The Good, the Bad and the Just Plain Ugly: Designing Affiliate Program Sites That WORK!
by Chris Sellers
Recently I had the opportunity to surf a couple hundred affiliate program sites as part of an ongoing industry-related project. We see these sites every day, use them without thinking really - but looking at them from a design/ease-of-use point of view made me realize that there are very few programs out there that really stand out from the crowd.
Affiliate program owners need to ask themselves - what makes a webmaster decide to join your program?
- Your pay rate? Most programs pay similar amounts across the board, so that's probably not it...
- The niches you offer? Again, there was a big niche-oriented boom a few years ago and almost every program in today's market offers all the same niches, big mega sites, and popular themes (i.e. reality sites and amateur-looking memberships)...
- Could it be your exclusive content? Most programs have a lot of their own exclusive content coupled with mega packs of plug-in offerings, so that probably isn't it either...
- Is it your reputation in the industry? While reputation IS very important, many surfers are out of touch with the webmaster communities, and tend to choose the affiliate programs they use for other reasons...
While it is true that pay rate, type of program, niches, exclusive content, reputation and a whole lot of other things do play a role in how webmasters choose to use your program, there is one thing that is essential in obtaining new affiliate webmasters - your appearance! The way your affiliate program website looks, navigates and grabs the jaded webmaster's attention goes a long way to helping you to achieve success.
Factoring in Human Nature
How do you make choices in life and in business? How do things like appearance, ease of use and marketing/advertising affect the choices that you make each and every day?
For example - how do you choose a restaurant or a grocery store? Choosing a quality place to purchase something important to our daily lives - food, for example - is something that most people don't take lightly. You wouldn't grocery stop at a dirty looking, old feeling grocery store - unless it was the only one in town. And you probably wouldn't even notice a restaurant that was poorly designed, grungy and unkempt amidst a restaurant row of bright, attention-grabbing signs and buildings.
We humans like to be dazzled - we like things that attract our attention - which is why, for example, using the restaurant comparison again, many fast food places use bright colors in their signs, logos and building design, such as yellow and red. The little brown building with the light blue sign probably won't catch as much attention as the brightly colored neon-lit one next to it.
Using this theory and applying it to the design of affiliate program websites - how does your site design stack up? Does it attract attention? Is it original, unique and memorable - or is it dull, boring, forgettable and uninviting?
So, without getting into any marketing trends or hiring an expert design consultant, you can now realize on your own that your site needs to be more than just a page to sign up for your program. It needs to be a webmaster tour - a memorable, informative, easy-to-use and vibrant means of marketing and advertising your program. As an affiliate program owner you not only need to sell memberships to your surfers, you need to sell your program to webmasters. Understanding this key point is half the battle. Now we are ready to begin talking about the actual affiliate program design.
Know Your Competition: Go See What's Out There!
The only way to really understand what it is about today's affiliate program pool that has become boring, complacent and "just plain ugly," you need to get out there and do a little surfing of your own. See what your competition is doing - note I don't say copy them. We'll cover that sad little fact of the affiliate program world later. See what they are doing, make notes about what catches your attention and jot down what you feel makes a site unattractive and unappealing. Then surf your own site with fresh eyes - just try to view it as you did all those other sites before, and then make notes and jot comments as you see things that catch (or don't catch!) your attention.
Affiliate program sites - like just about any other type of site - can be broken down into three categories:
Good Sites - Sites that are vibrant, original, memorable, offer all the "major" options that a good affiliate program should offer - all packaged in an easy to navigate format that can be surfed, read, understood and registered to use in a very short amount of time.
Bad Sites - While they aren't "ugly" sites (see below), bad sites are sites that almost "got it" but didn't quite make the good-site-cut-off. Bad sites are usually cookie-cutter sites, sites that look just like every other site in the industry. While they are not terrible, they certainly aren't memorable, and are probably struggling to attract new and productive webmasters to their programs.
"Just Plain Ugly" Sites - These are sites that have TOTALLY missed the mark. While it might be effective to use an ugly site for surfer traffic, webmasters need a lot more finessing. Just plain ugly sites are sites that have been given little regard for design, are difficult to navigate, and do not inform webmasters well about the program and its offerings and opportunities.
Make sure to include major, popular, high-ranking affiliate programs in with your surfing search, as well as smaller less-traveled locations. Also, be sure to include affiliate programs that target the same webmaster traffic as you do - for example, if you run a per-click program - go visit some of those; if you run a real amateur site - take a peek at how others are doing it as well.
You don't have to do a time-consuming professional analysis to get a better picture of what makes a good, bad or ugly affiliate program website. All it takes is to get in the mindset of the program-seeking webmaster and look at other sites - and yours - with an unbiased, neutral eye. Seeing what else is out there is a very important - very essential - step towards creating a better website to showcase and market your program.
Monkey See... Monkey Do!
