Synopsis A description of various types of affiliate links that can be used on a website.

Chapter Contents Introduction Key Concepts Some Ideas Evaluating an Affiliate Program Types of Affiliate Links Product Placement Building a Website

Types of affiliate links

Affiliate programs will usually provide an assortment of links for you to place on your website. It is up to you to determine what link type(s) to choose and how to place them on your site. Successful affiliate marketers will be creative with the placement of their ads.

Banners

If you have used the Internet at all, you have most likely seen several banner ads. Banners are graphical advertisements that can contain text, pictures, and animation. You will find banner ads work best for your website if they are used sparingly. In our opinion a single web page should contain no more than two banner ads.

Text Links

Text links are affiliate links minus any fancy pictures or animation. A text link simply appears on your website as a standard hyperlink. Text links are most effective when they are used along side content that is related to the link. For example, a text link to a camera carrying case would fit perfectly in a list of items you need to prepare yourself for photographing a vacation.

Text links have the advantage of being discreet; they don't look like ads! Text links have been proven to be very effective, and should usually be used over banner ads.

Content Links

Content links are a special breed of affiliate links. They can include product information, pictures, or even an entire online store. They can relieve the affiliate from creating any content at all! Content links are becoming more popular for both merchants and affiliates. Affiliates like them because they eliminate the need to write anything about the products. Merchants like them because they don't have to worry about their products being misrepresented by affiliates.

Interactive Links

Interactive links are fairly new, and therefore less common. They are called interactive links because they allow some level of interaction with a visitor to your site. For instance, an ad containing a drop down menu where a user can specify their area of interest would be considered an interactive link.

General links vs. product links

All affiliate links point to a page on a merchants website. Some merchants offer the ability to choose which page on their site you want to link to. General links point to the home page of a merchants website. Product links point directly to a page on the merchant's website that deals with a specific product.

General links are used to send visitors to a merchant's website where they will be able to search and locate products for themselves. For instance, if you created a site about digital cameras, you could use a general link to direct your visitors to the website of a digital camera retailer. You might want to use general links if your website offered comparisons of different online destinations that sell cameras.

Product links are more specific. They link your visitors directly to a page on the merchant's website dealing with a specific product. For instance, if your website offers a review of a specific digital camera, you could use a product link to direct your visitors to the page about that specific camera on the merchant's website.

Again, the decision on which type(s) of links to use is entirely up to you. There is no right or wrong per se; it all depends on your theme, content, and the types of links made available to you.