Home > Profit > Affiliate Programs > Getting Started

by The IT News Team

There are many variables that determine how successful you are with your Web site or affiliate program. However, the IT News Research Team has found some common ingredients that contribute to success (not in any particular order):

1. Your Web Site must have a purpose or focus - why is it there? Is it serving a useful need? A site that provides *relevant* information, products or services gets a good start.

2. Many sites exist simply to put up 5 or 10 banners per page trying to make a quick buck. They don't. Visitors leave the site before the page loads. A good site focuses on serving its readers needs. Let readers provide you with feedback. This way, our readers help us improve our site all the time.

3. Design is important - that means if you can get your information across without 20k fancy graphics, don't worry about the graphics. Ease of navigation is vital - visitors come to your site for a purpose - and they want to locate the relevant information quickly. You might only get 3 or 4 mouse clicks to deliver what your reader wants. If you fail, he or she goes elsewhere.

4. If you are selling a product or service, this should be obvious from your Front Page - like a Buy Button or Link. If you sell more than 2 or 3 items, an Index to the products is essential. Readers can then rapidly select what they want.

5. "Content is King" - if a product complements your content, readers are more likely to find it interesting. Provide relevant links, descriptions or reviews wherever possible.

You need to select reputable programs - and top products or services.

6. Regular updates - both via your web site and newsletters.

7. Web Site Promotion - people need to know your site exists. Submit your pages to the top search engines; newsletters are excellent - you are reading one!; exchange links with relevant Web sites; advertising your site is important. You have to spend money to make money.

8. Give readers a good reason to come to your site regularly - and they may buy from you. We provide research centers and resources. We also run competitions and prize draws.

9. We create partnerships whereby everyone involved wins - our readers, our suppliers, our company, the community.

10. Our Team constantly ask the following questions about our site: If this wasn't our site, would we find it very useful on a regular basis; would we recommend it to our friends; would we suggest any improvements; what do we like about the site; what do we dislike. And More questions. Our readers give us excellent feedback.

Good luck with your Site and your program.