Most "gurus" now tell us to make money on the Internet by setting up one page "minisites" for each affiliate program.
As Dr. Ken Evoy has pointed out, since search engines don't like small sites, minisites don't usually score well and therefore miss out on the benefits of free search engine traffic.
So, the seeming choice is between:
1. Quick, easy and numerous minisites but you must pay for all traffic -- plus pay for each separate domain and web hosting.
2. Time and work intensive content-heavy sites that are more likely to draw free search engine traffic.
Fortunately, I've already figured out a solution. It not only provides free search engines with lots of valuable "themed" content, it saves you a lot of money on web hosting fees.
Here's how to have the best of both worlds.
The key lies in the traditional search engine optimization techniques of doorway pages.
When creating old-fashioned doorway pages, you created a page deliberately designed to score high for a keyword related to your site's subject. Then you directed your traffic from the doorway into the main part of your site.
A lot of people have made a lot of money with well-formed doorways and they still work for content oriented sites.
I say, let's make these doorways pre-sales letters that send visitors to your affiliate merchant.
Steps:
1. Select a single, broad, popular theme.
Dating, travel, popular music, hamster breeding - etc.
2. Register a domain name with keywords for that theme.
3. Join all the good affiliate programs related to that theme.
Use Commission Junction, Google, Associateprograms.com etc. You don't have to be as picky as some writers say you should -- as long as the product or services themselves are high quality, it could still help you to sign up for a program that doesn't pay a big percentage or which may not convert well.
4. Use Overture and other keyword tools to research the top keywords related to your overall site theme.
5. Create a single pre-sales letter "minisite" for each affiliate program -- which also logically correlates with a good keyword to attract traffic targeted by the site's overall theme.
This will take the most time and work. You must create pages that are organized to score high with search engines for a keyword related to your overall site theme AND which will encourage your visitors to click on a link to go to the merchant site and buy.
Use logic and common sense. If "hamster breeding book" is a top keyword and you've signed up for a terrific book on hamster breeding, optimize the pre-sales page for the hamster breeding book for those keywords. Not the hamster cage affiliate program.
Not every case will be so obvious and some good keywords simply may not have logically matching affiliate programs. That's why I advised you to sign up for even marginal programs - to give you more choices.
4. Create your home or index page. On it place links to all the affiliate minipages. Below these links, write some content related to your site's subject or theme.
For the price of your domain name and web hosting, you now have a "maxisite" of 10-100 "minisites" each devoted to a separate but thematically related subject.
Instead of each page being "content" which you give away to visitors so your site will be "sticky" and they'll be so grateful to you for the freebie that maybe they'll buy something from you . . . each page pre-sells your visitor to go straight to the merchant's site and buy.
Use pay per click engines, ezine ads or other promotion techniques to promote each separate page/program. If a given program doesn't convert well, don't spend any more money to promote it but keep the page up. It won't cost you any more money to do so and it is still content for the free search engines.
All this -- for the price of just one domain and web hosting fee.
With time, good search engine optimization and luck, you'll also pull free visitors.
The two example maxisites I've put up so far are:
http://www.single-personal-ad-dating-romance-love.com
http://www.travel-airline-tickets-hotel-reservations-cruises-resorts.com
The best resource I've found for making money with minisites is Michael Campbell's new book CLICKIN IT RICH. To find out how he makes over $200,000 a year with affiiliate programs:
http://www.inforingpress.com/affiliates/mcampbell/