AMR #1 - Getting Started

Ok, so this is my first post for my scheduled Affiliate Marketing Report. If you are unsure of what I’m talking about, then follow along and you should get the idea.

Domain Name

I have a domain name already chosen and registered. I registered it 11/8/2007 so that makes it a little over 6 months old. Hopefully it is out of the supposed Google “sand box” that some people think exists. I won’t reveal the domain name in this posting, but I will reveal it shortly enough sometime in the next few postings. If you want to know why is because there is nothing on the domain name currently, so even if you did go to it, you’d get a big Under Construction! sign and thats it. Pretty darn exciting huh?

Web Hosting

I will be setting up the site using a Linux Deluxe hosting plan I have over at GoDaddy. I have a few other domains sitting on the server as well that I eventually plan to develop. Maybe once I start on those I will post up my successes with them as well on here.

Site Setup

I have decided to try using WordPress as a CMS for the site. I plan to create the site to look nothing like a blog but the features that WordPress offers could really aid me in marketing the site as well as ease of posting/updating the site. Hopefully it won’t be too hard to get the site to look like a regular site and not like a blog, I am not sure of other people’s success with converting WordPress into a normal site.

I am not quite sure exactly how I will have the site itself setup. I am looking into adding in user reviews for the hosts to involve the visitors of the site and in turn hopefully this will garner more sales. This all came together at the right time, because I was busy reading one of the blogs in my feed reader 2 days ago. Keith James Lock of keithjameslock.com made a post about a plugin that turns WordPress into a review site. Which is almost perfect for what I was wanting to do! The WordPress Review Site plugin, developed by Dan Grossman, allows a rating system to be added to posts as well as visitors being able to leave a review of the post. It is basically the same idea as leaving a comment, but it is more of a review for the host then just a comment.

Statistics Tracking

I will be using Google Analytics to track the stats of the site. I am going to setup an account so that those of you following this series can view the stats to see exactly what is going on. Who knows, maybe somebody will point out if I am doing something wrong or maybe somebody could learn something from me. Either way, you will have full access to the stats.

Site Topic

Considering the domain name relates to web hosting, it is common sense that the site should deal with web hosting. More specifically, web hosting deals.

Affiliate Company

I have decided to use Commission Junction to start out with. I have read around that most people have success with them and although some complain about their tracking and all of that, I am just getting started so that really isn’t as important to me. Eventually I plan to incorporate other affiliate programs but for now, I think just starting with one will be good enough until I get the hang of it.

I think that just about covers the basics for now. If you haven’t noticed in the menu bar along the right side of my blog there is some text for my monthly income and the current goal. This way you can track my success not only by reading my Affiliate Marketing Report posts but also by viewing the stats in the menu bar.

If you have any questions about anything or any suggestions that you may think might help me, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

• AMR #8 - Too Much Too Soon
• AMR #7 - Almost There
• AMR #6 - Moving Along
• AMR #5 - A Lengthy Process
• AMR #4 - Slight Change of Plans

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