Article Marketing or Pay Per Click: Which Is Best?

Article marketing and PPC (pay-per-click) advertising are the two main methods of online marketing. Both are dependent on strong keywords and dispersal to be most effective in driving traffic to your site.

What is Article Marketing?

Article marketing is the principle of contributing content to article directories which then links back to your website. It also includes guest blogging. These articles create back links to your site, which helps to boost your ranking in search engines.

The keywords you include will also affect your search engine ranking. Including strong keywords in your title, first paragraph, and last paragraph is most effective. However, you should always write for entertaining, informative, and readable content over keywords.

Articles should be about topics related to your website and should provide the reader with some information that he or she didn't know. It should also make them want to click through the link to your page. Leave them wanting just a little bit more than you've told them, and include a clear call to action.

What is PPC?

In pay-per-click, you sponsor a link at a search engine and pay a fee to the provider every time your link is clicked. Sponsored links are clearly labeled for the purposes of full disclosure.The best known provider of PPC is Google AdWords, though Bing Adcenter (a Yahoo! and Microsoft joint venture) is also popular.

The downside to PPC is that the top keywords are often fairly expensive. This is because competition is high, and the usual bid model drives up the price. Everyone who wants to purchase a certain keyword places a bid for how much they are willing to pay. Then, when someone searches for that word, the highest bid wins and that advertiser is displayed. Often, multiple ad spots are available. In this case, they are displayed in the order from highest bidder down.
This makes choosing the right balance of keywords and cost something of an art. It requires you to be very attentive to your analytics so you can drop the keywords which just aren't bringing in revenue.

PPC ads appear not only on search engines, but on third-party websites which have partnered with the PPC provider. These are called contextual ads because the ads which are displayed are chosen on the basis of relevance to the site, according to keyword similarity. So, for example, a horse stable's website might display ads for tack or veterinary equipment.

Effectiveness

PPC effectiveness is fairly easy to track. By adding code to your URLs, you can easily see the conversion rates - that is, the number of people who click your ad who become customers or regular visitors - for each campaign, keyword, and specific ad copy. Google AdWords provides you with many tools to help you track your PPC, and your blogging platform may do so as well.

It's a good idea to create discrete campaigns for each keyword for this reason. That way, you will be able to compare the effectiveness of each keyword on its own. To evaluate your ad copy, create at least two ads for each keyword. If one performs particularly well or particularly poorly, you should be able to figure out what the difference is.

Regularly check your analytics so you aren't wasting money. You can tweak your current ads or create new ones to make them stronger, based on your feedback.

Articles of 400 to 600 words, broken into short paragraphs, have been found to be most effective. They're easy to get through and deliver the information concisely without a lot of filler.

Another thing about articles that can't be said of PPC is that your readers have the ability to share what they find interesting, either by linking to social media or emailing to others. As advertising for your site, this is some of the best, because it comes with a personal recommendation. You are seen as a professional, trusted source, which builds loyalty and reputation, both of which are essential for online marketing.

This is why compelling content and saying something new is so important. It's why you have to keep in mind your human readers and not just keywords and positioning.

Cost and Return on Investment

Article marketing is essentially cost-free to you, unless you pay someone to write for you.PPC, especially for top keywords, can become pricey. You need to set yourself a firm budget and stick to it. To calculate your return on investment (ROI) for PPC, consider your profit margin, sales volume, and conversion rate.

Profit margin is the amount that you make from each sale after costs have been covered. If you're not selling a product but using advertising on your site to generate income, then consider the cost of the advertising relative to how much you earn from each ad.

Conversion rate was defined above.
Now look at the formula:
(Number of sales x profit in dollars) / number of visitors = dollar value of each visitor
This is your maximum cost per click which you should not exceed or you will end up losing money on the deal.

Calculating ROI on article marketing is a bit trickier, though you could say that since your investment is essentially zero, even one conversion is a positive ROI. But if you think more about it being your time spent writing and distributing articles, then you can see it's still important to calculate and evaluate.

Review your analytics to see which articles are sending you the most traffic and which are sending the least. Now, you need to look for characteristics which may account for the discrepancy. For example, articles with a strong call to action at the end may be outperforming those which simply taper off.

And, as always, the quality of the content is the most relevant factor.

Longevity

This is another area in which article marketing pulls ahead. Articles can remain relevant for a long time, years in some cases. This doesn't mean that you only have to put up articles once and then sit back while the hits rolls in. you definitely need to continually put out fresh content.

