Most Productive Advertising

**DaveMo~** · 02-16-2002, 11:30 AM

Whether it's a website, ezine, ebook, etc., everyone needs viewers and subscribers.

What is your most productive means of advertising your website?

Search Engines
Banners & Text Ads
FFAs
Forums
Email mailings
Affiliate Programs
Start-Up Pages
Other

Add your thoughts.

**ja5es** · 02-16-2002, 04:40 PM

Word of mouth is the BEST way of getting your name around.

**TimSchroeder** · 02-16-2002, 05:06 PM

I get the majority of my traffic through search engines...

In particular Google. I love them! Also the Yahoo directory....

Don't forget that you can get quite a bit of traffic using a signature in your forum posts....Hint, Hint for those of you not using one yet in this forum (including myself)....

As well, I suggestion starting your own affiliate program through ShareASale! You can read about our program in the Announcements (shareasale is one of the more affordable options for smaller sites).

As far as a StartUp page, I use StartBlaze. They bring about 5 free hits everyday.....Anyone else use them? What's your results? You get the most traffic by reffering...

**Chopper** · 02-16-2002, 10:57 PM

most of my traffic comes from:

word of mouth, forums and search engines

**Tiggy** · 02-17-2002, 09:36 AM

I'd have to agree with Chopper... I wouldn't go offering an affiliate program, as I feel that once people discover what information I have to share, they will come back. Having said that it is only a hobby site and I don't earn enough to recover my hosting fees.

Perhaps when I earn enough I may consider starting up an affiliate program, but I don't see how this can benefit me at this point in time. I'm trying to keep the site as "clean" from ads as possible while adding a few useful links that I might make a little pocket money out of. Not only that, but I don't offer anything that they can sign up too, I don't have a mailing list or a forum - nor do I want to start anything like that - I just don't have the time!

**DaveMo~** · 02-17-2002, 04:32 PM

Affiliate programs and newsletters (publications) take a lot of time, that's for sure. Search engines should be an automatic for getting the word out about a site, but I think a lot are still learning about that (including me).

Chopper & Tiggy, do you get a lot or even most of your traffic from forums and word of mouth (is that the same as forums)?

That is interesting, 'cause I have visited everyone's site that has been posted either on their signature or in their details on the members page.

Dave

**Tiggy** · 02-17-2002, 05:01 PM

First of all I have to say that most of the activity at my site is search bots (which I hope will eventually be a good thing)... Most of the real traffic I get at the moment comes from Google (in one form or another), and then I suppose the next most popular way of finding my site would be via the newest forums I've posted in.

The clickthrough from forums depends on a few things I've noticed. At Standard Internet they do not allow signatures so my clickthroughs are mainly from people looking in my profile there or following a link to one of my articles I place in the text in response to a question they have. GeekVillage allow signatures, but clickthrough is rather thin and short lived from there because of the number of posts to look at. Websiteforums is probably my best "word of mouth" advertising so far, I was asked to be a mod over there in return for a link in the main template. Its worked out quite well seeing as I have a good memorable domain related to the topic of the forum.

**TimSchroeder** · 02-17-2002, 09:53 PM

Quote:

I'd have to agree with Chopper... I wouldn't go offering an affiliate program, as I feel that once people discover what information I have to share, they will come back.

The point of our affiliate program is to get ...more people to visit for the first time....if they like it....they will return. The money paid per lead is well worth the price of a new member in my situation.

I think the each site is different, so if you were telling people "not to go starting an affiliate program" I would disagree. If you were referring to "your" situation then that is different.

You can get a lot of traffic and make a lot more money offering your own affiliate program....and IMO you usually don't loose money starting an affiliate program, you just make more (especially if it's per sale obviously).

Interesting discussion...we should start a post about the benefits and costs of starting your won affiliate program...

**Droopy** · 02-23-2002, 06:42 AM

Search engines and startpages are the 2 most important ones. Off course sigs on forums can be usefull too !

**AhmedF** · 05-21-2002, 02:01 AM

Affiliate programs work GREAT for sale-based and service companies.

For example, through ShareASale, we offer $20 for any sale. The sale is tendered right when the user orders, but is cancelled if they cancel within 30 days [money back guarantee]. Our plans are $7,13,18, and 35. So on all the plans other than the $7 one, we make instant profit. (since the user must pay for the second month)

Its a numbers game that works great

**TimSchroeder** · 05-21-2002, 09:37 AM

Webmaster-Talk has an affiliate program with ShareaSale and Fineclicks and possibly Leadcrunch next. I don't make any profit from it, but it does bring us new members and a bit of traffic. I'm still waiting for that super affiliate.

**AhmedF** · 05-21-2002, 12:10 PM

Speaking of those two, how has your own experience been with them?

Pros and cons?

**TimSchroeder** · 05-22-2002, 10:18 PM

AhmedF

ShareASale vs. Fineclicks

Both are good.

I have more affiliates with ShareASale, but the quality of affiliates with ShareASale are somewhat lacking (as well as many of the merchants). But they do have some nice features.

IMO Fineclicks is better.

Better support. Has both an affiliate and merchant forum.
No setup fee and Chet is continually adding improvements to the site. Higher quality affiliates (Chet does not let just any affiliate join so it weeds out many of the scam affiliates).

I will probably eventually close my program with ShareASale and keep our program exclusively with Fineclicks.

I was thinking of starting another with Leadcrunch. The minimum deposit is usually $500, but he said I could try it out for $100. Still not sure if I will yet. I would be curious to here from any of their merchants to see how it is going for them.

**WandaCox** · 05-28-2002, 08:12 AM

Our
Search Engine success has been highly aided by the multiple doorway pages created for our core business site:
http://www.GlobalNetMerchant.com
(live for about 5 years)

The doorway pages help us to get 'more pages' listed within the engines. I highly recommend doorway pages.

GoodLuck

**Phoenix** · 03:52 PM

Don't you fear to use dooraway pages and the possibility that SE could penalize you for this or u use different kind of pages? Actually in the beggining I try myself to create few dooraways and it gives me some increasment in visitors but with the new site I decide not to cheat search engine

And almost forgot my main sources of traffic are Search engines(Google and all his affiliates) and some webrings which still work because of referrals.

**TimSchroeder** · 05-28-2002, 03:49 PM

IMO
I don't really consider doorway pages Cheating. Afterall, you could consider any high ranked page on your site a "doorway" to the rest of your site. It all depends on how you build and use them.

I would worry more about using cloaked pages....