Blind Ape Seo

Right now, the old simian just thought he would point out two of the stumbling blocks new Affiliate Marketers often do not know about.

These, young grasshopper, are 2 things:

1. The time it takes to get paid
2. Fees of all kind

Net n – the time until the money hits your wallet

“Net n” Where n can be almost any number – is a common industry term for the time in between the transactions and the time the money gets send out to you.

And I am not even kidding, n can be any number – we can observe net 30 (very common), net 15 and many others in the wild. There are also bizarre constructs, like amazon.de’s net 30, but 90 days later payment.

Now, on to the stumbling blocks.

You have to reach the limit first, bub!
Net n normally only comes into account AFTER you have hit the magical limit of the advertising company. Be that 10$, 50$ or 100$, you have to reach that limit first before the clock starts ticking.

.. and then you have to reach the end of the month
Normally, if you hit the limit, the net n period does not begin ticking until after the end of the month.

With net 30 that could mean: You reach the limit on the 15th of July, the transactions are processed on the 30th of july, but the money does not leave the company until the 30th of August.

..and then it takes some time
Then you add processing and transfer time (checque or wire) which can add up if you are an international affiliate not sitting in the US of A.

What to do, what to know
Get informed. Know what your network means when it says “net n”. Get to know the limit, ask for rule of thumb times and figures as they apply to your payments.

Fees

Hey, anyone knows how to avoid fees, right?

Well, maybe not anyone.

Case in point – the credit/debit card for AMs
The blind ape was just recently offered a debit card as a means to get faster payments.
You register for the card, you get it and then your future payment arrive in a snap.

Only a thorough examination of the terms and conditions (spread over several files on two different servers) revealed this card to rob you blind with transaction fees and more.

AM beware.

What to do, what to know.

Again – get informed. Talk to your AM contact about fees, wire payments, transaction costs, etc..

Remember, if you want to start out on your own, it pays to be frugal and to be informed.

Unbelievable, but this makes the new iPhone even more attractive.

No, the old simian does not have one (yet).

Some people have already noticed that the old simian is not the healthiest person around. The typical computer freak lifestyle he got into for the last two years did not help much, either.

Yesterday his doc noticed, and fired a few warning shots.

This means that 2008 will also be a year concerned with getting and staying healthy.

Of course, that begins with healthy food and ends with sports.

Let us see this as a chance and a good sign that someone noticed. (thanks, doc)

So expect some health related posts and maybe a post about goals 2008.

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IE 8 has just passed the Acid test.

Unbelievable.

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I have a confession to make. I have far too many domains lying around, unused.
The fact that I am not alone in this does little to alleviate the pain. Monetary pain, that is.

Simply put:
10 dollars for a website lying around unused for a year will amount to 10 dollars in the red.

Even putting up a badly written 5 page site with some adsense on it might have taken a bit off the sting, but noooo, I had to have that domain and never got around to put anything onto it.

The promise
A new domain holds many promises. There is the grand idea you have for it, the shining star it will become in its niche and all the money it will bring you.
Another part of this is the promise that this one will fare better than the old ones, the other domains that are dragging you down with their cries for attention, content and sweet link love.

The pitfalls
A new domain has to be developed.
Yes, it will have to be filled with content, coded and promoted like any other project before and after this one.
And there is still all those other projects lying around, clawing for your attention.

The 5 page solution

Do not buy any new domains unless you have 5 pages of content done!

I recommend at least 5 fully coded pages. That is code, site graphics and content, the whole package.
5 pages is not much, I consider this the lowest possible starting point.

Index, contact data, sitemap, 2 pages of content (FAQ and about maybe) and you are done. THEN buy the domain.

 Variations and exceptions:

• News dependent domains – Obviously, these need to be bought immediately, so do not hesitate. Do not hesitate IF you have a good track record with this type of page.
• Landing pages – Although most could do with a bit more content, you’ll manage with 3 fully coded pages. A fully developed PPC keyword list takes place of the 2 content pages.

This is really just a variation of the “focus on one project until it is done” theme that is being tossed around in forums and blogs.

It will save you a lot of time, work and money and will guide you to more success in your online ventures.

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