Shops, market traders, etc all set out their stall to sell things.Whether that’s a simple table at a craft fair, a pop up shop or something more substantial.
We need to do the same on the web, albeit using computers to help us.
That applies whether you’re selling your own product or other people’s products or a mix.
I’m going to assume that you’ve already chosen a niche, otherwise setting up a website is jumping the gun.
Here’s what you need to do…
Start with the basics:
- A domain name – I use Namecheap for almost all my domains
- A web host – do some research, just beware of anyone like Hostgator that’s owned by EIG
- A website – WordPress is the easiest option and doesn’t have too much of a learning curve
Once you start getting traffic to your affiliate site you’ll maybe need an autoresponder. But that’s not essential at the start.
Domain names are what identify your site on the web.
Most people don’t type them directly into the address bar of their browser so you can have long-ish domain names and get away with that. But try to keep it as memorable as possible. If someone couldn’t write down your domain name without you having to spell it out, think again.
The extension is probably best as .com
Mainly because that’s what most websites you encounter are (plus some country specific one), so people who forgot that yours didn’t end in .com will probably assume that it did. Which could lead them to a competitor.
Hosting is one of those things that you only really notice when it has problems.
Most of the time, it just works.
You need a host that’s reliable – which you can’t tell from most reviews as they’re skewed by the hefty commissions that web hosting companies pay – and that responds fast when something untoward happens.
Most cheaper web hosting packages are sold as “unlimited” which isn’t really the case but unless your website is ultra busy you probably won’t notice any limitations.
Ideally your host should have an upgrade path in case your website takes off and you out grow the “unlimited” option and need to pay for the resources you’re actually using. That’s a nice problem to have but it’s worth being aware of!
A website is your presence on the web.
It holds your words, pictures, links, downloads, videos, etc.
WordPress is just a computer program that helps you organise these documents in a way that lets you edit them easily and lets people who visit your website find their way around easily and click on your affiliate links.
A lot of people worry about the look and feel of their website (WordPress call that a “theme”) but in reality, at least at first, there will be so few people looking at your shiny new website that the default WordPress theme is fine. You can change the look and feel later if you decide to, it can be done in a few clicks, there’s a preview option and you can revert back to the previous design quickly if you change your mind.
Content
This is one of the final pieces of the affiliate marketing jigsaw.
The content you put on your website is what draws people to it and then how you create your content and weave in your affiliate links is what gets you affiliate commissions.
The content you create for your website should be top quality.
That doesn’t mean it needs to be in perfect English.
But it does mean that if you wouldn’t say something face-to-face with someone, it probably shouldn’t be on your website.
Quality content is a fine art but the best way is to start – you’ll improve with practice!
If you’d like to know more about affiliate marketing, check out my free affiliate marketing secrets video here.