“Hi Lynn, I have a quick question. In order to have a successful blog, do you have to target keywords? I’m blogging mainly to give information, but it would be nice to profit from it as well.

Do I need to target certain keywords in my posts in order to acquire traffic, or is posting frequently good enough? Do you target certain keywords in your blog posts to gain traffic? Say if I submit a post to my blog about extra curricular activities… do I have to target certain keywords about that specific post in order for traffic to start rolling in?

Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it.” – Scarlet

Hi Scarlet,

This is a great question. Most of the people reading along will expect a solid “yes” in my response. And while I will say that yes, you need to target specific keyword phrases when writing content, I want to give you a more detailed answer than that.

If you do not intentionally optimize your content (blog posts, articles, forum threads, etc) for a specific keyword phrase, and intentionally get backlinks to that content, you will still get traffic and readers.

This is true for two reasons:

First is “accidental SEO”. Whether you intentionally choose and optimize with a “keyword phrase”, your content may still come up in the major search engines for an obscure search term. This is how I first learned about SEO (search engine optimization) and the importance of keyword targeting.

I checked my stats one day (this was 8-10 years ago) and noticed certain archived pages of my site were getting substantial search engine traffic. There were certain phrases or a combination of words in the content, and the search engines deemed those pages relevant to those searches.

It was then that I started targeting my pages to specific searches, by optimizing the pages for specific keyword phrases. This gave me more control over the type of visitor I attracted, better rankings for better search terms, and a stronger “message to market match” between my targeting and my call-to-action.

If you would like to attract a specific type of reader, the type that is highly interested in your content, then you’ll want to target specific keyword phrases for the content you publish on the web. This will give you much more traffic, and more targeted traffic, and also result in higher profit potential.

The second reason is because there are other traffic sources, outside of the major search engines. You might attract readers through interviews, networking, personal recommendations from others, social media, offline exposure, etc.

You would be wise to accept the first, have a strategy for the second, and also intentionally optimize your content to attract highly targeted visitors to your pages. Ignoring the major (keyword-driven) search engines would be like an offline business (a plumber, for example) ignoring the Yellow Pages.

Best,

Also see: How to Increase Blog Traffic Fast

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Blogs are great resources. They let you publish high-quality content quickly, efficiently, and inexpensively.

The problem is, the default functionality of blogging software makes it easy to show what’s new — but hard to show off the depth of what you’ve done over time.

Blogging excels at presenting new content, but fails at aggregating old content in a way that works for people and search engines.

So what can you do? How can you help both people and search engines find your content efficiently?

Create some solid cornerstone content. If you’ve read Brian Clark’s new SEO copywriting report, you know how important this type of content is to attracting links and ranking for the terms that are central to your site.

If you haven’t read Brian’s report, you should to get the full picture. But for now, it’s enough to know that a page hosting cornerstone content helps readers by pulling all of your content about a specific topic together in one place.

In other words, each cornerstone page is a home for related content. If you want an example before I continue, check out Landing Pages or Copywriting 101 in the “resources” sidebar to the left of this post.

Cornerstone pages let you highlight your most important archived content. They also help you attract links, get subscribers, and increase traffic.

Keep reading to find out how.

Cornerstone pages are great targets for link-building campaigns

Remember, links matter first and foremost with search rankings. But complete, in-depth content on the topics you want people to find you for is important, too.

When you group similar content into a home on a single page, you’ll have a keyword dense page which will rank in search engines when you build links to it.

Sticking with the Copyblogger examples, do you think they chose phrases like “landing pages” and “SEO copywriting” by accident?

Absolutely not. These are two popular keyword phrases that the Copyblogger crew wanted to rank well for in Google. And sure enough, they do.

I know what you’re thinking. Copyblogger is a large site. They don’t need to focus on building links to each page, because they will gain links naturally over time.

(Never mind the fact that, like every blog, Copyblogger started with no links and just one subscriber — which in this case was Brian.)

That’s why cornerstone pages are even more important for new bloggers. These resource-rich pages are perfect for you to link when you do guest posts on other blogs. They’ll help you rank for specific keyword phrases and help you find new readers.

2. Cornerstone pages help you get subscribers

People listen to authority figures. Brian also wrote a complete report on authority: why you want it, what it will do for you, and how to get it. People also tend to bookmark, share, and reference authoritative content.

Cornerstone content is authoritative because it demonstrates your knowledge around a specific topic. And if it’s genuinely useful, people won’t hesitate to go further with your content, such as subscribing to your blog or signing up for an email newsletter.

