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How to set up legal & ethical affiliate websites?

by Pedro Ferreira
10 replies
Hey, first of all let me say Hi to all of you since this is my first post here on the forum =)

Here's the deal,

I'm planning to start making affiliate marketing using micro/macro niche sites (using CB, etc...); the problem is I haven't figured out yet how I'm going to structure them... I'm talking about articles, images, etc to increase conversion.

For example I've read the Google sniper by George Brown and in the section where he talks about Conversion he tells you to create a character based on the average costumer, put up an image, create a story, etc.

1. Isn't that a fake blog like the ones promoting **** berry?

2. Is it ethical even if you put a disclaimer saying "This story and character are not real blah blah"?

3. Can it get you in trouble even if the product you're promoting isn't shady?

4. How do your affiliate websites look like? Some website examples would be nice =P

5. Is it ethical to write reviews of products that you didn't use? Example: you never had hemorrhoids but you put up an affiliate website reviewing an ebook claiming to cure them.

Basically what I'm asking with all these questions is how do you set up legal and ethical affiliate websites with a high conversion rate? I don't like to lie to people and I don't like to have my ass in trouble...

Thanks for your replies =)
#affiliate #ethical #legal #set #websites
  • Profile picture of the author Prawn
    You decide what your ethics are. We can't.

    FTC will probably not go after you if you're pushing dating, downloads, etc. **** and Biz Opps are a different beast.

    To find what an affiliate website looks like, spend an hour on Google clicking on random AdWords ads.

    And the only way to know what works best is to SPLIT TEST!!!
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    • Profile picture of the author Pedro Ferreira
      Originally Posted by Prawn View Post

      You decide what your ethics are. We can't.

      FTC will probably not go after you if you're pushing dating, downloads, etc. **** and Biz Opps are a different beast.

      To find what an affiliate website looks like, spend an hour on Google clicking on random AdWords ads.

      And the only way to know what works best is to SPLIT TEST!!!
      Thanks for your reply i appreciate it. I know i have to decide my own ethics but I'd still like some opinions.

      PS: I know how an affiliate website looks like what i want to know is how do you structure them... do you give usefull tips and then send them to the offer page? do you write a review? etc etc

      What converts best in your opinion?

      I know you have to split test but it doesn't hurt to learn something from what other people have already split tested =P

      FTC will probably not go after you if you're pushing dating, downloads, etc. **** and Biz Opps are a different beast.
      So it's not legal even with the disclaimer...
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      • Profile picture of the author Prawn
        Pushing **** and Biz Opps is legal. However, to protect yourself, you have to jump through a lot of hoops. Also - if you are worried about ethics - don't even touch rebills. Your conscience will eventually catch up with you.
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        • Profile picture of the author Pedro Ferreira
          I will touch rebills as long as they aren't shady and scammy. Thanks for the replies m8.

          Can anyone share some tested secrets on how to presell?
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  • Profile picture of the author Wechito
    What is ethical and what is not may be different for different people.
    With respect to the affiliate page, again, there are different approaches.
    A good start is design a minisite where, besides to just sell, you offer some valuable content.
    It depends on the niche, but review type sites can work very well.
    Offering tips, tutorials and things like that is usually a good way to go.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sleaklight
    Posing as someone else and putting up a fake review to promote something is down right illegal and you would deserve to be put in jail for doing so. If George Brown is teaching you that, look elsewhere to learn. He is teaching you how to break the law and eventually you will get caught and you will face the consequences, not him. The FTC or any other lagl entity is not going to say it's ok what you did because someone else told you to do it.
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    • Profile picture of the author Pedro Ferreira
      Originally Posted by Sleaklight View Post

      Posing as someone else and putting up a fake review to promote something is down right illegal and you would deserve to be put in jail for doing so. If George Brown is teaching you that, look elsewhere to learn. He is teaching you how to break the law and eventually you will get caught and you will face the consequences, not him. The FTC or any other lagl entity is not going to say it's ok what you did because someone else told you to do it.
      Thanks for your reply that's exactly what I was asking...

      So If I wanted let's say to promote a product about panic attacks and you never suffered from them, How would you promote that product without creating a fake story or review?

      I think that's the question I want answered in the middle of all of this...

      EDIT: The reason why I'm asking how to promote something in a nich where I don't have real experience it's because the only nich where I've real experience it's too competitive for me to get in now... and the products of that nich suck, even though they're selling.
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      • Profile picture of the author Wechito
        If you are just promoting, lets say, an ebook that helps people to "handle" their panic attacks it is very different from promoting, for example a tea to drink when you are having the panic attack.
        I would never promote the second one. However, I would promote the ebook. What you do is just what marketers (not only internet marketers) and journalists do. Make a little research about the subject and write about it. I would not use the review approach here, because I have not tested the product, but I would write useful information about panic attacks and tell people that "there is that book that they can buy to know more"
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        • Profile picture of the author Pedro Ferreira
          Originally Posted by Wechito View Post

          If you are just promoting, lets say, an ebook that help people to "handle" their panics attacks it is very different from promoting, for example a tea to drinks when you are having the panic atack.
          I would never promote the second one. However, I would promote the ebook. What you do is just what marketers (not only internet marketers) and journalists do. Make a little research about the subject and write about it. I would not use the review approach here, because I have not tested the product, but I would write useful information about panic attacks and tell people that "there is that book that they can buy to know more"
          Thanks for your reply =) got it.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    Fake testimonials, flogs, fake reviews, forced continuity, etc. are all under fire by the FTC. It's not ethical to employ any of those tactics. Do some real reviews ... try out the product(s). Choose good products to review instead of scammy products.

    That's how I would approach it if I did review sites.
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