Who are you and what are you currently working on?
Hi! My name is Bill Andrews and I am currently in the process of rebooting an affiliate site that I launched a couple of years ago and then ignored in favor of other competing projects.
The site that I am currently focused on growing is A Connected Home is a platform for discussing and reviewing the latest trends and technology advances in smart home automation. We aim to provide valuable information to consumers that are just dipping their toes into making their homes smart. Our content is focused on user guides and product reviews.
How did you get started in affiliate marketing? What keeps you excited about it?
My initial start in affiliate marketing was back in 2006. When I look back on what I was doing then, it is honestly a little embarrassing. I started a portfolio of sites monetized by AdSense and affiliate offers. It was really easy to make money at that time with little effort. My focus was on exact match domains and loading them with spun content and embedded YouTube videos. Back in the day, this would generate loads of organic traffic without having to worry much about optimization and link building. Looking back, the quality of my sites was low and I don’t believe I was adding much value for my readers.
Presently, I am focused on building sites that are authorities in their space and provide tremendous value to their readers. I’m excited about the future of affiliate marketing because as the competition has increased, the quality of the product I am putting out has kept pace. I love knowing that I am giving something to my readers in return for the affiliate revenue that I am able to generate as a result.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to a newbie affiliate marketer? And what is one piece of advice they should ignore?
My biggest advice is to not just market affiliate offers purely based on your personal passions. Take the time to do some research to find profitable opportunities before investing your time and money. Ideally, you want to find a niche that has the potential to grow along with your passion for it. Secondly, be patient! It takes hard work and time to see results, so don’t give up too soon!
I have heard plenty of gurus say to just churn out tons of content and not worry about building backlinks. I don’t agree. I believe you need to write quality content that people want to link to and you need to close the loop and actively reach out to influencers to gain additional links.
What has been your favorite mistake? A mistake that in retrospect led to a great lesson and progress in your affiliate marketing?
My favorite mistake is that in the past I was purely focused on the here and now. This provided me with a great lesson as I have watched some of my sites die due to algorithm updates. This has helped me to progress in affiliate marketing by giving me the experience and focus needed to truly create great sites that provide value and aren’t solely dependent on a single revenue stream. Today, I view my sites as a long-term business rather than a way to generate revenue in the present.
What is one piece of software or a web service that allows you to be more effective as an affiliate marketer?
For me, it is AHREFS. Typically, I know what I want to write about but using AHREFS allows me to use data to back up my hypothesis. Additionally, it has been invaluable for me as I search for link building opportunities and insights into what my competition is doing.
How do you continue to educate yourself as an affiliate marketer? What are some of your favorite resources for learning?
The one constant in affiliate marketing is change. The landscape is in continual flux and I focus my reading/listening on industry SEO and affiliate marketing blogs, podcasts, and subreddits. It is important to base your learning on a wide variety of sources and draw your own conclusions.
If people wanted to connect with you, where should we point them to?
Feel free to drop me a line at: https://aconnectedhome.com/contact/