The belief that a successful website requires a lot of investment of money, or that you need to be a web programming genius to do so, is often unfounded. There is in fact a way to make money off the traffic that your website receives. Affiliate programs or associate programs are arrangements in which an online merchant Web site pays affiliate Web sites according to a particular agreement, who post links to the merchant site, a commission to send them traffic. It is a cheap and effective marketing strategy.
The iTunes Store has affiliate programs in more than 20 countries which are administered through four different affiliate networks, and offer commissions ranging from 4 to 5 per cent. The program is managed by the affiliate networks, with their specific proprietary tracking parameters and link formats. By generating links to iTunes Store, iBookstore, App Store and Mac App Store, one can earn commissions as an affiliate.
The process for applying, and further, being accepted is a tad difficult, and even after being accepted into the program, there are certain important guidelines that have to be followed.
The most important point, though obvious, is to build a useful website that visitors gain some benefit out of, and would visit again and again. The website should also be able to retain visitors. To increase the number of visitors who see your affiliate offering, it is also required to market your affiliate program. Using blogs and RSS feeds for promotion is a good idea. Using affiliate links with cross promotion through apps is another great way to leverage the iTunes Affiliate Program. Another is easy way is to use mailing lists and social media like Facebook and Twitter. To leverage the traffic that the affiliate program provides, using affiliate links in paid promotions is very helpful. I would also disseminate the cost of advertising. Linkshare offers a program that traces all the banners and ads that you place and keeps track of the ones that receive more clicks. Knowing where the clicks are coming from is important to know where the most effective places for them are located.
Because of the different affiliate networks that manage the program, for sites with international audiences, using only a single affiliate program may not reflect the complete potential of the commissions you could be earning. GeRiot helps in taking the full advantage of the iTunes and App Store Affiliate Program by earning commissions from an international audience in multiple countries. Generating precise affiliate links is also very important. There are a number of tools that can help you with this process. There are a number of tools accessible to Web site publishers, including the API, iRSS feed generator, Link Maker data feeds and ad rotating servers.
It’s a great tactic to make a little extra money on the side. And the great thing is that the method is almost as simple as copy pasting a link. With some effort, and little bit of smart work, it could bring you a decent amount of money.