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