I run a web publishing business in my free time and have found it to be just about the best testing ground to learn new PPC and SEO strategies. In fact, I credit my web publishing business as fueling my corporate career because it has given me the opportunity to learn new things that I simply wouldn’t have the time to learn at work, especially on the SEO side. Today, I wanted to discuss my excitement for eBay’s new quality click pricing.
My eBay Affiliate Program Earnings Are Up 40%
Let me cut right to the important stuff: Since October 1, 2009 my eBay earnings are up over 40% compared to my previous peak month. I haven’t made any significant changes on my end during this time period (I’ve actually been focused 100% on my full time gig) and I credit this entire increase in earnings to eBay’s new quality based pricing.
eBay Has Consistently Innovated Their Affiliate Program
I’d like to start off by taking a step back and thanking eBay for their innovation. I’ve been an eBay affiliate forever. When I first started, their affiliate program was on Commission Junction. Back in those days, I did reasonably well, but must admit the program was a bit cumbersome. Since then, eBay has really stepped things up.
First, they brought their affiliate program in house and built out an amazingly helpful tracking and reporting system. Their affiliate portal alone has made a very significant impact on my earnings. In pay per click search engine marketing, accurate tracking and reporting is everything. eBay gets it and has applied that mentality to their affiliate program.
With eBay’s most recent changes around quality click pricing, they continue to push forward with the innovations and I commend them. The new system smooths out your earnings to a per click basis and over-rewards high quality clicks while under-rewarding lower quality clicks. I guess I fall in the high quality clicks bucket because my earnings have risen sharply and have been very consistent on a day-to-day basis!
My Personal Strategy on eBay’s Affiliate Program
My strategy is actually relatively simple. I built out an organic website that focuses on a niche of a niche of a niche. I totally own that niche and picked a niche that meshes well with products sold on eBay. It’s a niche that I’m personally passionate about and have personally purchased all of products I promote through eBay. I talk about my experience and offer honest and useful information to my audience. At the end of my articles, I’ll include a targeted link to the relevant products or seller on eBay. Sometimes, I’ll leverage eBay’s seller widget and include that in the article as well.
Why do I think this strategy works so well? I’m honest with my readers and a personal consumer of the products I promote. Because I’m sharing my own experiences, the reader trusts me and is more likely to make a purchase on eBay. My advice to you: Be authentic in your writing. Only endorse products that you personally buy. Speak clearly and openly with your readers. eBay’s quality click pricing will be there to reward you!
I hope this encourages you to give eBay’s affiliate program a try! I’ve read mixed reviews on other blogs and really wanted to take the time to highlight my positive experience to underscore that it’s totally possible to thrive under eBay’s quality click pricing system.
Want to learn more about my web publishing endeavors? Make sure to check out my post all about moonlighting and your SEM career.
Image of Profits Trending Up © iStockPhoto – Kativ
I think you need to change your black background to White. Black background is hard to read.
Awesome tips. I’ve done a bit of affiliate work with Amazon’s affiliate program (with modest success), but I haven’t yet tried eBay. I’ll definitely need to check that out and see if I can leverage it somehow with my web properties.
So do you get paid only if they purchase the product? Not for bids?
Also,do you suggest promoting buy it now items or auction items more?
Free Classifieds Blog,
I appreciate your feedback. I would like to offer my full RSS feed as an alternative. I am aware that the black background makes it difficult to read on some monitors, although I must say I absolutely love my blog design. 🙂 I wanted to do something different for sure! Question: Do you find it easier to read the white text on the PPC Ian YouTube Channel? This is one option I have been considering. Thanks again!
All the best,
Ian
Eric,
Thanks so much! To be honest with you, I have struggled with Amazon’s program. I really have been pushing it in 2010 and hope to find some success. eBay has definitely been a different story for me. Great to hear you have had some modest success on Amazon, great stuff! 🙂
All the best,
Ian
Ian, is there really any volume since you are promoting a niche of a niche of a niche?
Would it be something like Weight Loss > Strength Training > Supplements?
Hey Profit Addiction,
Great question! When I say nice of a niche of a niche, I’m really just speaking figuratively. In terms of your specific example, supplements would actually be too big of a niche for me. I try to find very small niches that I’m super excited about, but lack much of a presence at all in terms of SEO and PPC. This will often create a really awesome situation where volume is not super high but margins sure are (I’m a big fan of stability and very high percentage margins as long as some volume is there). Build enough sites around these niches and you will pretty soon have a great income stream.
All the best,
Ian
Ian, that’s an interesting idea. To understand it further, would something like Calcium supplements be ‘niche’ enough?
Also, do you strictly use EPN for monetization or do you have other strategies in place as well?
Thanks!
Jeremy
Hey Jeremy,
Great question! Calcium supplements sounds niche enough for sure. However, when I look it up on Google, I do see quite a bit of competition in the paid landscape so that may be a more difficult niche to break into with my strategy. Now, if there are well known calcium supplement stores on eBay who don’t have many reviews showing up organically, you may then have a good opportunity in my opinion.
In my personal situation, I try to go after small niches that have little competition (both organic and paid). Another way of looking at it: Find some strange niche which basically only exists on eBay, a niche where smaller stores primarily sell the products they make/market on eBay. I’m not saying this is the only way to go, but it’s one strategy where you can quickly rank organically for some products and stores that have a fanatical following on eBay.
Taking it to the next step: Approach the sellers and see if they can link to your site in their eBay listings (and reviews on your site that you have of their products). This way, folks from eBay will click through to your site and then will click your links/widgets to go back to eBay. At the end of the day, they end up buying and you’ll be in the purchase funnel. eBay will see that and reward you over time with high EPCs. Now this isn’t going to make you rich overnight, but can be a fun, stable, and high margin percentage income stream if you find something you’re interested in.
All the best,
Ian
Ian, that sounds tremendous. I’ll have to do some research and see what I can find.
Thank you for the detailed response!
Jeremy