools and high level of customer service,” said Michael Jones, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel of Pepperjam.

To learn more about becoming a Pepperjam Network advertiser or publisher please visit www.pepperjamnetwork.com

About Pepperjam Network:

Pepperjam Network is a next generation affiliate marketing network that provides advertisers and publishers with industry leading pay-for-performance tracking, reporting, communication, and payment solutions. Pepperjam Network is a division of Pepperjam, a full-service internet marketing agency recognized by Inc. Magazine for the last two consecutive years as one of the fastest growing businesses in the United States. Learn more at www.pepperjamnetwork.com

About Pepperjam:

Pepperjam offers a full range of professional marketing management services in the areas of pay-per-click, search-engine optimization, affiliate marketing, and online media planning and buying. Since 1999 Pepperjam has developed a reputation for being one of the most innovative, aggressive, and effective internet marketing agencies in the business. Learn more at www.pepperjam.com

We are proud to announce the launch of the GoodOrient.com and overstockArt.com Affiliate Programs on Pepperjam Network!

About the Good Orient Affiliate Program:

“GoodOrient has evolved back from 1998 as a hobbyist Asian theme webstore to what is now one of the leading fully-fledged Asian Specialty E-stores in the world. Proud to say, we are undeniably the earliest pioneers who first brought about the greatest range of delightful Eastern wares onto the Internet. With fanciful selections of traditional and modern Asian-inspired apparel, exotic home decor as well as unique gifts and souvenirs, we have gradually become the one-stop shop for those who aspire to bring home something a little different.”

Commissions (Percentage of Sale): 10.00%
Cookie Duration: 45 days
Acceptance Method: Manual
Affiliate Program Professionally Managed By: AMSWO

About the overstockArt.com Affiliate Program:

“OverstockArt is the Internet leader in hand painted oil painting reproductions at clearance prices. We’re proud to offer you top-quality reproductions of your most admired artists, like Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Degas, and many more.”

Commissions (Percentage of Sale): Up to 20%
Cookie Duration: 45 days
Acceptance Method: Automatic

Best of luck!

We are proud to announce the launch of two high-converting cash advance offers on Pepperjam Network - www.pepperjamnetwork.com: FastwireCash.com ($32 per lead) and FastMoney911 ($20 per lead)

About the FastwireCash.com Affiliate Program:

“Are you looking to borrow money? A FastwireCash.com Payday Loan is a simple way to get you the money you need. Even if you have bad credit or a low credit rating, you can still qualify for this great service. Are you tired of filling out dreadful paperwork and waiting forever for a response? Fastwire Cash allows you to apply online, be approved instantly, and the cash will be deposited into your account on the very next business day. We truly value all of our new and existing customers and we keep all delicate information completely confidential. What’s more is that when you become a second-time borrower, we may increase the amount of future loans for you.

FastwireCash.com is a great company to work with because we offer a low fee, great service, and a no fax payday loan. Fast loans are a great way to get rid of your debt because they offers quick cash before payday. Fast loans from FastwireCash.com can help relieve your short term financial hardship with a few simple clicks. In many cases we are the lender, so private information NEVER goes to a third party.

We would like to invite you into the Fastwire Cash Affiliate Program and you could earn $32.00 on each sale. Start Earning Today!!”

Commissions (Pay Per Lead): $32.00
Cookie Duration: 45 days

About the FastMoney911 Affiliate Program:

“FastMoney911.com offers up to $1500 emergency cash advance overnight. We offer a fast and easy instant online approval process. Our site is confidential and secure with no credit checks required!”

Commissions (Pay Per Lead): $20.00
Cookie Duration: 45 days

My Two Cents: These types of offers are very hot right now, especially since we are in the middle of tax season. Tax advantage of the seasonal uptick and make more money.