Does this strategy really work?

Yes. How do you think Copyblogger became one of the top blogs?

Scroll through the left sidebar and you’ll see all of the Copyblogger resources. Most of these are cornerstone pages, grouping several pieces of valuable content with a call to action to subscribe to the blog.

3. Cornerstone pages are shareable

Since each piece of cornerstone content helps people address a specific need, they often remember it.

For example, any time someone asks me how to write a great blog headline, there’s one resource that comes to mind . . . the Headline Writing series here on Copyblogger.

Even though I first read it almost three years ago, I still refer back to it every time I need some inspiration.

Whenever anyone asks me how to write a headline, I send them to this resource because of how helpful and complete it is. I don’t have to send them to five different sites, just one simple URL that’s easy to share.

How do you create cornerstone content?

There are two ways.

One, you can start from scratch and write a blog series with the main goal of turning it into cornerstone content.

This is a great way to kick off a blog, or to give your blog a boost. But if you’ve been blogging for a while, there’s a faster way to benefit from this strategy . . . without doing extensive content development.

Let me explain.

You probably have blog categories, right? Take a look through some of your more important categories. What if you hand-picked some of those category-specific articles and grouped them onto a cornerstone page? It would be easy, right?

Now what would make this content effective?

First, you’d want to do some basic keyword research to make sure you’re targeting a keyword phrase that makes sense.

Then you’ll want to write a snappy, informative introduction that builds desire for your content, using smart SEO copywriting to make it search engine-friendly.

And finally, you fill out the page with links to content you already have on your site. It’s that simple.

Now get to work. If you focus, you can get your first cornerstone page posted in 30 minutes. And of course, the next time you write a guest post, make sure you link to your new cornerstone content page using the appropriate keywords as anchor text (Brian’s new report gives an example of this).

How about you? Using any terrific cornerstone content on your own blog? Let us know where to find it in the comments.

About the Author: Derek recently launched the blog Social Triggers. Check it out to learn how to use human psychology to get traffic, sales, and subscribers. Also, don’t miss out on his cornerstone content page, Online Sales 101.

“Are There Any Good Niches Left??”
Yes, there are plenty of good niches left. Its just a matter of what you plan to offer, and how…

Frustrated with market research or finding niches?
It’s time to get past this step so that you can move on to marketing and making money. These are my own personal secrets for finding & researching potential niches, which I almost always do in 20 minutes or less…

5 Things People Spend Money On
People have a certain amount of spendable income in their personal budget, and they spend the majority of that expendable cash in 5 general areas…

The Products People Are Searching For Online
Plug trigger words into a keyword research tool and see what people are looking to buy. For example, check out this list of 100 keyword phrases that shows the products that people are searching for online…

Keyword Research for Affiliate Marketers
The search volume, or the market depth, is important as this is how you are going to reach your market. It’s also how you are going to figure out the best ways to serve that market…

Using Keyword Modifers to Qualify Visitors
To find the buyers in your niche, simply include single keyword modifiers with your primary keywords when doing your keyword research…

Using Keyword Phrases That Make Sales!
It’s easy enough to write optimized content to get rankings & website traffic. But traffic alone doesn’t pay the bills. You want to write content that attracts buyers and makes sales…

Writing SEO Content: Choosing Keywords & Phrases
With these keyword phrases, your target market is telling you very specifically what they would like to buy. They result in a much higher conversion rate than general search terms…

Ideas for How-To Content and How-To Products
An easy way to brainstorm ideas for websites, content or info-products: simply research ‘action words’ or phrases that will show you which…

Keyword Research with Shopping.com
Shopping.com is a great place to research physical product keywords…

And a Bonus Link… #11!

Membership Site Ideas
Setting up a successful membership site is a great online business model, but how do you know if your idea will fly? There are a few key things you can do upfront to make sure you choose a profitable topic & niche…

After my last post, I received an email from Ralph with a question about how to sell products online as an affiliate – specifically physical products through networks like Commission Junction and Linkshare…

Lynn,
I read your wonderful post about the life of a super affiliate – It was great and I know you put in long hours and hard work to get to this stage.

Lynn, I am a newbie and would like to know when you promote affiliate products from LinkShare and Commission Junction – Do you build a landing/sales page and market it by writing articles with a link back to the landing page? I am trying to understand the best way to get started marketing physical products.

Thank you,
Ralph

Hi Ralph,

The process of selling anything online as an Affiliate is pretty simple. People get online to search for products, information, deals, to get help with their buying decision, etc. Your job as an Affiliate is to add value to that process.

