Extensive guide of every service affiliate business needs

March 04 2014

We often get inquiries about the best service providers for gambling affiliates. Hopefully, this extensive guide will help answering the questions you have about how to run a website. If there is still something unanswered, give us a shout via Facebook or email and will will fix it.

Domain

Website name is the first act of business you have to take care of. There are a few ways to choose a website name. You can go for a free “.wordpress.com” address, purchase an address at a special auction or think of a website name and purchase it.

• GoDaddy Auctions

Affiliates choose GoDaddy for two main reasons. First, they can get some of the cheapest domains here. Via GoDaddy promotions you can get a .com domain as cheap as $1 - $3. The second reason is GoDaddy Auctions where you can purchase a domain that was already used previously. Due to the possibility it still has links from other websites, that could be a pretty good choice SEO-wise.

To get GoDaddy domains at the best price, use our code WOWPKRAFF when you register an account. And when you are ready to purchase, use coupon code 4DOLLAR to get a free $4 for a .com domain.

• NameCheap

Surveys show that NameCheap is one of the best regarded domain registrars. Recently they had a makeover from the inside and out and now look amazing. They have improved in lots of areas including live chat, new tutorials, etc. At NameCheap domains cost a little more in comparison to GoDaddy but you get what you pay for though top-quality services and exceptional support.

Hosting

Web hosting has many more variables than purchasing a website name. You have to consider how much space on a server you are given, what are bandwidth and speed limitations, security solutions, etc. Also, different service providers offer additional features. Some of which are exclusive to their own clients. So, in order to make the right decision you should first think of what exactly do you need from a Web Host.

• Hostthename.com

Overall, Hostthename is a great web hosting provider for new website owners as well as for someone who want a little more than just a basic package. If you are starting out however, you can get around with as little as $1.95 a month. Plus, their customer support is one of the greatest online so every of your questions will be answered. Despite rare setbacks with servers, it’s the best value you can get for $1.95/month.

• Host1Plus

If you never dealt with web hosts, Host1plus could be the best to start. They have an easy to use control panel and you can always contact their tremendous support team. They offer a 14-day trial and you don’t even need a credit card. If you decide to keep them you can use an array of methods including all the most popular e-wallets. For $2.95/month you get 25 GB of space 3 MySQL databases but that’s more than enough for your first affiliate website. And you can always effortlessly upgrade your plan.

• Namecheap.com

If you used them to purchase a domain name, you might as well use their hosting. They have been selected as Web Host of the Year in 2013 and are highly regarded by all kinds of users. They are one of a few to accept Bitcoins, however the rest of payment options are pretty limited (credit cards and PayPal). They have an array of hosting services starting as low as $2.95 a month (for a 3 year plan).

• Hostgator.com

HostGator is a well-known name in web hosting, maybe the best-known one. Just like the rest of our recommended Web Hosts they offer unlimited bandwidth and disc space, 1-click installs but also 45 Day money back guarantee and a special $100 Google Adwords offer. HostGator has been recognized in various award ceremonies since 2006.

If you have any questions, they also offer 24/7 live support. If you can pay a little more, they are a superb choice. Web hosting plans start at $3.98/month (3 years) however you get unlimited disk space and bandwidth.

Follow our link, register at HostGator and get an exclusive offer.

CMS

Content Management System (CMS) is a heaven for those who don't have knowledge of HTML, CSS and PHP. CMS helps you to create your own website using simple guides. They also have huge communities who develop various plugins and templates that help improve your website even more. Here are three of the best CMS for an affiliate website.

• Wordpress

By far the most popular CMS in the world. Easy to start with, add pages and edit content. Probably, the easiest one to get around. That certainly would explain its popularity. Wordpress has a vast choice of free themes and plugins. As you know, first and foremost Wordpress is a blogging platform and that may be a problem if you are planning on creating a large website with different types of content. However, it’s a best choice for a simple affiliate website.

• Joomla

While Wordpress is all about simplicity, Joomla is a little different. It’s still a very user-friendly CMS but compared to Wordpress it has a longer learning curve. But that just means it’s more flexible. Maybe not as much as Drupal (see below) but there’s practically nothing you couldn’t customize on your own if you wanted to. A ton of available plugins and designs that you are free to use guarantee that you will make your site look professional effortlessly.

• Drupal

Drupal is not the easiest nut to crack. But for advanced users it’s often the preferred CMS. It’s very powerful in terms of ways you can customize it and manage content. But it does lack more designs and more free plugins. So, if you want something and it’s not here, you’ll have to put it together yourself. Maybe this is why it’s regarded as most flexible CMS in the world.

Design

You website must look exceptional. Period. Even with a minimum budget. You know that you have just a few moments to impress a new visitor, right? With these design directories you will find thousands of free and premium designs for your affiliate website. Don’t hesitate to experiment until you are really satisfied with the result.

• Wordpress Theme Directory

If you picked Wordpress as your CMS, this is the place you should first go for your website design. Thousands of free themes may make your head a spin at first. So, it’s better to already have an idea of how your website should look like. But try to stay open to what you see. Check out themes that you like, select “Preview” or visit a forum dedicated to that specific theme. Take your time and you’ll definitely find what’s best for you.

