The Definitive Guide To Affiliate Marketing
The ubiquitous rise of the internet has had a profound effect on mankind, dramatically altering both how we live and work. Yet, in our on-demand society replete with endless conveniences, one of the single most resonating benefits has been the ability to digitally earn an income from virtually anywhere on this planet. It's an allure that attracts droves of individuals who are frustrated with the throes of 9-to-5 life, seeking ways they can untether the cord of corporate responsibility.
Clearly, the temptation of becoming a digital nomad and traveling the world, or simply working from home on your own schedule, was born well before Tim Ferris's iconic, 4-Hour Work Week. However, for most who are drawn into this life replete with the potential for unapologetic income and wealth, coupled with the ability to call their own shots and build a business around an intended lifestyle, affiliate marketing offers a cliched pathway to riches beyond measure.
For Dan Henry, the salient dream of living life and succeeding by marketing products or services as an affiliate wasn't just alive, it was lucid. Still, dream, as he might, in 2011 Henry, was still just a college dropout delivering pizzas door-to-door just to make a living. However, compelled by a nascent desire to live according to own terms, he knew that there was more to life than existing paycheck-to-paycheck.
Yet, like any other young adult, Henry struggled in life, unsure of where to go or what to do, embattled by bad habits that included a chronic addiction to cigarettes. He was the product of circumstances, but that didn't make him a victim. Like any other person looking to succeed, he knew some serious changes to his life were in order. And one of those changes was the necessity to quit smoking cigarettes, a habit he had come to abhor.
Although he had tried countless times in the past, he had failed to quit. But this time was different. His frame-of-mind had changed. And something inside of him clicked when he realized he could use electronic cigarettes to actually ween himself off the "real thing." He implemented a system where he used a low-quality gas station brand and went from strong to medium than mild over a multi-week period.
When he realized that it had worked and he had largely disposed of the habit he wanted to be rid of for so long, he decided to share his story with others. So he started a blog. This was well before Henry had discovered the big wide world of affiliate marketing. In fact, he knew little about selling anything as an affiliate at the time.
However, his story was powerful. And the way that he related his experiences on his blog resonated with others. He was honest and transparent about the pain smoking had caused him, and relayed his journey to quit. Very quickly, his blog traffic grew. People were swarming to the site and Henry knew he was onto something.
Over time, he started reviewing other brands of electronic cigarettes just to report it back to his audience. He methodically went through every brand on the market and eventually realized that the V2 Cigs was one of the best he could find. In fact, it was that exact brand that helped him entirely cut out the habit of smoking actual cigarettes.
His blog became wildly successful. At roughly the same time, V2 Cigs informed him of their affiliate program where they paid out 50% commissions. That was Henry's "aha" moment. Almost immediately after adding those affiliate links onto his blog, his income exploded. He was making over $30,000 per month and it was passive income. He was on top of the world.
Then, came the dreaded Google algorithm updates. After ranking number one for "electronic cigarettes" and "electronic cigarette reviews," which were steadily driving massive amounts of traffic to his blog, his rankings fell off of a cliff. He tells me had made a huge mistake by solely relying on Google for traffic and not leveraging it to build an audience elsewhere.
After the updates, he was nowhere to be found. He wasn't even on the first 10 pages. In fact, his rankings fell down to the 126th listing for "electronic cigarettes." Henry was devastated. He did everything he could to remove low-quality links and disavow them but to no avail. He had been slapped with a massive Google penalty. His heart sank.