First you have to figure out what your buyers are searching for, and where they are searching. Are they the type to ask peer groups for recommendations? Do they search on Google? Are they on Facebook or Twitter?

What are they asking and talking about online? The first place to start is with traditional search. You find out which keyword phrases your market is using, and you target those keyword phrases with your product recommendations.

How to Sell Products Online

What you’re asking is how you frame those recommendations, and how you set up the pages that have your affiliate link to the product(s) you want to sell.

The key is to look at each keyword phrase you are targeting, and come up with a strong message to market match for that search. Consider what they are really searching for, and how you can offer them the ideal solution. Are they looking for information, a specific solution to a problem, reviews/comparisons, pricing or deals?

Whatever they are searching for, specifically, that’s what you want to deliver.

It’s easiest to just ignore all the internet marketing terminology (landing page, mini site, authority site, flycatcher page, etc) and instead consider how you can best serve that market. This concept is easily lost if you get sidetracked by all of the buzz words and trends, but it’s the key to good conversion rates.

In the Affiliate Site Options post I shared some specific examples of various types of affiliate sites. Look those over to get a better idea of ways you can serve your market. Some of them are ecommerce-style sites that look more like an online store, but send the visitor to the merchant (via an affiliate link) to checkout and purchase the featured product. Others are blogs or informational sites that answer questions and lead into a call-to-action.

To answer your question more specifically, I don’t generally create a one-page promotion as an affiliate. I create a blog or website around a market or topic, and use that to recommend products. I never create an affiliate site around a specific product, but around the topic.

For example, instead creating an affiliate site around “brinkman grills” or “weber grills”, I might create an affiliate site like GrillDominator.com – which is currently available, by the way – that includes all grill types (gas, smoker, charcoal), reviews and comparisons, instructions & products needed to build your own grill, etc.

I prefer to build an authority site on a topic, and then make recommendations on the keyword level. Meaning each page of the site serves it’s own purpose, and leads the visitor into a specific call-to-action that matches the search that brought them there.

Article Marketing is something that I use for inbound links, often to specific pages on my affiliate site – which is called deep linking. It’s very effective, but it is just one of my marketing strategies in the overall marketing plan.

In the GrillDominator.com example I gave above, I would use grill recipes that get searched frequently as content for my articles. They are informational searches (vs commercial searches) but highly relevant to the site topic… and so great for a source of quality inbound links.

The more we talk about it, the more complicated it sounds. But it really just boils down to common sense marketing, and figuring out how you can best serve your market. Get in the shoes of your ideal visitor every time you analyze a keyword phrase. Consider what you would be looking for if you were searching that phrase yourself – and create that. Your market will thank you for it. Everyone is sick of wading through junk to get to the results they’re actually looking for…

I hope this answers your question. If not, or you have more questions, feel free to ask below. That goes for anyone reading along, of course.

Best,

Today we’ll look at just how much an affiliate link is really worth. You’ll get to see some of my affiliate income sources – and exactly how I earn those affiliate commissions. We’ll start with this one…

The image above is a screenshot showing about one year’s worth of affiliate commissions earned, from one affiliate link. The total is $339 in commissions. This is probably the worst example ever. It doesn’t convert very well because it’s not a strong message to market match, at all. We’ll talk about that more in a second…

Here is the blog post that contains that affiliate link, which promotes Netflix:

This blog post was published on August 27th, 2007. It ranks well in the major search engines for a variety of odd longtail keyword phrases, such as: free netflix account, netflix watch instantly free, netflix free movies online, watch netflix free movies, netflix watch movies online. You’ll see it here at #3:

I actually plucked these phrases (not out of thin air! lol) but right out of my site stats for visitors that clicked through from those searches.

The commission stats I showed you earlier are just for the last year – January ‘09 to January 2010. That’s what a copy & paste of one affiliate link in ONE blog post can be worth: $339 for a few minutes of work – once, a couple of years ago.

Again, the $339 is not total commissions earned, just in about a year’s time –and on a really bad example of an affiliate promotion, as I mentioned.

The Netflix affiliate program is pay-per-lead, paying you for every person that signs up for a free trial of Netflix. The program is through LinkShare

How would you like to earn $300+, just to copy and paste?

Or even $300+/year for ONE blog post that you write? Ask yourself this: how much do you currently earn per blog post, or on each web page that you create?

