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How to Build an Information Website that
Sticks!
NOTE: If you need
help with the
technical aspects of
building your web
site (getting a dot
com name, etc.), you
may want to read
this article first:
http://www.2createawebsite.com/newsletters/issue2.html
How to Build an
Information Web Site
That Sticks and
Sells!
You've probably
never heard a web
site being referred
to as "sticky".
Nevertheless, by the
time you finish
reading this
article, you'll know
exactly what it
means, and why
anyone who wants to
make money with an
information web site
should make their
site as sticky as
possible.
For starters, did
you know that you
could make money
from an
information-only web
site? Many people
don't even realize
you don't need a
product or service
to earn revenue from
their site.
Yes, it's true.
Thanks to affiliate
programs, you can
build an information
web site that
generates enough
revenue that will
allow you to quit
your day job. You
just have to learn
how to create a site
that will make your
visitors stick and
order the products
you refer.
A "sticky" web site
is one that uses
various tools to
give the site depth,
and keeps the
visitors coming back
for more.
Tools that make your
site sticky:
1) Good
Content/Helpful
Articles
2)
Games/Entertainment
(Horoscopes,
Lotteries,
Sweepstakes)
3)
Message/Discussion
Boards
4) Newsletters
A lady emailed me
once and said she
wanted to build a
web site for women's
health but didn't
really know what to
put on her site or
how to get started.
I asked her if she
was planning on
making money from
this site and she
looked a bit
confused. "No, I
don't have a product
to sell. I just want
to educate women
about health
issues", she tells
me. She didn't
realize that you
could still make
money from
information-only web
sites.
I asked her if she
had any articles
about women's
health. She told me
that she hated to
write, and that she
was just going to
build a 2-3 page
site that lists some
tips on exercising
and eating right.
(I struggled to keep
from yawning in her
face.)
First of all, you're
doing yourself a
huge disservice if
you're building an
information web site
that’s only 2-3
pages long. Content
is king and it can
make your site very
sticky. With a topic
like health, there
are hundreds of
articles she could
put on her site to
give it more depth.
The Internet is the
information highway.
Billions of people
come to the net
daily in search of
information. Why do
you think
directories and
search engines like
Yahoo and Google are
so popular? People
are always in search
of something, so why
not build a site on
a topic you know a
lot about and earn
revenue from it!
I told her to visit
http://www.articlecity.com.
It's a site full of
articles on all
different topics
that give you free
reprint rights. This
means you can
republish these
articles on your web
site with no cost to
you as long as you
leave the articles
intact. This is
great for people who
need content for
their web sites, but
do not like to
write.
By the way, there
are over 60 health
related articles on
this site that she
could choose from
and reprint.
Another tool she
could include on her
site is a message
board for people to
gather and discuss
various health
issues. She could
divide up the board
into several
categories: dieting,
exercising,
medicine, etc.
Message boards are
really good tools
for building a
sticky site. People
will return over and
over again to
respond and post new
messages.
EZBoard.com
builds and offers
free message boards
for your site and
setup is quick and
easy!
A third thing she
could do is send out
a newsletter
(weekly, monthly,
etc.) that offers
tips on eating right
or other health
topics. Newsletters
are great tools that
remind people to
keep visiting.
All of these tools
help make your site
sticky. Remember
that's your goal.
You want people to
come back over and
over again.
Affiliate
Programs
Thanks to these
programs, people
that do not have
products or services
to sell can still
earn money from
their web sites. In
an affiliate
program, the company
pays you, the
affiliate, for
referring people to
their site. Any
order that is placed
as a result of your
referral, earns you
a commission or
fixed dollar amount
(depending on how
the company decides
to pay).
Affiliate programs
are quite popular
because they are
easy to setup and
most are free to
join. Once you
become an affiliate
for a company, they
normally send you a
unique web site
address that you
will use to refer
people to their
products. Most
companies also
provide a statistics
area where you can
login to check your
stats and see how
much money you’ve
earned.
Also note that you
should only join
affiliate programs
that relate to the
theme of your site.
If your site is
about sports, it
does you no good to
join an affiliate
program where you'll
be selling jewelry.
People come to your
site for sports, not
diamonds.
