Affiliate Marketing - The Way Forward - Comparison Sites Out

I've been getting calls from a guy who works in a factory earning an OK amount - but he wants more. He says he's been trying affiliate marketing for a couple years now but only makes a few quid a day.

He wanted my advice. I said build a site around topics you're interested in and with affiliate marketing there'll always be opportunities to make money from it if he's passionate about it.

Yesterday I didn't have time to take the call - I was having a crap day with one particular client and was short with him. I emailed him and gave him a few lines on how to make more money from affiliate marketing. But there's a pretty succinct article from Joe Stewart that sums up my views totally.

Today it's not about plain old, multi-industry seo/ppc as a route to affiliate success. There are too many highly organised affiliates that gobble up the opportunities as they arrive - it's all about personal niches.

I remember reading in NMA about how people are using price comparison sites less because they understand that products are normally promoted at the top where it earns the sites' the most money. OK, so that also happens in blog and theme sites - but it's less obvious. People are cottoning on to comparing prices between "authority" sites and not relying on comparison ones.

Over the past 3 years or so, affiliates have been crazy for product feeds. They've been arguing over the quality and usefulness of them. Others having been focusing on niche sites based on quality content. My view is that the former is great for established players, but for anyone new into the market, unless they've got bucket full of cash - they should avoid them.