Newbie Here: Affiliate Marketing - Shall I just jump straight in? Encouragement Needed!
When I say I'm a newbie that isn't quite right regarding building sites and using affiliates, just more a newbie to the forum. I've built websites before and used affiliates before, just with little success. Infact I have all the basic skills required to go out and set up some sites aimed at niche keywords. I worked for a CRAP SEO firm a while back (they were cowboys and I was constantly on the phone to unhappy customers blagging them to stay put). I know how to look for niches, I'm able to create websites from scratch or set up a blog type website. It seems a no brainer that I take a bit of a risk, invest in some hosting and domains and get building.
However the more I read the more daunting it got. People's success, people's headaches and nightmares. One minute it seems this is what I need to be doing, the next minute a realisation that you rely on things beyond your control!
I've just finished a post graduate course and become a qualified teacher, however there doesn't appear to be the demand for teachers as they would have you believe. I have plenty of time on my hands, but not so much finance.
A brief whip around and I see that I could get hosting for unlimited domains for about $130 (Whatever that comes to in pounds as I'm UK based) on a 3 year package. That's quite a heavy hit to the wallet to start off with, unless it can be paid on a direct debit monthly basis.
I'd be happy with earning between $50-$100 a month within say 3 months (hopefully sooner) and any increase on that is great. I'll at least get my hosting and domain registration charges back! I am not expecting to be able to make a living from it (that's what I'm skeptical of), but maybe it could land some decent spare cash and hopefully I will pick up some part time work at some point as a "secure" income.
Maybe I need to take a risk and just roll with it, see what happens. I have all the tools to do it efficiently, my work ethic rises ten fold when I have an interest/goal on my mind. I have no commitments and bundles of time.
Still there is the nagging confusion and contradictory advice I have read. Do I create review types sites and focus on 4 or 5 niche keywords that are related building, do I buy a domain name for a specific product and have a 1 page site with a review for that one product? Do I have to use a domain name with keywords in? Do I buy a non specific domain and use it as a review site for all my niche targets? Do I aim at products or services? Do I aim for higher value products or low costs? Do I use adsense and get smaller commission for people clicking adverts? do I combine adsense and affiliate links within the same site? There's just so much to consider! And thats before I've even started the niche market searching!
I guess I could try each method or a few of them at least and see how they fair against one another (though it wouldn't be a true reflection of their worth since its keyword and traffic dependant) and learn by the mistakes/shortcomings.
Then there's the reliance on Google! How to build up social networks etc (this is the part I will need to research most into).
I'm off on a 9 day break in 2 weeks time. I might try to get 2 sites up and running with some articles providing backlinks and minor marketing work and see whats happening after I return from the holiday and progress from there.
I guess I just need, not so much reassurance, but some encouragement to make a start on this undoubtedly exciting and potentially rewarding venture!
I look forward to sticking around these boards, learning from others and helping out wherever I can! From my short time here it seems a rather friendly place full of useful advice and help from all it's contributers.
Cheers for stopping by, and sorry if I bored you to death on this occassion, but it's a new adventure which has me both excited and anxious in equal measure!
Where do I get targeted web traffic? Don't click the link! it won't help you like I can. PM me
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Marcus Lim
Silver Bullet Publishing