Next we’ll look at a ClickBank example. I don’t actually like to work with ClickBank that much because a lot of people will back out of the sale and use their own link to buy a product, bypassing your referral altogether.

This is because ClickBank is set up for the last referral to get the commission. Unfortunate really. I would love to see them change it to first referrer, or at least put a 10-day cookie in place for the last referrer. But I digress…

That’s over $10,000 in commission in a year plus a week or so. And like I said, ClickBank is not one of my favorite networks to work with, so I generally avoid them as an affiliate marketer if possible.

Let’s look at a specific product I promote through ClickBank…

Here you see a Google search result page for the search “think and grow rich audio”. That’s my web page that’s ranking #1 right there:

There are not that many searches for that particular keyword phrase, but it does show up in my site stats. Here is a quick look at the search volume for think and grow rich phrases. You see “think and grow rich mp3” gets about 14 searches a day:

Most online marketers wouldn’t bother with a keyword phrase that has such low search volume. My page ranks #3 for that phrase. I published that web page online several years ago, at least 4 years ago, and I haven’t touched it since. It consistently makes sales just about every single week.

This is one of my favorite methods – using SEO, and specifically longtail keyword phrases, to earn affiliate commissions passively. See SEO Content to learn more.

Here you can see my ClickBank stats for that product for a recent 90 day period, and you can see that it’s earning about $100/month all on it’s own. Passive Income. Sometimes it’s more, it’s rarely less – but it’s out there ranking, getting clicks, making sales, and sending me checks every single month…

These are obviously bad examples…

They’re bad examples because the Netflix promo is a poor match for it’s keywords, and the Think & Grow Rich keywords have very low search volume.

I’m showing you these bad examples for a reason.

I’m actually quite good at Affiliate Marketing

I want you to see how even affiliate linking done badly… can easily earn you money. And consistent passive income – which is the best kind in my book!

Keep in mind these are not affiliate sites. These are affiliate links. One page, one blog post, or one link. Multiply that by the number of affiliate links and blog posts and web pages you imagine I might have out there on the web after 13 years…

Now imagine how many links you can create like that yourself in a day.

And this year, even.

None, if you don’t know how, of course.

That’s the reason I published the 2-part series on The Anatomy of an Affiliate Link. Trust me, it’s NOT rocket science. And you don’t have to get it perfect. I think I proved that with these two really bad examples.

Best,

p.s. Next, I’ll show you more of the “big picture” of my life & income as a Super Affiliate. Subscribe below to get updates by email so you don’t miss a single post!

Are you ready to start making consistent Affiliate sales yourself? You want to do 2 things: study the Super Affiliate Handbook, and join my discussion forum. It’s a great community, and a good place to get help anytime you need it…

Like everyone else on the social web, I just read Seth Godin’s new book Linchpin. It’s a big book, not so much in number of pages, but in number of ideas.

One core theme is the idea of emotional labor — bringing more human feeling and connection to your work, some essential part of yourself that can’t be automated or outsourced.

It strikes me that this gets to one of the key distinctions between different models for doing business online.

No matter how you approach business, you’ve got to decide on a topic, and probably niche that down to a viable sub-topic.

So you might be in the fitness business or the beauty business or the writing business or the business business.

One approach has us doing some keyword research within our topic, creating enough good content to rank for those keyword phrases, and then applying a revenue strategy — maybe advertising, maybe an affiliate offer, maybe an ebook.

Simple enough.

The other approach has us creating a blog on the topic, doing a lot of soul searching to figure out our USP and/or our sub-topic, finding some readers who particularly resonate with our approach, understanding who we connect with (and being willing to scare off everyone else), and then making an offer (or series of offers) that bring in money.

The biggest difference isn’t how the revenue comes in, how our site is set up, how we approach SEO, or just where on the “long tail” our keywords are.

And contrary to what you might think, the difference isn’t in how much work we put in. Both approaches take a lot of work.

The difference is emotional labor.

The problem with paint-by-numbers

When you’re starting out, it’s tempting to look for a paint-by-numbers solution.

Something that tells you exactly where to start, what to do, and how to do it. Something that works a lot like a franchise, with a three-ring binder that explains what buttons to push.

The problem with push-button systems is that you can train a robot, or an ultra low-wage worker offshore, to push that button for you.

If the business’s genius resides in the system and not in you, what happens when someone comes along who can push the button 104% more efficiently than you can? Or who can push it at 97% of your cost?

My problem with paint-by-numbers systems isn’t that they lack creativity. My problem is that they’re risky. When you make yourself into a cog, by definition you make yourself replaceable.

