| If you really want to start a Web-based business, | | | | buzz by now surrounding blogs and blogging. One of |
| but really don't know where to start, then listen up. | | | | the main reasons blogs are recommended for setting |
| If you have no product of your own, the best thing | | | | up tightly-focused niche topic Websites is that they |
| that you can do is investigate affiliate programs. | | | | are usually easier to get traffic to from a standing |
| What is an affiliate program? It's basically a | | | | start than conventional Websites. |
| commission-only sales arrangement. Someone with a | | | | Another good reason for choosing a blog as your |
| product or service will offer to let you sell it for them | | | | site-builder of choice is that they are comparatively |
| in exchange for a cut of the selling price. Typically | | | | easy to set up if you're a Website building novice. |
| with a hard product you'll be lucky to get 10% | | | | Once you've carried out some pretty basic setting |
| commission on sales. The good news is that | | | | up, the software behind the blog handles most of |
| downloadable products such as ebooks and software | | | | the major house-keeping chores, like making sure all |
| will often pay you 50% of the sales price as an | | | | of your pages are properly linked together. All you |
| affiliate - you can even find deals where you get | | | | have to do is to keep adding on-topic content |
| 75%. | | | | regularly. |
| If you're just starting out you are certainly advised | | | | Two good choices if you want to experiment with |
| to begin your affiliate selling career by selling | | | | blogs for your niche affiliate review sites following |
| downloadable products because they are the ideal in | | | | the above model are WordPress and Blogger. |
| our 'instant gratification' society. Your customers don't | | | | WordPress is free open source software that resides |
| have to wait around after paying their money they | | | | on your own Web server - so you'll need some |
| can immediately download their purchase over the | | | | hosting of your own if you want to go this route. |
| Internet. If you go to you'll find they have several | | | | This is certainly the preferred way to go because if |
| thousand different downloadable products you can | | | | you've got your own domain name and hosting you'll |
| sell as an affiliate, and the majority offer you at least | | | | present a more professional image to your |
| 50% commission. Signing up is a simple one-time | | | | customers. You will also have more control over the |
| process and you'll then be able to use your Clickbank | | | | look and feel of your site. |
| ID to sell any of the products in their online | | | | If you are a complete novice and you just want to |
| catalogue. | | | | test the waters to see if this niche marketing with |
| You can browse the Clickbank catalogue by subject | | | | affiliate sites thing is for you, then the cheapest |
| area to find something that interests you. In any | | | | (free) way to get involved is to go to sign up for a |
| given subject area you will usually find that there are | | | | free account and make use of the free Blogspot |
| several related products that you could sell from a | | | | hosting. |
| tightly-focused Website where you could set up | | | | Whichever blogging route you choose, once you |
| pages to pre-sell the products you have selected and | | | | have your blog set up, just put your review articles |
| then place a link that your customers can click on | | | | on it comparing and contrasting the affiliate products |
| which will take them to the affiliate site to place their | | | | you've chosen, as detailed above. To bulk out the |
| order - and if they do that, you get your commission. | | | | content on your blog, just look around the Net for |
| One of the best types of site you can build using the | | | | news items and information on the subject area |
| above ideas is a review site. Set up some simple | | | | you've chosen and write some articles based around |
| pages on your Website comparing and contrasting | | | | these. |
| the features of several related products that you've | | | | Once you have one blog set up with a decent |
| picked out to sell. All you really need to do is go along | | | | amount of content on it, just rinse and repeat. Find |
| to the vendors Website which will basically be a sales | | | | some more subject areas that interest you and put |
| page for their product. Here they'll list the features | | | | more blogs together on these subjects, based |
| and benefits of their product. You can adapt this | | | | around more good affiliate products that you can |
| information to highlight the similarities and differences | | | | promote. |
| between two or more of the products to help your | | | | There are people out there right now who are |
| customers to choose which product would be the | | | | making very good money using nothing more than |
| most suitable for their own particular circumstances. | | | | these, and similar, ideas. How will you know whether |
| What is the easiest type of Website you can set up | | | | you could join them if you don't give it a try? |
| to achieve the above? You've probably heard the | | | | |