How to Build Product Links
According to the National Retail Federation, annual online retail sales are expected to reach about $250 billion by 2014. To enter this market, merchants need to learn the basics of linking to their product sales pages. These links go in ads and on pages of your website to list your products or provide product information. You need to use some snippets of HTML to create a product link. When learning to use and modify this HTML, you can increase profit potential by building unlimited links to your product pages.
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Instructions
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HTML Text Link
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Select an HTML editor. If your Web host uses cPanel, you can use the HTML editor inside the "File Manager" section. Alternatively, there are external Web editors you can use to build Web pages. Examples are KompoZer, which is free, and Dreamweaver, which starts at around $150 at the time of publication.
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Copy the one-line HTML code below. Put your product website address where it says "url." Begin the address with "http://." End it with the ".html" address ending. An example is "http://www.yourwebsitename.com/productpage.html." If your product is on your site's index page, then you may end the product link with either ".com" or ".com/index.html." Put the desired text for the link where the code says "Link text."
<a href="url">Link text</a>
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Insert the modified HTML code into the Web page where you want the link to appear. Editors are all different, but they typically have an "Insert" or similar feature. You place your cursor where you want the product link to appear on the page. You then select the "Insert" feature and choose to insert HTML. A box opens up to add and save the HTML code. Programs that do not have a feature to insert HTML allow you to see the HTML source code for the page you are editing. Paste the link HTML into that section.
HTML Image Link
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Select a program to create a banner or image. If you already know Web design, you can use Photoshop, which is around $700 at the time of publication. Gimp is a free option if you cannot afford Photoshop. If you are a novice, there are several free programs that allow you to just enter a few details online and make a banner or similar image. These programs include CoolText, Banner Fans and 123-banner.
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Place the image on its own Web page. The HTML for a product link with an image includes the Web address, or URL, of the image. When a visitor arrives on the page, the HTML displays the image from that separate page. A visitor can also click on the image to visit your product page.
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Replace the sample website link and image URL with your own links. The first link is for your product page. The image URL goes after the "img src=" portion of the code. Insert the modified HTML into any Web page of your site.
<a href="http://www.hyperlinkcode.com"><img src="http://hyperlinkcode.com/images/sample-image.gif"></a>
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Tips & Warnings
When marketing other people's products as an affiliate, get the URL of the product sales page from the product owner. You then follow the same basic steps for building links to those affiliate products. Some product owners also provide and host their own product images so you do not have to upload them to your website.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Getty Images/Digital Vision/Getty Images