However, if you've got a really quality piece, people will continue to find value in it over more recently composed but less informative or poorly written material.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the determination of whether article marketing or PPC is "better" will come down to your unique situation. For most people, the factors of longevity and return on investment give the edge to article marketing. Many people use both as elements of a well-rounded marketing campaign.

Evaluate your analytics regularly to help you refine and narrow your strategies, throwing more effort into the areas which are bringing you the most traffic, conversion, and financial rewards.

Gideon J E is a successful online marketer and share his success secrets on his website

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Content Strategies - How Combining Different Types Will Enhance Your Site's Visibility

The true marketing task in producing affiliate content strategies which will guarantee readability and preserve affinity for the business or merchandise, producing engaging, imaginative and dialogue based information are essential targets to be aware of when producing content strategies for your affiliate business.

Exactly what does this imply for the day-to-day search engine optimization? No one knows for certain, but it's a good choice that repeated content approaches will certainly get you in much bigger trouble than before. You won't just require page titles and diverse metatags - you'll require a multitude of content solutions, backlinks and anchor text. Continually linking to your web page using the same pitched message just isn't about to make the grade any longer.

Selecting the best marketing techniques is vital. The way your market consumes the content that comes from your industry will connect you with the best affiliate content strategies. From selecting the advertising and marketing platforms that make the most sense, to linking your site content together with your sales practice, you'll be more confident that your chosen content is in the right location. You've been contemplating a report as being the ideal written content technique for your business but you realize from your setting up stage that your particular market isn't one who normally downloads e-books. Most likely time and expense are best invested setting up a new system to utilize in your sales tactic to turn curious browsers into paying customers.

These are all routines that individuals can all apply but a majority of people today find hard to do. Anybody can generate plenty of content for a long period in a manner that is a normal match for them, and each human being presently managing an affiliate blog would seem to do this. You possibly will not do it yet, but you're able to do it, and you may begin immediately. Whatever we are going to do with affiliate content strategies such as this, is position ourselves as authorities in specific subject areas. The moment you can get it right, all of your content strategies can come together correctly and you'll devote much less time producing content whilst getting results.

To perfect this type of campaign, you can't cease at just one article or one newsletter. You have to continually publish material making it a part of your toolbox of affiliate strategies, with the knowledge that doing this speaks volumes in regards to you as an author.

To find out more about affiliate content strategies and positioning yourself as the go to person within your niche, claim your free strategy report Make More Affiliate Commissions at: http://onlinehomebusinesstalk.com/

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Don't Make The Same Mistakes As Other Affiliate Marketers

Out of the numerous of making money online, many people are embarking on the journey of becoming an affiliate marketer. It is an extremely worthwhile and powerful method to use if you are looking towards setting up an online home based business. Affiliate programs are easy to join, profits are easy to make and commission is paid out on a regular basis. However, there are several pitfalls which need to be avoided if you are to create a successful business. Don't make the same mistakes other affiliate marketers commonly make. Consider and avoid the following three common mistakes.

1. Do not choose the wrong affiliate programs.
You must take time out to do some research instead of just joining the first ones you look at. A lot of people make this mistake in the rush just to get started earning money. This is the "bull in a china shop" approach so try not to get sucked in. Research will be time well spent in the grand scheme of things. Consider promoting products you already have an interest in and knowledge about, then find out about how much demand there actually is for such products.

2. Do not join too many different affiliate programs.
When starting out, people are so keen to get the money coming in that they make the easy mistake of joining too many different programs. Yes, it would be fantastic to have multiple streams of income right from the start, but you will find that your time will be spread too thinly to give each one of them any kind of justice. It is much more sensible to start promoting one (possibly with a fairly high commission rate) concentrating all your efforts into promoting it fully. When you find you are making reasonable profit, you can then start to think about joining other programs. There is no rush - affiliate marketing is going nowhere!

3. Remember to carefully research the credibility of the affiliate programs.
Most people forget to do this important task and it is just so easy to do. Check out the testimonials existing customers have submitted - people are always willing to let you know about their experiences. Do they recommend the products or services offered? Another method of doing this is to look for forums / blogs or discussion boards, where people are usually very honest about their customer service. Positive feedback will prove how reliable, trustworthy and credible the program is.

I hope this article will help you avoid the 3 most common mistakes the new affiliate marketer makes.

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Regards,
Linda Morrice

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Affiliate Success Checklist

Have you struggled to make real money promoting affiliate products? Most people do and many simply give up.

The thing is affiliate marketing can be both simple and very rewarding when done right.

