One of the least expensive ways to sell products online is using article marketing and SEO (search engine optimization) to promote your site and you affiliate products.

Most affiliate marketers have blogs and constantly write about what they know, in this case triathlon training. However, many forget the most important aspect of creating a successful article – Keyword Targeting.

Now I am not talking about focusing articles on keywords like, ‘Triathlon’, ‘Swimming’ or any other one word or even two word keyword phrases. I am talking about researching and focusing on 3 to 4 word keyword phrases.

It is nearly impossible to be a top site or page for highly searched keywords, so to be successful, it is best to focus on phrases that are more specific to your site and the product you are selling. In some instances 2 word phrases will work fine, especially in a small niche market, but it is easier to get on pages 1 and 2 of Google with larger keyword phrases.

There are many places to do some keyword research for your next article. One of the best is Google Keyword Tool: http://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

There you can type in a keyword you wish to discuss or target and it will give you a list of other related keywords people search for.

In this example I will do some research with the word ” Swimming”

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A you can see all are wither 1 or 2 words and have a strong competition ratio.

So lets search “Swimming Techniques”

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A little better and it is showing one that is showing a better competition ratio.

So now I am going to search “Triathlon Swimming Techniques”. Obviously this is more to what we would talk about in the Triathlon training niche, but as you can see there are many more phrases that we can use and actually have a decent chance of ranking quickly for.

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The search volume is not as high as some of the single or double word phrases, but anything around a 1,000 searches a month is something worth writing an article for.

Once you have your article written you will need at least 3 link backs to you article. You can do this with other ezine articles, blog and forum comments/signatures, and article submission sites. Make sure you post on a mix of 70% ranked pages and 30% unranked. If you can find .edu, or .gov sites to post on it will make your links look even better to the search engines

Assuming you have at least 3 link backs to your article you should see your article ranking pretty soon on Google, Yahoo and other search engines.

Another great tool to track your rankings as well as another resource to do keyword research is: http://www.traffictravis.com. This is a free software tool that I use on a regular basis to track my site rankings.

In Part 2 I will talk about turning your visitors into loyal readers and customers using Email Marketing.

Hello and welcome to the Tri Swim Coach Affiliate Program Blog.

We have set up this blog as a place for me to communicate more effectively with you. Overtime we will be adding resources, such as how to videos, tips, tricks and news circulating around the affiliate world. We will also be posting the emails that we send to our affiliates and an important news, updates or changes that effect you.

Many new features and marketing tools will be coming soon, but I need your help with what you need from me first.

Please leave your comments below and let me know your thoughts on what you would like to see first for marketing creatives and tools.

I have some great things to share with you so please visit often.

Talk to you soon.

Kevin Koskella
TriSwimCoach.com
affiliate@triswimcoach.com

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I hope you are well and you are prospering in the affiliate space.

I have seen many affiliate fail in their marking strategies and I feel that many of them are not focusing on the right elements.

I have outlined 4 important elements to remember when starting a new project or continuing an existing project.

I Hope you enjoy and if you have any questions all you have to do is drop me an email: oguz@triswimcoach.com.

1. Get the Right Tools

• Content Management System - WordPress, is a free content managements system and I suggest you get this for many if not all of your affiliate sites because of the ease and flexibility of the platform.
• Email Service Provider – I can not stress enough the importance of a subscriber list. One of the key methods for driving traffic back to affiliate offers or to your own site is to work with an email service provider that enables your visitors to opt-in to get updates, newsletters, offers and free giveaways from you by email.

I recommend either GetResponse or Aweber for your emails. Both have responsible plans and offer a wide range of features.

• Domain Names – GoDaddy.com. New domain names will cost you around $10-$14 per year. Finding  a domain name for your market should not take you too long and there is not need to find the perfect name. Stick to the general idea and you should be fine. I would also register the domain name for no more then a year – especially if you are a newbie – because you can extend it at anytime and if you don’t do anything with it, no big deal.
• Hosting – There are many options for hosting your site. The two main types you will encounter are shared servers and dedicated servers. For a newbie with a few sites – shared is your least expensive and most practical option. For all practice purposes I use and would recommend HostGator or if you are just wanting to test the waters first Godaddy offers a free hosting account with each domain purchase.

2. Be Patient!
Successful affiliate marketing is not intended to be a ‘get rich quick’ program. It is intended to be a gradual increase in cash flow over the extent of months/years and volume. You will be rewarded by the increase in readership and the steady increase in commissions.

3. Be Passionate
When starting out in affiliate marketing choose topics that interest you – Triathlons For Example. Do not focus on the latest trends in the industry just yet. At first brainstorm on 2 or 3 specific topics and start with the one that you can focus on the longest. This will probably be a topics that is important to you and you will be able to find your voice and style before taking on other projects. It is much easier to write about something that you know and find interesting. This passion will come out in your writing and make your message much more enjoyable to the reader.

4. Find Your Voice
People will read your material, and over time get to know you, so stick to your own writing style. Most of you are not journalists or professional editors so do not pretend to be one. It is easiest to write like you talk and that is your style – stick with it.

One of the toughest things you will find when keeping a blog is creating content week in and week out and you will soon realize that fresh content is a key aspect of online marketing. So it will be in your best interest to create a calendar of topics and ideas to write about and keep to it. You will eventually see a return on all your hard work.

To your success,

Kevin Koskella
TriSwimCoach.com