Affiliate Selling: Building Revenue on the Web [Paperback]

Greg Helmstetter (Author), Pamela Metivier (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471381861 | ISBN-13: 978-0471381860 | Publication Date: April 3, 2000 | Edition: 1

Discover how you can take advantage of the most rapidly growing form of e-commerce.

Created by Amazon.com in 1996 as a way of generating sales through referrals from linked Web sites, affiliate selling has quickly mushroomed into one of the biggest sources of e-commerce revenue. In fact, experts predict that, within the next few years, affiliate sales will account for as much as 25 percent of all retail e-commerce. A major reason for this is that anyone with a Web site can start earning commissions by becoming an affiliate, and directing visitors to other sites that actually sell something.

Written by pioneering experts in the field, this comprehensive guide clearly shows how to plan, implement, and manage a successful affiliate program on the Web. Helmstetter and Metivier detail the various types of affiliate programs and explain how to choose one that fits your goals. Individuals will learn where to register for free Web pages, how to build a virtual storefront, and how to add affiliate links to their sites. Merchants will discover how to start an affiliate program, extend their marketing reach, utilize third-party tools, and much more.

Get hands-on advice and guidance on how to:
* Select the right affiliate program
* Implement the required technologies
* Manage content development
* Analyze traffic trends and drive traffic to a site
* Avoid pitfalls and costly mistakes
* Maximize commissions by refining the product mix, placement, and display

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Offers invaluable advice, it is also excellently planned and delivered, easy to follow and informative..." (E-Business, September 2000)

"Recommended: Helmstetter is not only for anyone contemplating affiliate selling, but will benefit every web site owner in need of extra cash" (UNIX NT, November 2000)

From the Back Cover

Discover how you can take advantage of the most rapidly growing form of e-commerce.

Created by Amazon.com in 1996 as a way of generating sales through referrals from linked Web sites, affiliate selling has quickly mushroomed into one of the biggest sources of e-commerce revenue. In fact, experts predict that, within the next few years, affiliate sales will account for as much as 25 percent of all retail e-commerce. A major reason for this is that anyone with a Web site can start earning commissions by becoming an affiliate, and directing visitors to other sites that actually sell something.

Written by pioneering experts in the field, this comprehensive guide clearly shows how to plan, implement, and manage a successful affiliate program on the Web. Helmstetter and Metivier detail the various types of affiliate programs and explain how to choose one that fits your goals. Individuals will learn where to register for free Web pages, how to build a virtual storefront, and how to add affiliate links to their sites. Merchants will discover how to start an affiliate program, extend their marketing reach, utilize third-party tools, and much more.

Get hands-on advice and guidance on how to:
* Select the right affiliate program
* Implement the required technologies
* Manage content development
* Analyze traffic trends and drive traffic to a site
* Avoid pitfalls and costly mistakes
* Maximize commissions by refining the product mix, placement, and display

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471381861
• ISBN-13: 978-0471381860
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #459,549 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Good Place To Start, March 20, 2003

By 

Maria Thompson (Irvine, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Affiliate Selling: Building Revenue on the Web (Paperback)

I have to say that I had high hopes for this book. However, once I received it, I was dissappointed. Everything that is in this book can be found on the Internet.

While this book does provide a lot of information, if you have researched Affiliate Selling at all...anywhere else...you probably already know what's in this book.

Having said that, if you are looking for a place to start to learn about Affiliate Selling, this may be it. This book is written for the person who knows absolutlely nothing about Affiliate Selling. It goes over places to sign up with and defines what Affiliate Selling is.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Selling What? Definitely a pre "dot-bomb" book!, April 2, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Affiliate Selling: Building Revenue on the Web (Paperback)

There are better books out there. This covers all the same basics that everyone else has, but there is nothing special here. Who are these "pioneering experts in the field" (quote from the back cover) who are unheard of in the Affiliate Manager community? Note that both of their companies (and affiliate programs) are dot-gone. Can you trust authors who actually think (no offense Mr. Bezos) that Amazon.com created this idea, when there are documented examples of programs running years before? Just examples of gross issues that detract from the "expert" value I need in an author before I will accept them as credible.

Dan Gray's book is a bit dated, but is better, and Shawn Collins' book gives a great perspective. Shawn is still managing one of the best run programs out there. Buy either of these books first.

33 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Better than the others, but that doesn't say much., July 6, 2000

By 

I M Hidden (Nowhere, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Affiliate Selling: Building Revenue on the Web (Paperback)

The Helmstetter and Metivier book is better than most of the other titles in this category, but the category doesn't have any good books overall, so that's a pretty lukewarm recommendation. I can't characterize this book as a "must have" and find it fairly incredible that some other readers give it such high marks.

If you want to get up to speed quickly in affiliate marketing and affiliate programs, this is a good place to start. But you can skim this book in a few hours to get

what you need. Then its off to the Internet to get the latest information. In about two years, this book will be quite dated.

I think the authors are correct in their enthusiasm for affiliate marketing in general, but their treatment is superficial cheerleading. The mechanics of an affiliate program are pretty straightforward. It's the marketing that's difficult and they offer no insights here other than warmed over cliches.