Making money as an affiliate is the easiest way to get started making money online. And if you persist and avoid buying hyped-up products that waste both time and money, you can build a successful Internet business.

I know from experience that affiliate marketing can create a full time income and requires little or no overhead or technical skills.

But affiliate marketing is a business, and like any business it must be built on a solid foundation and requires learning a few new skills.

With that said let me share with you the checklist I used when starting out, the same one I use today.

I am approached daily by people who want me to promote their product or do a joint venture with them.

This is the checklist I use to evaluate those requests.

1. MAKE SURE THE PRODUCT YOU CHOOSE MATCHES YOU

The key is to pursue your main passion first. Once you learn how to promote on the Internet, move on to different products.

Learning the process of marketing will be easier, and more fun, if you are promoting something you know and love.

This is true for two reasons.

First, if you promote something you know about you don't have to learn both the process of marketing and gain product knowledge at the same time.

This can lead to confusion and information overload.

Second, being passionate about a product (or subject) means you will know automatically who will make a good customer and what their interests are --- because they will be like you!

Bonus reason -- it's easier to stay motivated when you are promoting something you believe in!

Getting and staying motivated is a big key in any successful endeavor.

Once you've found a product you want to promote...

2. CHECK IT OUT

The key now is to look for quality. The quality of the products you promote matters greatly.

Here's why...

You are going to build a list of buyers of your product (yes, this can be done as an affiliate) and so those customers need to be happy with you AND the product.

If they are they will buy again. Now you are a trusted friend, advising them about how they can benefit from your recommendation.

Ask yourself this question: is the product or service you are promoting something you would bring to your best friend?

If yes, move ahead.

If not, you may want to keep looking.

3. TALK TO THE PRODUCT OWNER

Here is a radical idea.

You should be able to talk via email to the person who owns the company BEFORE spending your hard earned money and precious time promoting their product.

And I'll go one step further -- that person should be helpful in their reply.

When you can contact the owner, or his or her staff, and get real help and answers you will have found a company that cares about affiliates.

That is what you want.

So now you have chosen a product, feel confident about the quality and have had your questions answered by a real person.

The next step is vital - you need to know how well the product converts.

Conversion simply means that for every 100 people who visit the site a certain number buy something.

So if 100 people visit the site and 5 of them buy that would be a 5% conversion.

For most established products you will promote you can expect this number to range from.5% to about 10%.

Anything higher or lower and you need to be careful about them telling you the truth.

There are MANY variables that effect conversion (I will cover them in an upcoming article) and many ways for you to be lied to, so you need to be careful here.

5. WHAT IS THE COOKIE DURATION?

Most affiliate programs track using 'cookies', small files downloaded to the visitor's computer.

It identifies you as the affiliate so you will be paid the commissions.

You need to know two things about this cookie, that will affect how you market.

How long does it last? (Cookies generally expire after X days)Can it be overwritten?

If a company has a short cookie duration, focus on ads that make the sale now.

If they have a longer cookie duration you can use other, more passive methods. Like encouraging people to get free information to learn more about the product.

You also want to know if the cookie can be overwritten, something called a "last affiliate" policy.

This means the LAST link clicked will get the sale.

So if someone who first learned about product X from you clicks another person's affiliate link to buy that person gets the commission, not you.

This is a common practice in affiliate marketing.

Neither of these factors are necessarily good or bad ( Amazon has an incredibly short cookie but people still make fortunes as affiliates for them), but they are worth knowing.

6. DO YOU EARN 'BACKEND' COMMISSIONS?

Do you get paid when someone you refer buys a second product? It's good, but less common.

The merchant will feel that he or she is doing the work for the second sale so they should not have to pay a commission.

The affiliate will feel that the merchant would never have had that customer if not for them and so they earned the commission.

Both valid points.

Some people won't promote without this. Others look for a middle ground.

You will ultimately have to decide what works best for you.

Some sites even promise "lifetime" commissions where you earn on every sale the customers you send ever make.

7. DO YOU EARN RENEWAL COMMISSIONS?

This is another hotly debated issue that deserves your attention.

While you can't control many of these things, knowing about them gives you the knowledge you need to make wise choices.

The key question to ask is this - if you send someone to a site where they pay a monthly or quarterly fee, do you get paid every time or just once?

8. DO THEY SUPPORT YOU?

Most people don't know how to write ads and create banners or graphics, so the affiliate program should provide these tools as well as some training on how to sell their products.

You should expect reasonable support from an affiliate program, just as you do when you buy a product.

One of the best ways to find an affiliate program is to think about a product you love and visit their site to look for an affiliate program link.

