With over 12,000 affiliates to manage in 5 separate merchants programs, I review countless affiliate applications and their corresponding websites.
It isn't a pretty picture. And that's part of the problem.
So I thought it appropriate to share the 10 most common mistakes I see affiliates make over and over each and every day.
1. The affiliate's website is poorly designed. A lot of times it's just plain ugly. Ugly I can stand if it has a purpose. I started my Internet career doing web design and programming. I understand good website design, both for function and look. The affiliate site has to have at least one or the other to be effective, having both is the best. Without one or both of these factors, what are the chances for a visitor to be referred to my merchant's site?
2. The affiliate site has no affinity to the merchant site. If you have a website without anything in common with the merchant, how do you expect to sell the merchant's products to your visitor? If your site is all about computer equipment, why are you signing up for my wigs site? Why are you wasting both of our times?
3. The affiliate site has no voice or character. How will a visitor find value on the affiliate's site long enough to have reason or need to clickthrough on my merchant's text or banner link? None I would say.
4. The affiliate site has too many banners or text ads. How will the visitor differentiate my offer from the competition? If the site is messy and busy, I may get lots of impressions, but clickthroughs will be low and probably conversions too. Don't junk up your site with too many ads that don't have purpose.
5. Affiliate sites with expired coupons. Seeing a site like this implies it's a "weekender's" site a part-time affair. Many affiliates started out this way, but today it is highly unlikely that such a site will generate any traffic or sales for my merchants.
6. Affiliate sites with broken banners. It still happens, merchants change their creatives, affiliates don't keep up and there is an ugly red "x" where a banner should be. Don't let this happen to you.
7. The affiliate site has no privacy policy. This is a red light for visitors. This means the site is just trying to make a buck and has no interest in visitors for any other reason than getting them to make them money. A sophisticated consumer, as most are getting as Internet experience increases, wants a sophisticated site to convert through. Not having even a simple privacy policy is a giveaway as to the lack of sophistication of the site owner.
8. NO ABILITY TO CONTACT THE WEBSITE OWNER. If you will not disclose who you are, provide an email link or a site form, it is unlikely a visitor to your site will get warm and fuzzy about his site visiting experience and will not covert as a result.
9. NO CONTACT INFORMATION AVAILABLE FOR THE AFFILIATE MANAGER. In olden days affiliates didn't want to be bothered by affiliate managers. Now with the tools and special offers merchants can offer through producing affiliates, it is essential for good communications between the affiliate manager and the affiliate. It means more money for both.
10. Affiliate website owner not participating in the industry forums. More and more as I talk with affiliates, we discuss forum postings, industry news and blogs. The top producers know what is going on in the industry. They are creating the news and are creating financial opportunities at the same time.
