Getting a Grip on Affiliate-Based Websites with Expert Ray Alexander
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Today on HostNOC Speaks, we have a gentleman with us who is an online entrepreneur and the owner of an affiliate marketing business. He started developing websites 20 years ago, and ever since then; he’s involved in web development and programming. He is none other than the successful yet humble Ray Alexander.
Ray formed CyberCash Worldwide to help thousands of people generate a steady stream of revenue by leveraging the power of affiliate marketing. By providing a scammer-free platform and practical guidance on how to make income online, he’s enabled scores of clients to begin their journeys into a lucrative future.
His passion for web development and online marketing caught our eye and forced us to invite him for a knowledgable conversation. Read on to find out what nuggets of wisdom he has to share with you.
HOSTNOC: Ray Alexander, what pushed you into affiliate marketing? Specifically which challenges did you face at the beginning?
RAY: I initially had a few other online businesses (eCommerce, selling traffic, designing websites). I started making a full-time income solely by affiliate marketing about two years ago, and I haven’t looked back since. My blog (cybercashworldwide.com) is special because it’s one of the few places I can express my honest opinions and promote products that I genuinely recommend.
HOSTNOC: Affiliate marketing has seen massive growth in the past few years. In your view, what are the major reasons behind this?
RAY: With my other online jobs – eCommerce and as a traffic seller – my days were “ruled” by customer orders and followups. But I loved the fact that with affiliate marketing, I could work any time I wanted.
The biggest challenge was (and still is) actually blog-writing. Although English is my main language, I’m not a native English speaker, so it takes me longer to write content and I need to make sure no sentences are grammatically too hideous!
HOSTNOC: Selecting a Niche has always been a tough task for beginners. What are your three tips for choosing the right niche for affiliate marketing website?
RAY: The media (websites, YouTube and social networks) is more easily accessible than ever. So more people know the fact that anyone can start affiliate marketing with little initial investment. Greater choice of tools and services (incl. web hosting!) have become available and the costs have come down.
HOSTNOC: What are the two major mistakes affiliate marketers make while developing a website, and what’s your advice for avoiding them?
RAY: Three pieces of advice.
- Consider one of the 4 x evergreen niches; (1) wealth/make money (2) health/wellbeing (3) love & relationship (4) self-development.
- Other than 1 above, choose a niche that you truly love that you can call yourself an expert of the niche – otherwise you will get bored sooner or later.
- Don’t look for an “expensive niche” unless you know it well. Yachts and cruise holidays may pay great affiliate commissions, but you can’t convince prospects by promoting them unless you are an actual regular user.
HOSTNOC: What is the role of content in the context of growth in a blog’s performance?
RAY: Three things.
- Using big, decorative words that don’t make sense to anyone for no reason. For example, “With the new era of social eCommerce platform dawning upon us, it’s essential to focus on partnering with innovative concepts.” (I just made it up.) Be yourself and be raw.
- Not about making a website, but try to sell products that they don’t actually believe, i.e. not being truthful to users. Users can see it and lose trust in you! Or fail to explain why people should buy it. For example, I’d say 99% of cryptocurrency affiliates never explain what makes theirs different from other trading sites.
- If it should be about making a website, some outdated website builder that’s given away for free, I suppose. The site looks outdated, probably load slowly because of the old script, and is unlikely to be mobile-friendly. I’d rather prefer to see an imbalanced huge menu bar or awkwardly placed images on WordPress or Wix by a new marketer. At least they’re learning a new platform.
HOSTNOC: Let’s step aside and move towards the fun part. What are your hobbies? What do you do to relax?
RAY: The role is to (a) improve the SERP ranking position and (b) retarget the content to the new audience. Replacing keywords, re-writing paragraphs, replacing the headline, promoting a different/better affiliate product.
HOSTNOC: Let’s step away from work. What are your hobbies? What do you do to relax and unwind?
RAY: Running in the morning and gym workouts in the afternoon. Having sat all day working online, workouts definitely refresh and reset my mind!
HOSTNOC: How important is it to have to host for an Affiliate Marketer? And how HostNOC and the likes help affiliates get the website of their choice?
RAY: Good speed, security, and support are essential for an affiliate marketer, in my opinion. Especially if you are a content marketer (blogger), any temporary glitches can affect the search engine ranking negatively. When something technical goes wrong, a quick solution will be appreciated, but I’ll feel even more assured when HostNOC’s support team advises me what has happened and why.
