Could one simple change nearly double the income you earn from your website?
I’m not talking about talking about adding dozens of new pages of content, or building hundreds of new links or completely redesigning the look of your website. In fact all you need to do is potentially add in one or more new ad network to your website.
Sound too good to be true? Think again.
When Will Blears, of One Man’s Brand, added in additional advertising networks to his Amazon Affiliate website, he saw revenues jump from $17,760 to over $33,000 in the first month!
As an Amazon Affiliate it’s easy to assume that your Amazon affiliate website solely has to rely on the Amazon Associates program. Maybe you’ve heard that Amazon always converts better or is easier to use. And while it’s true that Amazon Affiliate can convert extremely well and is a great place to start it isn’t your only option.
As you will see below there are very good reasons to add in alternative display ad networks like Google Adsense and Media.net and smaller, niche networks, to your website.
Why Add In Additional Advertising Networks?
Monetize non affiliate content: Chances are that you already have non affiliate orientated content on your website or you planning on adding this content to your website in the future.
Information based content is invariably easier to promote and get links to. The search volume for these keywords is also often higher. And maybe most importantly as Jon Dykstra of Fat Stacks points out:
“This online gig has to be about having some fun”
Producing information content is typically more interesting to write and / or edit.So if you are creating this “information” content (or planning to) it makes sense to also monetize it.
Often putting an Amazon affiliate link to a specific product isn’t going to be the best way of doing that. Display networks like Adsense allow you to monetize content that you otherwise wouldn’t make anything from.
Less SEO Competition: If you are using one of our keyword packs then you will already be targeting some of the lowest competition Affiliate keywords available.
But, even non-competitive Amazon affiliate keywords typically at least some competition. And if you have chosen an uber popular Amazon product to review, then there is a good chance you are facing some pretty stiff competition.
Targeting less competitive information keywords can be a very good way of making it easier to rank and bring in tons of traffic.
Choosing lesser known affiliate programs allows you to review products that very few other affiliates are targeting. All this adds up to less competition, more traffic and bigger bucks.
Reduce Your Risk: One of the reasons that many Amazon affiliates have started looking at alternative advertising networks recently is due to the commission changes that Amazon has made.
The impact of the changes to the commission structure vary significantly depending on the types of products you are promoting. Unfortunately some affiliates have seen drops of up to 40% in their income – ouch!
Having other ads displayed on your website lessen your risk of future changes to Amazon’s Affiliate program and helps out to smooth out your income when changes are made. It’s a classic case of not putting all your eggs in one basket.
Alternatives To Amazon Associates
Broadly speaking there are two many types of ad networks to consider when looking for alternatives to Amazon Associates. The first are display ad networks like:
Of these Adsense is by far the most popular. In general Adsense payouts tend to be higher than alternatives, so it’s a great ad network to test out first.
However, Media.net can also be equally effective and in some cases people report even higher payouts than with Adsense. When Perrin, of Niche Pursuits, added Media.net ads to his website “Here Pup” he saw revenues increase by a stunning 5x over what he was getting from Adsense.
Of course those results aren’t going to be the same for everyone. A good approach can be to add both Media.net and Adsense ads to your content.
This is an approach that Jon Dykstra has been using. He creates content that is very long which gives him plenty of space to add in a number of different display ads.
One of the reasons that Media.net ads tend to convert is so well is that they are highly contextual. What this means is that Media.net’s algorithm is very effective at displaying ads which are highly targeted to the search intent of the viewer.
Because they ads are typically advertising products and services which the searcher would be interested in the click through rate is higher than the industry average.
The other types of ad networks that you should consider adding are platforms which allow you to act as an affiliate for products that might not be on Amazon.
Not all brands want to put their products onto Amazon and in sometimes the top brands in a particular vertical won’t be on the site.
A good place to look for these alternative affiliate programs are platforms like:
Even if a brand doesn’t at first appear to have an affiliate program it is still worthwhile contacting them. Some brands don’t openly advertise the fact that they offer affiliate commissions.
Other brands may not be part of an advertising network but do include a link to their affiliate program directly on their website (see Net-a-Porter example below). This allows them greater control over who they use as affiliates.
When you contact the brand detail the amount of traffic your website is getting and the types of conversions you have seen for other products as an Amazon Affiliate. You want to present yourself as a profitable potential partner for the brand.
Remember that you don’t have to take the commission structure that they first offer you. If you can show that you are already shifting a significant amount of product, then brands will often be willing to negotiate with you.
Even a relatively small shift in commission percentage points can add up to some serious money over the course of a year.
Recap
- Alternatives to Amazon Associates enable you to fully monetize all of your content and reduce competition.
- Display Ad Networks like Adsense & Media.net can be used for information based content.
- Alternative ad platforms can enable to you to be an affiliate for less competitive but popular brands in your vertical
- Approach brands directly for “hidden” affiliate programs and negotiate your own commissions.
