What is the Ultimate Affiliate Marketing Strategy?

By Alan King


Traffic. Niche research. Content. Search engine optimization. All of these are essential components of any affiliate marketing strategy. In fact, each one is a strategy unto itself!
But there's one key ultimate strategy that most "internet marketing gurus" aren't going to tell you about. You can't buy it for $47 in an ebook, or join a $17-a-month website for clues on it. You can't get it from coaching or an internet marketing conference and it will never come as a bonus with any product you buy.
What is this all-important, all-encompassing strategy that will launch you into the stratosphere of affiliate marketing success? It's simple, it's free, and you can sum it up in one word:
Persistence
More people have failed to make money online through lack of persistence, than they have for any other reason.
Why? For one thing, an affiliate marketing website isn't likely to even be seen unless its owner persists. It usually takes time to rank well in Google's search engine. In fact, many sites go through a period of not being indexed. This is called being in Google's sandbox.
So many internet marketing gurus promise instant big success - as long as you buy the latest ebook or subscribe to their members-only services. And while it's true that you can start to earn an income online in a remarkably short period of time, it's not going to happen overnight.
Yet, many people believe the "get rich overnight" hype and get frustrated when their website doesn't rank as number one in Google within a week. They assume they didn't have the right SEO, or picked the wrong niche, or followed the wrong guru's advice.
They only problem they really had was failure to keep on keeping on. Had they persevered, and kept building their website, they would have found that buyers eventually found them. They might have even discovered Google isn't the only way to get traffic!
If you pick a method or a niche to start making money online with, stick with it for a little while. Try it out for two or three months. Your chances of earning an affiliate income are much higher if you do. Every method and niche has its ins and outs that you can only learn with a bit of experience.
This applies to your website as well. Consistently adding content and links is essential to a successful affiliate marketing strategy. You want to update your site on a regular basis. And if you aren't getting many links organically, get on some social bookmarking sites. Make some friends, comment on their bookmarks, and bookmark some relevant pages that aren't your own.
Then, when you've created good relationships, make a link to a page on your own website. You might be surprised at what happens!
That isn't to say that some niches can't start paying off in record time. In fact, many can. But your affiliate marketing business won't really start to take off until you've learned some things the old-fashion way: by experience.
Mike Filsaime is a veteran internet marketer who enjoys showing others how to make money online. If you'd like to learn more, please visit PayDotCom.
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