• Best of Joomla

If the CMS of your choice is Joomla, visit bestofjoomla.com for free and premium templates for your website. Each template has a rating, an option to add it to your favorites and test it. You will be able to try out and pick an ideal design for your website quick and easy.

• Theme forest

This place is great because it contains themes for everybody. You can browse though most popular themes, filter them by your CMS, authors etc. Out of the three theme directories, you’ll probably find themeforest.com most easy to navigate. Even though there are no free templates here, you do get the right value for your buck. Make sure to check it out, you might prefer it to free themes.

Themes will be a bit cheaper at ThemeForest if you register via our link.

SEO

There are a few steps left. One of which is search engine optimization (SEO) of your website. You have a few options in your disposal. You can purchase special software that helps you do it yourself or find someone else to do it for you. But keep in mind, SEO is not a place to experiment because you can do more harm than good. So make sure you know what you are doing before you do it.

• Scrapebox

Scrapebox has everything you might ever need to analyze the market and adjust accordingly. Currently the whole package costs $57 (instead of $197) if you download it via this link download it via this link. Scrapebox allows you to perform a full competitor analysis, collect URL’s, quickly distribute comments in thousands of blogs, utilize proxy and much more.

• Link Assistant

Link Assistant SEO Powersuite is a complete set of SEO tools to help you rank higher and attract more visitors. They offer a free version, Professional set for $299 and Enterprise edition for $699. Is the free version enough? To start with, yes. It has a few features disabled or limited but you can still use it on unlimited websites and keywords. Link Assistant is your main tool to analyze and to follow the changes of how your competitors and yourself rank depending on different keywords.

• GSA Search Engine Ranker

GSA Search Engine Ranker has lots of useful features. It mainly deals with creating backlinks to increase traffic and improve your position on search engines. You can get Search Engine Ranker for $99. The main advantage is that even a novice can effortlessly use this software and get immediate results. But make sure to also take a look at tutorials, strategy guides and watch how-to videos in order to reach the full potential for your money.

• Market Samurai

Sounds fierce, doesn’t it? Don’t worry, Market Samurai is really easy to use. It will help you a lot in following how keywords rank and target the right ones for more results. You can use a free limited versions or purchase a full, all-inclusive program for $149. Maybe advance users will want something more powerful, Market Samurai is great for beginners.

• Google Keyword Planner

Google Keyworld Planner is a popular tool to analyze keyword position. It has recently replaced the old Google Keyword tool widely regarded as the easiest tool for keywords. But it’s just as great! It allows you to analyze keywords in your market, find the ones to target and show up in the top page more often. The best thing about it that it’s free!

• Fiverr.com

This is the place if you don’t want or do not know how to do it yourself. Out of tens of thousands of people offering their services you will be able to select the ones that fit you best quality-wise and money-wise. Everything starts at $5 but for a bit extra you you can purchase almost anything.

Content

And finally it all comes down to content. Everything we talked above is important but your content is and will be the single most important factor of your success. Whatever you decide to put on your website, must be top-quality. You can do it yourself of hire someone else.

• Fiverr

If you haven’t heard about them yet, Fiverr is a community where thousands of people offer their services. Anything. Everyone must offer something for $5 but they can offer additional services for extra. At Fiverr you can find yourself someone to write your content (around 500 words $4 or $5), record a voice over, create a video. Anything really.

• Hirewriters

Hirewriters is another place where writers and website owners can meet. Starting price is only $1.5 for up to 300 word article. Having your content written will save you lots of time plus you don’t pay if you are not satisfied with the content.

•Epicwrite

Epicwrite is a top-class place to get content. They have three different plans for different customers starting from $0.6 per 100 words. However, there is a price for saving money – time. If you select their Basic or Premium, you may get your content only in 7 days.

Advertising

Once you have a website set-up, content put up and SEO done, there is the last thing you need to take care of - advertising. You need a budget for that but you should look at it as investment as it will drive more traffic to your affiliate site and consequently, earn you revenue.

• 7search

7search is a pay-per-click online advertising network. For years website owners have found 7search one of the most effective ways to increase your traffic. The minimum you need to sign up is $25 with bids as low as $0.03. Customize your plan to suit your needs and budget and watch your business grow.

• Exoclick

Exoclick is a CPC advertising service offered by Barcelona-based company. It’s main advantage is its service flexibility. CPC, CPM and CPA networks, real-time ROI tracking, advanced customer targeting, mobile advertising and much more. You can choose from a variety of ways to also manage your budget and make sure you spend only what you have planned.

• Adwords

Even if you are only starting your online marketing, chances are you have heard of Google Adwords. It’s a favorite for the majority of website marketers. Not only because it’s Google. It just works. Adwords is a cost-per-click service (CPC) so you are charged only when your ads are clicked. This guarantees value for your money. Adwords also offers various tools to analyze which keywords work best. If you have cash to invest, Google Adwords is best due to their flexibility where, when and how you can advertise.

We really hope you have found this this guide useful. If you are just starting out, bookmark the page and return as you move on with your website and your gambling affiliate business. If in some way the guide did not answer all your questions, contact us via email or social networks.

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