So I also get hits from searches on "classified advertising" for example.

[Nathan] So what are your other sources of traffic?

[Harvey] Well here's real surprise Nathan. I found that other sites are linking to mine even though I have not requested them !

[Nathan] What is reason for this - and how did you find out?

[Harvey] They do this in order to give their own readers a useful resource. I find these out by examining my site logs, which tell me from where visitors have come, and by using backward linking feature in search engines.

Many of these links are from directory sites of resources.

But I have found links from personal sites listing it as one of their favorites, and even a site in another language.

Another example: Allan Gardyne writing in his famous Associate Programs Newsletter advised.

"If you decide to stick with Internet marketing, I strongly urge you to NARROW your focus. An example of a marketing site with a narrow niche is Harvey Segal's www.ad-tracking.com (Type "ad tracking" into Google and you'll see he has No.1 spot.)

And also of course, just to show how word gets around, you have kindly offered to interview me Nathan for your newsletter.

I'll also mention what is quickest way to get word out about your product. By contributing to online discussion forums and providing useful answers to other readers' problems and putting your Url in your signature. And when questions are about any aspect of ad tracking it's easy for me to retain a neutral stance and simply point readers to "Ad Tracking Guide" as opposed to a particular tracker with a blatant affiliate link.

[Nathan] Now with all this traffic coming I expect sales have been booming.

[Harvey] Well there's two parts to a successful web site. Getting targeted traffic and then converting this to sales. You need both. Lots of traffic does not necessarily mean lots of sales. And at start sales were few.

[Nathan] Why was this ?

[Harvey] Well I built my site on principle that it would be unbiased and without hype. And I think that has definitely been a positive factor in getting link popularity and good tributes.

But it was clear that I needed some form of incitement to get my visitor to point of sale.

So I tested out little changes, spicing up my sales web copy, for example with an opening statement "You are about to discover one of most powerful marketing tools to be found on Net"

[Nathan] And did that do trick ?

[Harvey] It made little difference, so next I decided to abandon neutrality and pick a particular product, one I personally use, as a recommended purchase.

[Nathan] Well a recommendation from man who created Ad Tracking Guide must surely have turned balance.

[Harvey] Wrong again !

[Nathan] That must have been very frustrating for you because I know from our conversations that you an ad tracker enthusiast, using them all over your sites, ebooks, forum postings and like.

[Harvey] That's it Nathan. You've hit nail on head. I needed to explain exactly why I was so enthusiastic about that product and how and where I used it.

So I added "Click HERE to read a special review on why this is our number one choice" which led to a new page with a detailed explanation so that readers could see real proof of how it works for me.

And bingo. Sales soared from that day.

[Nathan] That's a great tip for all site owners. I find a personal recommendation more convincing than any other factor.

I see you have multiple sites with entirely different content and yet you link to them from this one. Why would you want to do that ?

[Harvey] These are one page minisites I mentioned before. Actually they are not strictly one page. You need a few more pages to get a decent ranking so it's an idea to fill them with useful content but to ensure that there are no distractions (such as external links) to deflect from your primary goal of getting sale.

The reason that I link to them is that Google - which is now most important engine - won't index your site if it is not linked from another site. In fact I have all my sites pointing to each other to build up link popularity, an important factor in Google ranking algorithm.

[Nathan] How successful are these other sites?

[Harvey] They vary. If I find one is not performing I'll "throw" it away and try another.

[Nathan] Throw it away ? After all that expense?

[Harvey] Minisites are unbelievably cheap these days. The main requirement I have is reliability (uptime) - I don't need all extra trimmings. You can purchase such sites for $20 a year - that includes domain name as well !

[Nathan] Can you tell us where to find such resources?

[Harvey] Yes, it's quite ironic. If I started again and most web site owners agree with this I would not have a big general Internet marketing site as I have with www.supertips.com. So I have converted home page to a discussion about. . .

minisites !

[Nathan] Harvey it's been great hearing about your site and especially those tips you keep giving us.

Okay, so enough about us and our trials and tribulations. Let’s talk about what makes a good program. It is simple; bottom line is closing ratio. Look, if someone is offering you $200.00 per referral, you have to consider a couple of things:

1. Will they pay me on each and every completed application? 2. How many applications do I have to send their way in order to receive my commission (what is closing ratio)?

Then there are those programs offering just $50.00. Consider this: If they are only paying $50.00, how are they competing? The answer: they pay!

If program is paying high commissions, customer is going to lose in end and if you referred him, guess what? You are not good guy but bad guy who helped gouge him.

Let’s face it. We walk a fine line. How do you win? You focus on program that makes it a win/win/win for you, customer and company.

The first thing to do when signing up for an affiliate program is to find out what is closing ratio. Naturally this will depend on type of leads you send to company, but it should have a general idea. Once you have that information, calculate what each lead is worth, then make your decision.

Also, if you are willing to send a substantial amount of business their way, find out what other benefits you may receive as an affiliate. A good idea is to submit a news release or article for publication in their ezine and trade links periodically. Publicity for both companies leads to more revenue. Keep in mind, it should be a partnership if you are going to heavily promote their business.