Don’t be afraid to bring your best game

Emotional labor is about the part that’s outside the system.

It’s about the part that you can’t train a chimp to do. It’s about the part that wants your creativity, your strange ideas, your ADHD, your intersection of interests, your passion, your giving a damn, your hard thinking.

Simply put, it’s the love that you put into it.

You might pour a lot of emotional labor into maintaining a fantastic relationship with your readers and customers. Or you might pour that energy into making something that’s more useful, more user-friendly. Or you might pour it into developing a market position that no one’s seen before, that fills an old need in a new way.

You might pour it into “all of the above.”

Even if you’re following a system (and I think systems are tremendously useful), it’s when you get outside the system that you start to find real success.

By “success” I mean money, sure. But also satisfaction. The thrill (and terror) of saying, “Actually, I’m much too interesting and complex to be a cog. I’m a human being. Here’s how I help other human beings get what they want.”

Money can’t buy love, but can love buy money?

My favorite technique for competing in a hyper crowded niche?

Make yourself more useful or better-loved. Ideally, both.

Now you don’t have to put your personal life into your blog or business. Some people just aren’t comfortable doing that. They may want to protect their privacy, or it just may feel too awkward and embarrassing.

You get to decide. That’s why you started a business in the first place.

But if you think you might be comfortable putting a little more you into your brand, it can, frankly, be the shortest path between you and success. You don’t have to share every detail of your personal life (and please don’t tweet about the sandwich you’re having for lunch), but it’s very helpful to be a complex and individual human being.

Make a stronger connection. Care more. About your readers, about your customers, and about your own business. I don’t care if you have a four-hour work week or a hundred-hour one. I care about how much love you bring to the work when you get there.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!

About the Author: Sonia Simone is Senior Editor of Copyblogger and a co-founder of Inside the Third Tribe.

When choosing Long Tail Keywords to create content, you can use modifiers to find keyword phrases with Commercial Intent. This will help you find ways to reach the buyers in your market.

To find these buyers that are searching in your market, you simply include single keyword modifiers with your primary keywords when doing your keyword research.

Below are a list of modifiers, along with specific keyword phrase examples, which should generate even more ideas for you to test:

• buy
• purchase
• shop
• order

This helps you find long tail keyword phrases used by people who have an obvious intent to buy. Examples include:

- order flowers online for delivery (79)
- purchase old movies (430)
- buy movies online (104)
- buy mini muffin pans (3, 448)
- shop nascar (790)

The number out to the right is the approximate number of searches per day according to WordTracker’s Free Keyword Tool.

Other modifiers I try include:

• shipping
• get
• online
• coupons
• deal
• delivery
• best
• comparison
• review

Again, some specific examples of keyword phrases using these qualifiers:

- hearing aid comparisons (671)
- free shipping on clothes (192)
- free shipping office supplies (81)
- digital slr camera reviews (235)
- who makes the best mp3 player (586)
- best way to get a software engineering degree online (118)
- delivery of wine as a gift (366)

As you can see, these keyword phrases are used by people who are searching online to help them with their buying decision. These are phrases with Commercial Intent (CI), and the phrases you should be targeting to make sales online.

Also See: The Products People Are Searching For Online

Informational Keyword Modifiers

I also use modifiers to find keyword phrases where people are searching for free information, which helps for creating link-building content and info products.

• free
• download
• tips
• how
• how to

Also See: Ideas for How-To Content and How-To Info Products Products

Using modifiers in your keyword research will help you come up with the specific content and products that your market is searching for online. Whether you are creating info products, building an email list with an informational opt-in incentive, or creating “money pages” as a merchant or an affiliate, these modifiers can help you bring in the most qualified visitors to your offers.

Best,

p.s. You can use any number of keyword research tools. I use WordTracker’s Free Keyword Tool, and simply keep it open in a new tab. I refer to it no less than a dozen times a day to find phrases when: starting a new forum thread, writing a blog post or article, creating an email newsletter, etc.

Dislosure: I am an affiliate for WordTracker. The link given above is a referral link, but the tool is 100% free – not a trial offer. I have been using the free tool for years with no requirements other than the occasional captcha screen.

Writing Content is one of the easiest things you have to do in your online business, and also one of the most difficult at the same time.

Anyone can write words and create content. But writing SEO Content that converts visitors into buyers does take a bit of skill & intuition.

It’s easy enough to write optimized content to get rankings & website traffic. But traffic alone doesn’t pay the bills. You want to write content that attracts buyers and makes sales…

“I’m researching keywords, writing content, getting backlinks, have some good rankings and I’m even getting traffic – but still no sales. Help!”

