Characteristics of a Successful Affiliate Website

A successful affiliate website often displays the following characterisitics:

• It is concise, easy to navigate and attractive
• It provides useful information and is not 'heavy sell'
• Choice is not excessive
• The website's name reflects the website's business, often includes vital keyword(s) and seems familiar or likely to be useful
• Keywords density in the text is 3-5% of the total
• Title and keywords for each page vary, consistent with content
• There are well over 30 pages with consistency of graphics between pages
• Content is constantly updated and refreshed, often with inclusion of a news blog
• Page names and folders often include keywords
• It has numerous inbound links, also known as backlinks pointing to it

It does not have:

• Irrelevant content or links - 'links' pages are best avoided nowadays
• Excessive duplication of content or numerous gateway pages (Pages which are very similar but with different groups of keywords)
• Excessively large files that can be slow to load and slow down navigation
• Pop ups, rapidly flashing banners or other intrusive advertising
• Content that could alienate certain groups, eg women.

Some other useful features which may be included:

• The opportunity to sign up for a newsletter (presents ongoing marketing opportunities for the affiliate)
• A forum (good for search engine 'visibility' as it is constantly refreshing content; leads to repeat visitors; raises the profile of your site)
• Unique incentives, for example, cashback arrangements (which require the agreement of merchants)

The above features are easy to list but require a lot of effort and skill to get just right. Many affiliates underestimate the knowledge base they require to address these vital areas effectively.