Google has just started testing ads in the Image Search, but this was an expected movement, because the image search is very expensive to upkeep, for sure. Currently, it must be in a beta phase, because the ads rarely appear and I don’t see a menu in my Adwords that allows me to place that ads.

I’m sure affiliate marketers can’t wait to try them, even if the image ads conversion is lower than the text ads. Though, the advantage is that the ad also includes text, below an image. Fortunately, the image has an yellow background and above it is the text “sponsored image” so the users won’t click them by mistake. But I’m not that sure they won’t, especially they didn’t expect them to be there.

Once launched, we shall see the advertisers experiences on conversions, but I’m confident they won’t be combarable with the text ads in search.

Take a look at the ads

1. Choose a good product

The first thing when you want to start doing affiliate marketing is choosing one or more products to promote. Put yourself in your visitors shoes and think if you’d buy a doubtable product. Well, I’m sure you won’t so make sure the products you sell are trusted so you will definitely get a higher conversion than a low quality product.

Do not try to sell products that over exaggerate on features that don’t meet, but choose products that are good and useful and point the features.

2. Don’t lie

Don’t lie about your product. If you’ve read the first point and you will follow my words, then you will chose a good product, but you have to only point it’s features, not lie or exaggerate because the visitor will then go to the product page, see you lie and leave, without converting into a sale.

3. Point the advantages

Your visitor is a potential customer that has to be convinced about the product you want him to buy. So point the product’s features and advantages clearly, tell him why he has to buy it, but as i’ve stated before, be honest. A happy visitor is more possibly a potential buyer, so make him happy, tell him what he wants to hear with honesty.

4. Present your product

Affiliate marketing isn’t about putting a link on a page that says “Buy MacBook Air Here”, you have to tell him what you are about to sell him, tell him advantages, disadvantages in a clear way and also show him pictures. You know, one photo can mean more than one thousand words so he has to see what is it about.

5. Build a landing page that converts

Affiliate marketing can be done through many ways, but almost all of them need a landing page. The landing page is an important factor in convincing the potential buyer to become a buyer, so you have to make sure you offer an easy navigation, simple, good looking design that your visitor will trust.

6. Focus on quality traffic, not quantity
Not everyone searching for a product is really interested in buying and to be more clear, only a few from those searching for a product are going to buy and the others are only curious. So you don’t have to focus on the amount of traffic, but on it’s quality. And in affiliate marketing quality is equal to targeting, so you don’t need social networks visitors here, you mostly have to focus on people looking to buy.

The best traffic for affiliate marketing comes from the search engines and you have to focus on some keywords, the most common is “Buy <<and here comes your product>>”. It will probably be hard to rank well for this keyword, so you’ll have to try long tail keywords.

7. Track your results

Affiliate marketing is about tracking and tweaking, so you have to track every visitor and it’s every move and click. You have to see what converts better, what ad sells most, then try to modify your placement, design and texts. Then track and see what happens, until you get to a satisfying conversion rate. But you never have to stop tweaking, because your landing can’t be perfect and there is always an improvement to make, you just have to find it.