Getting Started with Awin (part 1)

Create your website concept

Arguably the most important part of your affiliate journey is the concept and design of your website, as this is how advertisers will decide if they want to work with you, and how consumers will engage with your business. Have a clear idea in mind that is relevant to the area you want to operate in and ensure you can explain this concept clearly and concisely to someone else. When joining an affiliate network, your website is the first thing potential new clients will see of you, so it’s important that you put your best foot forward.

Provide as much information as possible

When joining Awin, you will be asked to complete a publisher profile, which should provide an advertiser (or their account manager) with all the information they need to understand your website and your concept, and this is your chance to really showcase your website. Include all of your contact details in case an advertiser wants to contact you, and highlight key promotional spaces so they can get a good idea of how you will support a brand.

Take time to sign up to affiliate programmes

After you’ve spent time working on a concept for your website, the next key step will be to populate it with links to relevant retailers. Consumers will be most responsive if you’re promoting brands that fit within your brand image, and this will help to keep users engaged and returning to site. Equally, advertisers will be most responsive if they’re clearly able to see the relevancy and synergy between your affiliate site and their products, indicating more sales and commission for both parties. Staying focused in the types of affiliate programmes you apply to will help to maintain the quality and integrity of your website.

Add affiliate links

You’ve now put a significant amount of time and effort into creating a website advertisers want to work with and consumers want to spend time on, so time to add affiliate links. At Awin, there are several options for adding links to your website to make the process as simple as possible for every affiliate:

• Link Builder – if you’re writing about or featuring something specific, simply copy and paste the URL for the product page into the link builder in the Awin interface.  After selecting the programme you wish to promote, this will automatically generate an affiliate tracking link unique to you, which can be added straight on to your website.
• Convert-a-Link – This is an easy solution if you’d prefer to focus on your content creation and let Awin manage the rest. Simply ensure you have Convert-a-Link switched on in the user interface, copy and paste the piece of JavaScript code onto the bottom of every page of your website, and you’re ready. Once integrated, the JavaScript will automatically convert your normal links into tracking links, without changing their appearance on your website.  If you’re not signed up to a retailer you’ve mentioned, Awin will automatically sign you up to their affiliate programme, and you can earn commission as soon as you’re approved.
• My Awin – download our Chrome browser extension which allows you to browse any Awin advertiser’s site and generate a bespoke tracking link at the click of a button. You can also share these links directly to social media with just one click.
• Create-A-Feed – if you want to showcase or compare a range of products from one or several advertisers, the Create-A-Feed functionality allows you to create a custom feed which can be downloaded via XML or CSV directly into your site interface.

If you’d like to read more of our recommendations on getting started with affiliate marketing, look out for part two coming soon.

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