Affiliate Marketing Using Datafeeds, Part 2

Affiliate Marketing

We discussed in Part I (http://bit.ly/aZSThX) how datafeeds can be a huge time saver for your affiliate marketing business, what types of datafeeds exist and how to "keep it real."

Let's now look into customizing your product pages, when to use a datafeed and how to avoid paying a hefty Cost per Click (CPC), if you plan to advertise with Google AdWords.

Customize Your Product Pages

Don't just take the datafeed code and add it to your page. Customize it wherever possible, making it more relevant to your target audience's needs or desires. Or add a review for your visitors, followed by the product information. Why?...

The Search Engines will regard this as unique content that adds value to the visitor's experience. It's likely that you'll receive a higher Search Engine ranking for this type of page. Given that most engines can't spider javascript code, any page that was only datafeed code couldn't be indexed anyway unless you add some related content.

When To Use a Datafeed

Not all merchants provide datafeeds, and not every merchant with a datafeed offers an automated javascript version (either standalone or through an integration service, or an RSS feed). If your site's theme fits well with one or more affiliate merchants' products, consider a datafeed. It will save you a lot of time adding HTML code for individual products. It will also give your visitors a wider range of products to choose from.

If you plan to use Google's AdWords advertising to bring traffic to your store, customize your feeds whenever you can, adding plenty of original content. You could end up paying a hefty Cost Per Click (CPC) for each visitor if you don't.

Google now penalizes advertisers who use a datafeed as a landing page. Wherever you have visitors land, if you plan to include a datafeed, ensure that you have plenty of content on that page. Or you could end up paying $1.00 or more per click.

The Bottom Line

Affiliate systems continue to evolve as new technologies become available. Each new feature should either make your life as an affiliate easier, or put more money in your pocket. Datafeeds can do both. Remember the 2-to-1 content to sales page ratio, and you'll be on your way to exciting affiliate checks every month.

One last tip...

Testing is a very important component of success and profit on the Web. If you plan to use datafeeds from one or more services, track them regularly. Spotty information could cost you thousands of dollars in lost commissions if the service you use is down often, or if your affiliate ID is being dropped somewhere between your site and the merchant's records.

Learn how to apply different affiliate marketing strategies to your business.