Hi all, I've been doing a bunch of research about affiliate marketing (including lurking around this forum a lot ) and I'm still a little fuzzy about landing pages, at least in the way some of you guys are referring to them. Here goes: I have some ideas for a few complex, niche-oriented, SEO friendly, sites (10+ pages, lots of unique content, multiple affiliate offers, backlinks, etc.), and I think I'm pretty clear about how I'd do those, but I really want to start with something simpler, get my feet wet a little, then build up to those. So, my first idea was to try out PPC ads that link directly to the offer, but it seems, from what I've read, that the latest google smackdown will make the cost somewhat prohibitive for this technique (am I right about this?). So, instead I'm thinking about creating some simple LPs, that I'll drive traffic to with PPC (I'll experiment with organic search and other "free" traffic methods later). Which leads me--finally!--to my main question(s): When you all talk about LPs, are you referring to having a unique domaine for each offer you promote, with each LP being a one-page website? Or do you create a site with multiple LPs? and if so does it work to have unrelated offers/LPs on the same site? Also, how do you handle LPs when the merchant page you are linking to has a big 'ole sales letter? Can you write your own sales copy and hop straight to the order form? (As a consumer I'd be really annoyed to go through one sales letter, then be directed to another.) Or, do you "presell" with copy that reads more like a personal recommendation, then send 'em over the to the sales page? I feel like these just might be the dumbest of all newby-newb questions--it seems like everyone knows this stuff already, and just takes it for granted...but, in spite of this, any advice would be really really appreciated! Sorry if this was too long--I was hoping that giving a lot of specific info would make it easier for you guys to answer. From what I've seen this forum is a great resource, and I've lurked around enough to know that there are some wonderfully helpful people here, so thanks a bunch in advance for your advice! (no fancy signature...yet)
Heya, I'll try to wrap it up for you, everyone does things differently though the main methods/reasons. 1. Pick a product, create a 1 page lander, buy a domain, forward it there. PPC THAT domain so you can compete with the vendors domain (Google won't show the same display url more than once on a page from only one advertiser. If you get multiple domains, you point them at the same lander or different ones, and create separate PPC campaigns with those domains as display urls, you could potentially take over 3-4 top spots with your domains 2. Each product in my opinion should have its own lander, own set of domains, and own keylists. 3. Google may or may not slap you (can't lie, my road test product in my sig has one page landers and they perform great with no slap, yet...). Best way around this is the famous adult site 3 step approach. Simply make 3+ pages in a tease style progressive approach. Page 1 quick tease with incentive to go to page 2, then incentive to go to page 3, then best incentive to go to the merchant site w/your aff link... These don't work nearly as well IMO if you are PPC'ing, if you are organically targetting this way that is fine, but with PPC - those customers are often eager and want things now/fast... hence they click the sponsored ads, and in this case your whole objective is to get them off your lander and onto the merchant ASAP, the shorter the better. You can read a bunch more about landers in my first sig link and view great examples in the aff section. Hope this helps you, welcome to the boards and to CB, and best of luck with biz today! Norb.
i totally prefer to just blatantly copy (design) and then reword pages and make a 100% unique "own" site. No dupe-content penalty. Usually the affiliates are fine with this since everyone is happy if they make a sale. Sales-pages are usually simple and dont have too much wording. No big deal loading the promo-material and reword the stuff and create a new site.
Hey GeorgR & NCMedia Thanks a bunch for your replies--I'm going to look them over in detail a little later today, and might have some further thoughts or questions. Just skimming tho, looks like loads of great info!
You could also research a product and brainstorm on things this product can help with. Take the list of product benefits, and draft a tutorial how to achieve the goal not using the product, and throw in hints that it's a hard process doing to manually. Then recommend if they want fast results, use this product. Create hope, sound like an authority, sound non biased by telling them they can do it for free while you scare them by telling them it's a hard long time consuming process. Then offer the "super fast and efficient way" that makes the task so much easier and faster. Basically, hook the reader by telling them they can do it for free, then scare them by telling how long it will take, and finally plug the product as the solution.
Hey NCMedia, You really hit the nail on the head--this is exactly the info I was looking for. Thanks for breaking it down for me. Oh and: ...how very tricky! I likey GeorgR, Yes, it does seem that a LP with a similar/same design would make for a smooth transition, I'd been thinking about something like this--you make it sound easy Thanks! And yeah, I agree with you, I can't imagine that a merchant would be offended if it helped sales. Floodrod, Thanks for this--good copywriting tactics, sounds like a great way to "presell". I was thinking about using this kind of thing when I do my more complicated sites, by positioning them as a "resource" on a specific topic/problem, with appropriate affiliate offers suggested as a solution to that problem. And of course, it seems like you can weave this kind of copy into the text you use on an LP too. Any other thoughts on LPs from anyone would be most welcome... Thanks again, everyone who's responded so far! It might seem a little mushy, but seriously, this forum has so far, been an incredible resource for me--I'm so glad some of you more experienced folk are taking the time to help me out. I'm hoping to get my first LP, or LPs, up this week, so fingers crossed, and yeah, if anyone out there has any more insights, I'd so love to hear about it.
"you make it sound easy" it sounds easy because it IS easy. I can tell you how i do it: I have several totally legit and free PLR packages with complete sites. A typical site has a pitch-page, a thank-you (download) page, a privacy_policy and a contact us-page. I edit them, customize them. Most work actually takes designing logos in PaintShop...but making a site is really pretty simple. Another way is to have some affiliate with an interesting product and a page (they're always very helpful with promo-material)...and *translate* a page, basically create a whole new market for a product, eg in Europe. Here it comes in handy that i am bilangual..i could go out now and grab a bunch of sites off clickbank and do german ones...and then start marketing them in EU. Eg. you would be surprised how the market for some products in US is very saturated....while in EU there is way less competition for the same product.
GeorgR Ah, I was thinking of a single lander with same/similar design, that then moves the reader into the seller's site--but you are talking about creating an entire site that looks just like the seller's? Today while doing some keyword research I came across something that I think is like what you are talking about--entire site basically exactly the same, but just under different URL, when you go to pay it then directs you to the CB page--is this what you mean? Or, maybe I'm just really confused...
you can copy a site 1:1 and just take the same wording, and put in your own domain. Of course you need to change links and the payment/clickbank url But its better to write your own sales-pitch, but use the original site as template basically...or just look at the original site and learn about how to write a sales pitch and what the site has to have. i made a review of clickbank elite, and CB elite has a cloaking feature.. i have an example in my blog what i am talking about. the "ghost site" in question is http://www.1up-seo.com/recommends/cbe.html What happened is that cb-elite added a javascript code which loads a site into a frame, but its MY url, but the content is actually right off the clickbank pitch-page for the product. And the cloak/redirects to the hoplink and has my clickbankID in it This is if you're really lazy, you can create hundreds of "pseudo-sites" like that...basically in addition to your own "real" copies on your domain. Edit: not a sales pitch, really But i think it's related to what you said and i covered it in my blog. Somewhere here in this forum i also have a message in a thread about how to use PHP and simple redirect, some others gave advice too how to do redirects, that is: pseudo-sites which are accessible under your own URL..but "in reality" fetch or redirect a clone of any clickbank-merchant page with your ID.