Another option is to visit affiliate program portals like Clickbank, PayDotCom or RapBank. I know there are many others - those just sprung to mind.

There you will find many products that can earn you commissions ranging from 5% to 100%!

Forums are excellent resources to learn what really works because you can often communicate with people promoting a particular product right now. Just Google your interest + forum to see what you come up with!

Here is an additional resource to help you succeed as an affiliate fast.

Allan Gardyne of AssociatePrograms.com. Great advice from a guy who has "been there and done that."

Start by thinking about three programs or products you have been promoting, or want to promote, and see if they qualify for your involvement by using the criteria above.

If so, jump in!

Charlie Page owns the Directory of Ezines and is the author of 10 books about Internet marketing. Through his membership sites and personal consulting, Charlie helps people achieve their goal of independence in record time. Can Charlie help you? Find out at http://www.charliepage.com/

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Make Money Online With Article, Affiliate and Network Marketings

If you want to make money online with article, affiliate and network marketings, follow these 6 powerful tips. All you need is sit back, relax and read the following tips stored just for you. Here are they:

1. Write quality and informative contents about your target market as an affiliate marketer. Most readers prefer reading concise yet meaningful articles about products, goods and services. Most of the time, they leave relevant comments to well-thought and well-written review articles. For you to market your affiliate products, make sure you follow article writing standards. Doing this means avoiding fluff, raw and nonsensical contents done often by unscrupulous affiliate marketers who are for profits only but their promises don't really deliver.

2. Keep writing articles and send them to major distribution directories. Internet purchasers know exactly what they are looking for. This is by far one of the most important affiliate vis-Ã -vis article marketing tips. Forward your collection of product write-ups using master auto-responders and guest blogging. You can reach the most number of target audiences using this technique. When Internet users search for topics related to their needs, they will find you using major search engines.

3. Cross reference each of your articles under your affiliate program, that is, at least five inlinks per piece. Readers that click inlinks get redirected to your other product endorsements. You can do outbound linking, too. All you have to do is post your articles on various online forums or comment sections. When visitors from that site click your links, they will be redirected to your articles. If you want to make money online with article, affiliate and network marketings, follow these 6 powerful tips.

4. Use Really Simple Syndication (RSS) to feed your readers with your frequently updated marketing items. Present RSS are of various web formats or styles ranging from blog entries up to metadata tagging. As an affiliate, you have your document properties in each of your articles. Readers can see them readily if they want to know the source they are reading.

5. Use major social networking, microblogging and bookmarking services. Most netizens use social media networks to chat/contact their friends, followers and subscribers. If you use this fourth tip, you can easily and quickly market your write-ups that contain links to your commission-dependent items. To those familiar with the services, you know that these types of media can drive a large following because you are all bound by a common interest. As such, the moment you forward your message to them, when they respond, you have a good chance of getting sold items.

6. Use non-intrusive contextual ads for your affiliate programs. What is good with this best practice is that aside from readers' visits, you get earnings when they click to them. This is actually the best part of marketing your products online because it is important that you earn while you do the things you love doing the most.

Now that you learned how to make money online with article, affiliate and network marketings, follow these 6 powerful tips now.

I am a professional SEO writer. Most of the articles that I publish have something to do with my work, hobby and studies. You can also suggest to me articles that I should write and post. To see some of my articles, please click this link: http://www.niche-of-niches.blogspot.com/. Thanks.

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A Simple Way To Make More Affiliate Cash With Less Work

Residual affiliate marketing is having other people, namely affiliates, promote and sell products for the product owner. In order to get this working properly, it is going to take some time to set up and have people follow you in your quest to build the residual element of it. However, for those who are prepared to invest the time and effort to make this work, the pay off afterwards is more than worth it. It is another part of the whole picture of how to affiliate marketing.

Look at it this way.

You decide you want to promote a product that pays a fairly good affiliate commission for minimal work, so you have the option of getting visitors to a site where they buy and you get paid for each individual sale made or, you get visitors to a site that offers an ongoing monthly paid for service where you get paid each month for them being a member of such a site. Both require the same amount of work but one will earn you an ongoing income where as the other will require you to do the same amount of work repeatedly to make each sale. Which would you choose to do?

Obviously the monthly option is the way to go, do the work once, and get paid over and over for it. In principle it is a very simple concept, recommend and promote a repeat purchase service by way of sending interested visitors to the particular website.

If that's how it works, then what's the best way to get going with the residual part of it?