Now let's address the real crux of the affiliate program design problem: almost every site looks the same! And since you've taken a recent tour of the industry for yourself after the advice in the previous section, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It literally looks as if everyone had the same designer, everyone bought the same cookie-cutter template, OR everyone just simply copied one of the big guys and all the new folks that came in followed.
It IS true that all affiliate programs have the same essential elements. That being said, just because they all have the same basic needs and information to get across, doesn't mean that every site should look the same. Again, while it is true that human beings are creatures of habit and like to use things that are familiar to them, you still need to find some innovative way to package your program that will stand out from the crowd. Webmaster resource message boards are a good example. In the past year or so, everyone has gone to the vBulletin.com-type message board system. However, even using this template board program, there are quite a few message boards that have managed to stand out, attract attention as individuals, and still use the same basic formula, providing ease of use AND a memorable site to boot.
The major elements necessary to the success of any affiliate program tour are:
- Program Listing - Detailed or summary page about the types of programs you offer, including payouts (per-sign-up/partnership), niche-specific program offerings, webmaster referrals and alternative income programs (foreign traffic, exit consoles, etc.).
- Site List - A listing of all the sites in your program, usually coupled with a screen shot of said program, a description of the niche or type of site (mega, dating, product-oriented or niche-specific) and maybe even some comments about the site's conversion averages, popularity, etc.
- Marketing Tools - On the outside of the site this would be a listing of all the tools available for webmasters to use in promotion of your program. Within the webmaster area this would be a one-stop shop for all promotional tools including content, link codes, banners, full-page ads (FPA), text links, consoles, gallery pages, etc.
- Support - How to contact the affiliate program owner and/or support service staff is essential to the success of any program. List all the ways that you offer support to your affiliates, by phone, ICQ, e-mail, live chat, message board, etc.
- Terms - This is where you give your webmasters the 411 about your program, your pay schedule, the terms of being an affiliate, conditions, limitations, rules, etc. Usually a lot of legal mumbo jumbo, this is the place where you lay down the law and let affiliates know what they can and cannot do when promoting your program.
- FAQ - A list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) is always a good idea with any program. You will discover that you answer the same questions on a regular basis to new webmasters or webmasters considering joining your program. It is in your best interest to keep a running list of questions and answers on the main page and on the inside webmasters' area of your site. Things like "When do I get paid?" and "Do you have a pop-up free tour?" are some common questions asked.
- Sign-up Page - Of course, probably the most important page you will be offering to new webmasters. Make sure that your registration process is easy to use, quick and in good working order.
- Log-in Page - Obviously, for webmasters who are already affiliates in your program.
Of course there are other options, sections and items to be covered in your affiliate program, such as a list of new offerings, news about your program and maybe even a top-list of high-converting sites. There are even more options, all depending upon your type of program, your offerings and the information you need to get out to potential webmasters.
Creating a Unique Design
Before you even consult with a graphics designer, or hire a consultant to do the dirty deed for you, you will need to make some decisions about what you want. Do you want a shocking website that screams "look at me!" - or do you want something more professional, that catches attention via its smooth design or unique Flash elements? Make a list for yourself for reference when you consult with your designer or interview potential new designers for this project. Divide the things that you want into "nice to have" and "have to have" elements. Also keep a running list of things you want to avoid - things you do not want to be included in the design of your site. Make sure that your designer is aware of your needs and interests in this project, and be sure to let him know up front that you are looking for something unique, something outside the current model for affiliate program sites.
You may want to consider hiring a consultant or program specialist to help you achieve your goals, as you will want to make sure that your designer, your tech crew and everyone else involved in the project is on the same page. Hiring out someone to create the text, layout and initial specs will help you to create a proper guideline to go by and give you someone to oversee the details of the project, helping it to meet your deadline and yield the best results possible.
Don't be afraid to try something new - to add new and unique design elements into your site, experiment with new colors - even jazz up your company logo. While you do want to make sure that your site loads well for the majority of your users, you want to do what you can to make your site as unique and original as possible. There are new ways to compress Flash design elements and other interactive features so that just about anyone with any type of 'Net access can view your features and get a glimpse of the full marketing show. If your design ends up being too heavy, there's always the option of creating a streamlined "Low Speed" connection option or strict HTML version for your visitors.
Affiliate Program Design: A New Future?
Hopefully this article will inspire program owners to take a fresh look at their sites and consider new design possibilities in the future. This industry is far too creative to sit idle for too long, and I have hope that we will see some new creative ideas in the coming months. Just think of potential affiliates as potential customers - woo them, take them on an informative yet dazzling tour of your program - and you will see that it will help you to attract more productive webmasters over time.
After all, making money is the real goal here - not who's got the coolest looking homepage or who integrated the most technology into their design. The true prize to be won in creating a well-designed, effective affiliate program website will be seen ultimately in your bottom line. Forget the Webby Awards - your award will be found in the success of your business.
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