All Long Tail Keywords Are Not Created Equal

Long Tail Keyword Phrases are phrases with 3 or more words. In some of the broader niches, a 3-word phrase is barely considered “long tail”. The phrase will be a very specific search, compared to the usual broad searches.

So it’s less about the number (“3-5 words”) and more how specific the search is.

These more specific phrases convert at a higher rate than general search queries, because the searcher knows exactly what they want. Writing content or creating pages around these long tail keyword phrases gives you a better opportunity to create a strong message to market match.

Imagine the difference between creating a page for “shoes” and one for “jimmy choo bridal shoes”. Even though “shoes” gets a lot more searches, it’s too general to target. You have no idea what kind of shoes your website visitors want to buy.

To give you an example, I recently wrote a blog post for an 8-word long tail keyword phrase. The phrase is How Can I Promote My Website For Free? which gets approximately 235 searches a day according to WordTracker.

That blog post ranks in the top 10 on Google for that phrase.

Mission accomplished, right?

Commercial Keyword Phrases vs Informational Keyword Phrases

In the 8-word phrase I gave above as an example, there are two words that peg it as an informational search: how and free. The searcher is obviously looking for free information (credit card tucked firmly away in wallet).

Compare this to a phrase like “buy online advertising” (15 searches/day). Or “should I buy a website template” (30 searches/day). These searchers are trying to make a buying decision (credit card close by, if not in hand).

While it’s tempting to use long tail keywords with higher search volume, if your goal is to make sales then you want to target the commercial keyword phrases. And don’t let low search volume deter you – write the content once, and let it continue to work for you for years. It is worth it. If your target market is searching for it, you are doing them a disservice by not ‘responding’ to that query with content.

It’s not impossible to convert visitors who are looking for information, into buyers. But it is harder – and you’ll see a much lower conversion rate. When you are writing content specifically to promote a product or to make sales, you want to target and optimize for the commercial keyword phrases.

The main point is that you analyze the keyword phrases from the searcher’s perspective, and determine the intent of the search. What is it they are most likely looking for? Your goal as a content publisher is to offer them exactly that.

Using Informational Keyword Phrases

When writing SEO Content, you want to make use of both Informational and Commercial Keyword Phrases. You’ll focus on the latter for creating content that contains a strong call-to-action for a specific product or service. But info-searches have their place in your web content development plan as well.

It takes both types of content to fully serve your market.

Informational search queries can be used to create content or copy for:

• Opt-in Incentives (reports, guides, etc)
• Newsletter Titles
• Internal links for your “money pages”
• Articles for Article Marketing
• Forum Topics (for inbound links & networking)
• Squidoo Lenses

…etc. In addition to being a great source for content ideas that can generate quality inbound links, the info keyword phrases are good to use on a blog where you are trying to build a loyal readership or establish a reputation as a market leader.

But when it comes to making sales… target the keyword phrases that show obvious intent to buy.

This is really only a slight shift in mindset when you are doing keyword research. We’ve been taught to focus on the search volume, analyze the competition in the search results, and if it looks like an “easy rank” then create a page or blog post and get backlinks.

It’s easy enough to stay busy going through the motions and create keyword-optimized content that ranks well. But if you’re getting good search engine rankings, and you’re starting to get traffic to that content, and still not making sales – this (the intent of the search) may very well be the missing ingredient.

Continue to target your market through their queries for info, but use that content strategically to build up your “money pages”. And put a strong focus on creating commercial content for those in your market that are specifically searching for help in their buying decision.

We’ve actually discussed SEO Content & Long Tail Keywords before in great detail, but over the weekend at the NAMS Workshop I discovered it still wasn’t super clear for everyone. Understandable – it actually took me awhile to wrap my head around the concept as well. But boy did it ever make a difference!

Here are two recent posts on this topic that contain even more examples and ideas:

SEO Content | Affiliate Marketing Tips

I put together 4 downloads for those that wanted guides to work with after my presentation at NAMS. You’ll find both of those posts as PDF Files, along with 2 others, in the protected post. The password is “nams3″.

Study the tutorials & posts, look over your own keyword content strategy, and then let me know if you have any questions – you can leave a comment below. Include the link to your site in the comment field for your URL if you would like me to take a look as well.