Getting started with residual affiliate marketing comes down to what product or service would you like to promote, and then look closely at the affiliate site that offers the residual benefit. It certainly makes a lot more sense if you're going to get moving on this to do so with the means to generate residual income, and backed by a sound company, who operate the affiliate program, have the necessary tools in place to allow affiliates to move forward by supplying some articles, banners and templates.

Each method, single sale or recurring income both require work to make them happen, you just have to decide if the recurring method is right for you.

If you do feel this is the way to go, some affiliate marketing programs offer a two tier platform whereby you receive a commission for affiliates who join the program via someone who you have already referred, an added bonus for your efforts in getting those visitors on board.

To find out more about residual affiliate marketing and the benefits it can bring, head on over and grab your free copy of Make More Affiliate Commissions, a strategy report for affiliate marketers of all skill levels.

http://onlinehomebusinesstalk.com/

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Affiliate Marketing - How to Be Successful in This Game

Are you looking for a viable way to make money in today's suffering economy? Do you enjoy promoting other people's service or product oriented business? Would you be open to being paid a hefty commission for your efforts? Are you knowledgeable about marketing trends? If you answered yes to these questions, you may want to delve into the very lucrative field of affiliate marketing.

But what is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is when a business owner hires a marketing professional to spread the word about their business in exchange for a commission of any sales that the affiliate marketer generates from his/her marketing efforts. For instance, let's say that you're an affiliate marketer for Amazon. Well, you set up a few sites and promote their products. Well, every time someone purchases an Amazon product from your site, you get a referral commission. Amazon makes money, you make money for the referral and the customer gets the product.

Still not persuaded that affiliate marketing works? Consider these stats - according to Forrester Research, a firm located in Massachusetts, an online seller will increase his chances of earning more by 16% annually by using affiliate marketing on top of his existing marketing strategies.

One key factor that is burning the affiliate marketing candle so bright is the shift in consumer buying behavior. Nowadays consumers enjoy shopping via mobile devices like phones and tablets. This growth in e-commerce was almost non-existent a few years ago but now, it makes shopping easy-peasy. Affiliate marketers who employ SMS text advertising, display advertising and other mobile-friendly marketing methods will increase their bottom line figures tremendously.

In a just released report, "Online Holiday Shopping Forecast and Trends," eMarketer has announced the expectation for online shopping to reach $54.47 billion just in this upcoming holiday season! This would be equivalent to a 16.8% increase in sales from 2011 for the period of November and December only and it does not include travel.

Key Factors To Remember

So, if you're a marketer that is interested in playing the affiliate marketing game, you must put in a lot of work and effort to make your commissions. Here are a few strategies you can employ:

Choose partners carefully. Only choose companies that have proven track records for paying their affiliates on time. Make sure they have a solid reputation and have a great product. After all, you won't make any money selling crappy products that don't work.

Review your links regularly. Since you are basically paid an affiliates commission based on the amount of revenue you generate, you must be able to track your sales. As such, it is extremely paramount that you only deal with companies that have a solid affiliate tracking feature in place. In addition, you must regularly review your links and tracking codes so you have a better idea of what marketing method is working and which ones are a bust.

Keep good records. Know which products you're promoting and how you're promoting them. You may also want to use accounting software to help you monitor your income. Then, you can easily spot whether you are being paid properly paid or not.

Keep your content fresh and interesting. As a matter of fact 40% of online buyers are more likely to consummate a sale if they like what they read. Content is a vital key in affiliate marketing. Avoid misleading readers in any way because this will backfire with bad feedback. Keep in mind that Internet users are always on security mode alert for scammers. Your honesty and integrity is going to establish you as a credible and reputable affiliate. And that promotes loyalty, effective Word of Mouth recommendations, repeat sales and more profits.

In conclusion, affiliate marketing is a great way to make money. Since you don't have to create a specific product or service, you aren't limited in your income potential. Just remember that not every product is worthy of your marketing efforts. If you want to find and choose established partners, review your links regularly, keep good records and have fresh and interesting content you should find online affiliate program network for that. One of the reputable affiliate marketing network companies is http://www.Click2Sell.EU which offers products for affiliates to promote and tools how to do it successfully.

Wish you to pay attention on earlier mentioned strategies and get into the top of most successful affiliates in the world!

Lina Stakauskaite is a employee at Click2Sell.EU Affiliate Programs Network.
Affiliates can promote products for high commissions and sell downloads online with no payment threshold. Vendors can sell digital products online, run your affiliate program and get paid instantly. Visit Click2Sell and find out more.

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