How to Work Affiliate Links Into Your Blog

Affiliate marketing is one of the easiest and least risky ways to make money online. You simply sign up for affiliate programs, add links to your site, and collect commissions on products sold. Many marketers have had great success with promoting affiliate products on blogs. The secret is to use the links in a way that is attractive and beneficial to readers.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Blog
• Affiliate links

1. Sign up with affiliate programs that are relevant to your blog’s subject matter. High commissions are nice, but if you try to promote a product that your readers are not interested in they’re not going to bite. Finding products that fit well with your blog and then considering the payout will serve you better.
2. Become an affiliate for products that you own and enjoy. Then you can write about your good experiences and add in an affiliate link. If you have earned your readers’ trust, they will value your opinion and consider purchasing if they have a need for the product.
3. Write product comparisons. These do not necessarily have to be for products that you personally own. You can simply analyze the features and information available about each product. Side-by-side comparisons are useful to those who are shopping around. Use as many products as you can that you are an affiliate for, and then throw in some popular options that you do not have an affiliate relationship with.
4. Go easy on the graphic ads. Lots of flashing banners are a turn-off to visitors. There’s no harm in using a few as long as they’re unobtrusive and tasteful.
5. Ask your readers for their opinions on products that you are an affiliate for. This will get a discussion going and generate interest.

Tips & Warnings

• Amazon.com has an affiliate program that includes virtually all of the most popular books, CDs, DVDs and much more.
• Don’t promote anything that you have had a bad experience with or would not recommend. Doing so will cause you to lose the trust of your audience, and that means they won’t want to buy anything you’re promoting.