Best,

p.s. Next we’ll discuss Keyword Qualifiers to help you identify and cater to the buyers in your niche. Subscribe below to receive email notification of this and more great tutorials that will help you take your online business to the next level:

Next in the Affiliate Marketing Tips series, is how to get traffic and make sales with your niche affiliate sites…

@TaylorMarek: How to get eyeballs and people to buy?

I could start out by giving you specific internet marketing strategies, and I’ll share a few of those with you too.

But the key is actually in how you approach the market. It’s not complicated, but it is unique to each market and to each type of niche affiliate site. I’ll share some methods that I use to create a winning marketing plan for any site…

Step One: Market Research

Market Research is not the same as Keyword Research. That is where it starts, but not where it ends. Keywords tell you two things – they tell you what people are searching for, and they tell you the depth of the market.

Let’s take a look at an example of that so you can see what I mean. We’ll go back to that french braid hairstyle example, and look at that next to quilting:

Comparing these two sets of results side by side, just from the first 20 keyword phrases you can see a major difference in the market depth. Obviously “quilt” is more broad than “french braid”, but even if you narrow that search down to “quilt patterns” you still get more than 10x the overall search volume.

You also want to look at variations of your primary keywords. In the case of “quilt” and “quilt patterns”, next I would look at the keyword phrases for “quilting”.

I realize these screenshots are small. Open WordTracker’s Free Keyword Tool and type in the words/phrases to see the same results in true size.

There are 2 types of keyword phrases:
informational and commercial

Informational keyword phrases are searches for information – and usually for free information. Examples: “how to quilt” and “free quilt patterns”

Commercial keyword phrases are searches for products and represent potential buyers. Examples: “quilting magazines” and “quilting supplies”

Both types of keyword phrases are important to your overall marketing plan. Searches with commercial intent are used to create money pages with a specific recommendation and strong call-to-action.

Informational search terms are used to create free content that appeals to your target market, strategically leading them into your funnel and ultimately into a buying decision.

Commercial = immediate sale.
Informational = build rapport and work up to the sale.

The search volume, or the market depth, is important as this is how you are going to reach your market. It’s also how you are going to figure out the best ways to serve that market.

If you choose a micro-niche with very few keyword phrases to work with, even if those phrases have great search volume, you’re going to run out of creative ways to reach your market.

A niche with market depth and a wide variety of keyword phrases gives you many more opportunities to reach (and ultimately serve) that market.

Every single keyword phrase is an opportunity to meet and engage with your ideal customer. You use that keyword phrase to determine exactly what they want, and to deliver that one thing to them. Each keyword phrase should be considered a mini-marketing plan in your overall business strategy.

Going back to our quilting niche example, which has great market depth, you would analyze the keyword phrases and separate the informational searches from the commercial searches. The information phrases will be used to reach your market, and the commercial phrases will be used to make sales.

You want to ask yourself 4 questions:

- What are they looking for?
- Where are they looking for it?
- How can I enter that conversation?
- How can I best serve this market?

The obvious first step is to optimize each page of your affiliate site to rank well in the major search engines, so your ideal visitors can easily find you when they search those keyword phrases. See: Web Page Optimization (free tutorial & checklist).

You’ll use the keyword phrases to create content, and to frame your offer so that it appeals to your target market. If they are searching for “free quilt patterns” you give them that, and offer a new free pattern every month by email (build a list).

If they are searching for “quilting supplies” you recommend specific products they will need and the best places to order them online (via your affiliate links, of course).

A keyword phrase like “how to quilt” can be used to create a content page that leads into your pages on free patterns and supplies. This might be used on your site, or may be used as an article you submit to EzineArticles.com or publish on Squidoo.

You want to group all of the related “how to” keyword phrases and use those to create lead-in content to your how-to page on your own site. Not every piece of content has to be a monster essay either.

Those keyword phrases might be used in the subject line of a new thread on a niche forum, a short 500 word article you submit to article directories, used in an email subject line for a ‘quick tip’ message (that gets archived online), or used to open a discussion on Facebook or Twitter even.

The goal is to create various types of web content that strategically lead your visitor into your list, or to your money page. The email list will use a softer approach, building trust and rapport with your readers so that you become their go-to source for all things ‘quilting’ (replace with your niche, of course).

So the short answer to “how to get eyeballs and make sales” is this: know what they want, meet them where they are searching for it, deliver a specific targeted solution. Period.

That is marketing. Things like social bookmarking, article marketing, SEO, paid advertising – those are just methods to achieve your marketing plan. Most people mistake the methods for the marketing, and use the methods without a strategic marketing plan at all. Don’t make that mistake.

