What should my content be ?

[Gary48]

As a ' newbie ' to the whole world of affiliate marketing there is a concept that I can't get my head around which has so far stopped me from even taking the first step. It may well be blindingly obvious to some but that's why I am in the ' newbie ' section. I'll try to ask the question by way of an example.

Say I decide to set up a site to promote golf shoes. So I register my domain and set up my hosting and all is well. Thing I'm struggling with is what is my content ? Do I ;

A ; join a golf shoe suppliers affiliate program AT THE SAME TIME as starting up my currently contentless web site and simply make MY site a mirror of theirs. Problem with that is if they have a set range of shoes how do I continue to add fresh content to a product range that doesn't change ?

B ; join lots of companies affiliate programs for golf shoes and copy their descriptions on to my site ?

C; start to write my thoughts on golf shoes to build up a following, which probably would not only bore the backside of off people but effectively be a dead end site as I'm not selling anything yet.

I suppose I could have shortened all of that by asking , do you join an affiliate program at the same time as setting up your blank new web site or does your site already need to be filled with content BEFORE you join a program ? And also what then is your content, your thought or a copy of their descriptions on their site ?

I hope I've explained that properly and it doesn't sound too stupid. My thanks to all who try to decipher it.

 

[djbaxter]

Do not do this:

join a golf shoe suppliers affiliate program AT THE SAME TIME as starting up my currently contentless web site and simply make MY site a mirror of theirs. Problem with that is if they have a set range of shoes how do I continue to add fresh content to a product range that doesn't change ?

Your chances of ranking well with duplicate content are slim to none. If you don't rank well, no one will find you. If people don't find you, they won't buy anything from you. And if your site is a mirror of the original, why should they buy from you rather than going directly to the original?

Do a combination of your B and C options - don't simply copy their descriptions but also write your own content.

 

[mlevenhagen]

What I'd recommend is to start with some starter content before applying to an aff program if you can. Some aff programs will want to see you have a site related to their market; not a blank site.. the better quality and established the better. And that will give you something to start working with from a traffic perspective.

Besides setting up your essentials like: about us, aff disclosure, terms, contact us, site map etc.. create an article section or blog and add some posts/articles. Write them yourself if you are familiar with the content or have them outsourced.

That would be the point I'd start looking for aff programs in that niche...

Depending on the niche you want to also look into a datafeed solution. You can start out your site with just the descriptions and content provided and then over time create more and more unique content on the category pages and product details pages.

Datafeeds will also allow you to manage and keep your store up to date because you can import fresh feeds on a regular basis.

Or just start writing product reviews and apply to programs as you do..

Different approaches, but bottom line is start with some starter content and then just build on it over time.

HTH! Good luck!

 

[Laura61]

When you plan an affiliate site, you should make a list of keywords that you're going to target. When you do the keyword research, you're looking for keywords that are getting a decent number of searches but that don't have too much competition. Once you compile that list, it serves as "seed" for all your content. You can pick one to three related keywords from that list and write an article around it, and then pick a couple more and write an article about that, etc. etc.

For instance, say two of your related keywords are "spikeless golf shoes" and "golf shoes without spikes." You could write an article about that kind of shoe and then link to some spikeless golf shoes at a merchant's site that you have affiliated with.

Of course, until you actually have that affiliation, you would not have those links, but if the merchant can see how you would be promoting their products, you'll have a better chance of getting approved.

Does that help at all?

 

[Gary48]

Thanks for the replies folks. A good help. Think I might just start a review site, as in the example of golf shoes above it could just be a review of the shoes and a reccommendation of the cheapest place on the net I have saw them and build it from there. Don't know if that is the best plan of action but at least it is a plan more than I had this morning and gives me a focus to concentrate on. Love golf anyway so who knows, might just try first site experiment with the golf shoes. Thanks again, no doubt I'll be back very soon with another question.

 

[arenee]

think the review site is an excellent idea. it will give you a chance to focus on certain products and build up some user traffic. please please please promote your site. and content timely and make it fresh.

 

[yanamk]

I also agree that using the reviews provided by affiliate programs is not an option. Have you seen those reviews? They are so sugercoated that it literally sounds like each and every product the program represents is the best in the whole world. We all know that this is far from the truth.

I think, you honest reviews about the products are the best idea for the site (you can still take the details provided by affiliate programs, of course, but you sure have to work on the review and write it in your own words).

Honesty will not only earn the trust on the net, but also bring customers (aka commissions ) your way. Good luck!