Just because affiliates arent charged in order to place merchant links on their sites doesnt mean that theyre free. They occupy valuable space on your site and need to reflect the interests of your site visitors to earn their keep. Its a question of opportunity costs, and an affiliate needs to make sure that the individual merchants and the merchant mix overall meets the needs of their site visitors. Its simple to see if they are voting with their dollars, and make changes if certain merchants are no longer earning their site real estate. Making changes to your merchant list is healthy for both the experience of the site visitor and the profitability and credibility of the affiliate site. As affiliates gain experience and site visitors change their preferences, adjustments in the mix will be both inevitable and ongoing. Keep a close eye on your merchant statistics and watch both the direction and magnitude of the trends. Find what your visitors want now and tomorrow, and make proactive moves rather than reactive ones. Investigate new merchants, both those with established programs and those you may need to convince to come on board. Continually make incremental changes based on site statistics and visitor polling. Be certain that the presence of the merchants as well as their banners and banner placement complements rather than overshadows the focus of your site. Purchase opportunities that naturally flow from the context of site content will be welcomed by your site visitors. Strike a good balance by continually pruning some and planting others to keep the product opportunities as fresh as the content is a good mix. |