Marketing is about knowing and serving your market.

The methods are a means to do that.

So let’s talk methods real quick before we close. I’ll share some resources & tutorials with you as I’ve discussed most methods in great detail already:

• Choosing Keywords & Phrases
• How to Write A Product Review
• Twitter Marketing
• Creating Viral Short Reports
• Article Marketing For Beginners
• Forum Marketing: Signature Tip to Increase Clicks & Sales
• Blog Interviews & Guest Blogging
• One Way Link Building (7 Simple Ideas)
• Email Newsletter Ideas

I have tons more resources, so if you have any questions at all simply leave a comment below. I’d be happy to answer your questions, or point you to a free tutorial here at ClickNewz.

Best,

p.s. Enjoy this post? Subscribe below for more free Affiliate Marketing Tips

@TraciKnoppe: What are your deciding factors for any niche in deciding between a minisite, blog or ecommerce setup?

This is a great question, as there are different options for creating niche affiliate sites.

A mini-site has various definitions, from the small 5-10 page website to the landing page or squeeze page style affiliate site.

A blog is of course content-based. You can also use WordPress or other blogging platforms to create squeeze pages or more traditional looking websites. But the platform is irrelevant. A blog is a blog. A landing page created with WordPress is still a landing page.

An ecommerce-style affiliate site looks very much like an online store, except that you deep link to the merchant’s product detail/checkout page instead of linking to your own shopping cart…

Which type of affiliate site should you create?

The type or style of affiliate site you create is going to depend on several factors. Your market, your choice of keyword phrases, the type of product you are promoting, and how you reach your market – meaning your marketing strategy.

Ecommerce-style Affiliate Site

This style of site is used for promoting a line of products within a specific niche, usually from multiple merchants. An example would be an affiliate site on exercise equipment, or kitchen appliances.

Pages are optimized for specific product types and specific product names. These keyword phrases have commercial intent, and the searcher is looking for purchasing options, reviews, comparisons, the best merchant to buy from online, etc.

In addition to product listings with images and descriptions, this style of affiliate site would also include content pages to help the visitor make a more informed buying decision.

Affiliate Blog

A blog is basically the same as the traditional content-based site, with the added features of visitor interaction. The goal is to establish yourself as an expert on that topic, and build a loyal readership in your niche.

Posts are optimized for informational keyword phrases, and the content is written to answer those queries and follow-up with a specific call-to-action. This method takes the target market from searching for info to choosing a solution.

If your niche has a good combination of informational keywords, and keywords with commercial intent (product names, etc), you might consider adding a blog to your ecommerce-style site to capitalize on both.

Affiliate Mini-Site

A mini-site is a smaller website, arguably anywhere between 3 and 20 pages total. This type of site can be created using the WordPress platform, or traditional HTML.

The affiliate usually has no interest in creating a name for themselves in the niche, but rather to send the visitor from the page to the merchant as quickly as possible (ie high bounce rate, very little personal interaction).

This style of site is generally used in small niches that do not have much market depth. For example, a website on the topic of wheatgrass juicers. Your content will consist of product comparisons and reviews, choosing between manual and electric, and perhaps a few of the best recipes to be used with that product.

Affiliate Squeeze Page

The squeeze page method is used to build a niche mailing list for the purpose of email marketing. This style affiliate site consists of only a few pages, with the main page offering an incentive that the visitor must request via email.

It is most often used to capitalize on informational searches, and then gradually bring them to a buying decision.

You might use an audio interview with the merchant, a case study on the product, a how-to guide on a topic that requires product purchase, etc. You can then follow up with the subscribers and build a relationship via email, recommending specific products related to that topic.

You can use an autoresponder series to automate the process, making this style of promotion more passive than blogging and interacting with blog readers.

Combinations

Many of these models can be used together in various combinations. The most important factor in your decision about which style to use is what will work best in your particular niche – or with the keyword phrases you target.

In an informational market for example, you might use a blog to become known in your niche and then also offer a squeeze page and free download to funnel those visitors into your mailing list.

You want to research your market, and consider the available keyword phrases in that niche, and consider what you can create to best serve that particular market.

Next we’ll discuss the use of pen names with niche affiliate sites…

Best,

p.s. I’ll be presenting at the Niche Affiliate Marketing workshop in Atlanta this January. There are still a few seats left if you’re interested in joining us! If you can’t make it to a live event, but would still love to learn niche affiliate marketing, check out my overview of Rosalind Gardner’s Super Affiliate Handbook.