Clickbank the way to go ?

[sander1200]

Hello Everyone,

I run a gaming web forum, much like this one, that receives 10k pageviews a day. I have been looking for some ways to make money, and I'm reading up on affiliate marketing. I'm new to the affiliate marketing game, but I have done some of my research. It looks like Clickbank is the easiest way to get started, and there are a quite a few programs to promote. Where would you guys recommend that I start?

I have been talking with the people at The Millionaire Analysis (www.millionaireanalysis.com) and they say that the sell one ebook out of every 62 people that visit their website. Is this a good conversion?? What are other conversions like? The thing that I am most interested in is that each sale will net me over $29. I figure I can send 1/100 of my visitors to their site, I should be able to sell one book a day leaving me with $870 at the end of the month. Maybe I'm crazy to think that 1% of my visitors will click a link, but what do I have to lose?

Any advice would be appreciated!!

Sander

[Linda Buquet]

Hi Sander,

1% may click but how many will buy? That's the real question. Clickbank works for some affiliates. It's not my favorite network due to the lack of clickstats.

Take a look at the 5 Star top 50 directory and see if there are any programs you think your forum members would be interested in.
http://affiliate-directory.5staraffiliateprograms.com/

[sander1200]

Originally Posted by Linda Buquet

Hi Sander,

1% may click but how many will buy? That's the real question. Clickbank works for some affiliates. It's not my favorite network due to the lack of clickstats.

Take a look at the 5 Star top 50 directory and see if there are any programs you think your forum members would be interested in.
http://affiliate-directory.5staraffiliateprograms.com/

Thanks for the information! I'm hoping that 1% will click... that's really my unknown at this point. I talked to the webmaster of that program, and he said that on average, one person out of every 62 will purchase a book.

As for the 5-star top 50, how do you get listed there? Is it paid positions or are these affiliate programs selected by actual affiliates?

Thanks!

[Linda Buquet]

Hi sander1200,

Great question, glad you asked. I am an affiliate management consultant and specialize in representing only high integrity, high paying programs. My directory is not open. People cannot just add their programs. All the programs listed are my clients and I work closely with them to ensure affiliates are treated right and paid on time. Clients pay me a monthly retainer for representing them, part of that service includes being in the 5 Star directory. Many of the programs are managed by either PartnerCentric or AMWSO, the 2 top outsourced affiliate management companies. In order to qualify to be a 5 Star client merchants need to commit to best practices and my high 5 Star standards. I turn away 95% of the programs that want to be in 5 Star due to my high standards and I have dropped clients that did not treat affiliates right or did not market with integrity.

Hope that helps.

[diederik]

Subject: Clickbank Affiliate Identity Theft.

Breaking News:

I filed an online Complaint about Clickbank with the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau in Idaho on Tuesday Nov. 15 2005. On Nov. 16 2005 I also filed a Criminal Complaint online with the Local Police in Boise ID against President of Keynetics Inc., owner of Click Sales Inc (=Clickbank.com). The text of this complaint is also sent to many Affiliate Internet Forums and to a large number of Online News Agencies and Newspapers.

Online criminal complaint filed at the Local Police in Boise (ID):



Date: Wed, 9 Nov 2005 01:16:50 -0800 (PST)
From: "Dick Detering"
Subject: Problem


SECOND REQUEST

Sorry Clickbank to approach you again with this annoying subject. I have more visitors to my "Click Bank sites" than ever before (appr. 500 per day) and since I have so many visitors there are no more sales!! This proves that some one is STEALING from me. Any other cause should be excluded. Note: all my cloak hoplinks are tested and all of them are set up 100% correctly!!
Please visit http://clickbanksuccessforum.com/for...pic.php?t=1485 and http://www.benedelman.org/spyware/180-affiliates/ for more info on this SCANDAL.
The ONLY SOLUTION is for Clickbank to alter their "last-affiliate-cookie-set-gets-commission" policy sightly so if a previous affiliate cookie has been set within the last say 5 minutes, it won't be overwritten by the Spyware the customer has on his/her computer (The Thieves like 180solutions.com).

Thanks.
Dick Detering,

Last response:

Date: Mon, 14 Nov 2005 14:35:05 -0700
To: "Dick Detering"
Subject: Re: Security

Hello Dick,

Our system has been designed to credit the last affiliate that drove the customer to the website. We feel that this allows the most recent link used to receive the credit that they deserve. We are constantly evaluating our system to make sure that it is fair
and accurate. We feel that as it stands, our tracking system and referral process is taking care of both of these concerns. We take all feedback from our clients into consideration, so I thank you for sending me your concerns. Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Best Regards,

ClickBank Customer Support
www.clickbank.com
My current reaction/opinion:

All Clickbank responses have the same content: they are doing nothing wrong while they KNOW that everything IS going wrong! So I gave up trying to convince CB to alter their "last-affiliate-cookie-set-gets-commission" policy sightly so if a previous affiliate cookie has been set within the last say 5 minutes, it won't be overwritten by the Spyware the customer has on his/her computer (The Thieves like 180solutions.com). Complaints with the appropriate entities and news submissions etc are the last option I have. My goal is certainly NOT to destroy CB's reputation. My only Goal is to destroy the criminals victimizing so many affiliates all over the world and to RESTORE CB's reputation by forcing them to really protect their good affiliates against their criminal affiliates like 180solutions.com (Zango Search Assistant) etc, because CB's image has already been effected very negatively during the last 6 months and it's getting worse and worse. But of course I can't do this ALONE. Therefore I ask all victimized affiliates to help me somehow. Please email me so that together we can bring this to a good end.

Thank you very much!
Dick Detering.


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[Linda Buquet]

Hi Dick and thanks for sharing that info here. I'm glad an affiliate is taking a stand against parasites. It's a very tricky subject and hard to prove someone is overwriting your links unless you can get screenshots. I know how frustrating it can be to try to fight cyber crime. I am involved in a HUGE case of affiliates fraud invloving identity theft, international mail fraud and a bunch of other crimes against numerous people and affiliate networks. I have not even been able to get the FBI to take any action.

Anyway in your case, this is tough. 1st clickbank is not the biggest. CJ and Linkshare are. CJ at least has been doing quite a bit of work to clean up the network and has cancelled accounts for 180 solutions, ShopatHomeSelect and numerous other parasites. All the major networks pay the past affiliate and this is really the MOST fair way to do it. The key is parasites should not be allowed in the networks or should have no way to overwrite the deserving affiliates link.

I just think there are so many online scams and it's also difficult because affiliate marketing is totally unregulated and not well understood by most law enforcement agencies. So trying to get any action on cases like this is tough.
But I applaud your effort even though I'm not sure you will get anywhere with it. Most people just complain. You are taking action.

Shareasale claims to be parasite-free, so take a look at their programs. The affiliate programs that I represent all have strong anti-parasite policies so check them out. Linkconnector uses "naked links" that go straight to the merchant with NO tracking code so they cannot be overwritten by parasites therefore are safe from pilfering so there are other options.