I know it may be
tempting to join any
and all affiliate
programs that seem
prosperous, but more
is not necessarily
better. Find 2 or 3
programs that relate
to your site's theme
and incorporate the
affiliate links
throughout the site.
Things You Should
Know About the
Affiliate World
As a web site owner,
you must train
yourself to think
like your visitors.
The reason most
people don't get the
sales is because
they build their
sites with
themselves in mind
instead of their
visitor. Put
yourself in their
shoes and try to
imagine what they
are thinking when
they arrive at your
site.
Think for a second.
When people go to a
web site for
information, most
people do not have
their minds set to
buy anything. At
first you may be
tempted to plaster
advertisements all
over your site
trying to get that
person to click on
your affiliate link
so you can get the
commissions, but
that way has been
proven ineffective
over and over again.
Why?
Well, let's note a
few things about the
average visitor that
will arrive at your
site:
1) They come to your
site for information
so they are probably
not in a buying
mood.
2) They don't know
you so why would
they take your
advice on purchasing
this product you’re
recommending. People
look for credibility
before they buy!
3) Most people do
not buy on the first
exposure. They
usually come back a
few times before
they're convinced to
open their wallets.
Now are you starting
to see why it's so
important that you
make your web site
as credible as
possible?
The unfortunate
thing about the
Internet is that
it's faceless, and
many people feel
uneasy about giving
up money for a
product that is
being blindly
introduced to them.
As the web site
owner it's your
responsibility to
build as much
credibility for your
site and make your
referrals appear as
genuine as possible.
That's why it's so
vital to help your
visitors by
providing them with
helpful tips and
articles. You should
also build
relationships with
them via
newsletters. And by
all means, make sure
your contact info is
visible on your site
(email address, etc)
so your visitors
know that they can
contact you and also
know that you are
really out for their
best interest and
not just your own.
Credibility is so
important for
affiliates.
Don't try to refer
people to products
or services you
haven't tried just
to get the
commission from the
affiliate program.
Be honest. If you
like the product,
say so. If you don't
like the product,
still say so. It
really is okay to
give bad reviews. In
fact, people will
respect your opinion
more for being
honest and it helps
build your
credibility even
more.
What's The Best
Way to Promote
Affiliate Programs?
When you join, most
affiliate managers
will advise you to
place banners on
your site. (All you
have to do is cut
and paste the HTML
code they will give
you to activate the
banners). I highly
discourage this
method simply
because people just
don't click on
banners.
They're distracting,
flashy, and
immediately put
people on guard
because it looks
like a gigantic
sales pitch. When's
the last time you
clicked on a banner
and then proceeded
to buy what the
banner was
advertising?
Exactly.
Most people feel the
same way about them
so they get ignored.
The best way to
incorporate your
affiliate links into
your site is via
content...good
content.
For example, going
back to the lady who
wanted to create a
women's health site.
Let's say she had an
article about weight
loss. She could end
the article with a
sentence that says,
"By the way, I know
of an excellent
program that will
assist you with
weight loss. I’ve
used it myself and
lost over 50 pounds.
For more details
click here." (and
then she’d insert
her affiliate link).
This is an excellent
way to promote
affiliate programs.
Not only has she
given them an
article they can
learn from, but
she's used a
personal
recommendation to
promote the product
so the advertisement
is less subtle and
looks much more
respectable than
some flashy banner
yelling at them to
"CLICK HERE AND BUY
NOW!!!"
What's the bottom
line?
Build a content-rich
web site on a topic
you know a lot about
and make sure the
site is sticky
enough to BUILD
and KEEP your
web site traffic.
Then join affiliate
programs for
products and
services that
RELATE to the
theme of your site.
Build relationships
with your visitors
through email and
newsletters and
refer them to
products that are
nothing short of
THE BEST.
Build site
Build content
Build credibility
Build income
Here are some
helpful links...
Useful Content for
Web Sites
http://www.articlecity.com
Free Message Board
for Your Site
http://www.ezboard.com
A Very Organized
Directory of
Affiliate Programs
You Can Join
http://www.associateprograms.com
Free, Sticky Tools
for Your Web Site
http://www.freesticky.com
How to Make Your
Site SELL Like Crazy
http://myss.sitesell.com/getting_sales.html
*highly recommended
Previous Newsletters
http://www.2createawebsite.com/newsletters
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