Do you participate in a program such as Google Adsense or Yahoo
Publisher’s Network?  If so, you are essentially known as an
affiliate. As an affiliate, you hope that visitors will click on
the advertisements that are displayed on your website.  If and
when this happens, you get paid.  As nice as that sounds,
internet users must first make it to your website, before they
can click on one of your advertisements.  With an unlimited
number of websites to choose from, getting traffic may seem like
an overwhelming process.  While it can be, there are a number of
ways that you can successfully increase your traffic, and, in
turn, the amount of money that you can make as an affiliate.

As an affiliate, your goal is to receive website traffic.  While
any traffic is better than no traffic at all, you may want to
aim for high quality traffic.  High quality traffic includes
internet users who are looking for something that you have,
whether it is information on working from home or caring for a
sick pet.  High quality traffic also includes internet users who
are likely to click on your advertisements. This, in a way,
relates to you and your website having what they want. 

One of the best ways to get high quality visitors to your
website is to have high quality content.  With website content,
many of us only associate content with search engine rankings.
While high quality content is an important part of search engine
optimization, SEO, it can and should be used for more.  The
majority of internet users actually read the information that
they find online; therefore, there is a good chance that your
website content will actually be read.  Having interesting and
easy to read content will ensure that your visitors don’t take
one look at your site and then leave.  It is also important to
note that high quality content is likely to attract better
advertisements. 

The design of your website is also important. In fact, it may be
just as important as your content.  You want your website to
look professional, attractive, and appealing.  Unfortunately,
there are many webmaster who mistakenly believe that their
websites need to be flashy, literally.  Although flash intros
are neat, you might be surprised to hear that many internet
users don’t like them.  In fact, a large number of internet
users are known to avoid these sites, especially if they do not
have a “skip intro,” button.  You will want to go with plain,
simple, yet professional. If you need assistance with the design
of your website, you may want to think about hiring the services
of a professional web designer.

In conjunction with the design of your website, it is also
important to examine your ad placement.  Where your
advertisements are displayed will have an impact on how often
they are clicked.  If you are a Google Adsense member, you
should have access to what is known as a “Google Heat Map.”
This helpful map gives you suggestions on where you should place
your advertisements.  Following this outline or a similar one
will increase your chances of clicks.  If you choose not to use
Google’s map, you will at least want to remember to keep all of
your advertisements above the fold. Your site visitors should be
able to click on your advertisements right a way; they shouldn’t
have to scroll down to do so.  In fact, if you have poor content
on your site or if your site’s layout is unprofessional, your
visitors may never even scroll down to see your ads.

As it was mentioned above, all traffic is better than no traffic
at all.  However, as you can see, it is relatively easy to aim
for high quality traffic.  That is why you are urged to target
those that may help you generate income. 

To your success,
Derek Pryde

P.S.  High quality traffic is relatively easy to acquire and the
positive results will be easy to spot.