How To Spot An Affiliate Marketing Scam

Everyone's seen them - the websites that promise they'll make you money. All you have to do is give them your money first! Some of these sites are genuine, and really can help you earn money from the internet. But many - maybe even most - are scams.

Pretty much everyone hates scammers. You might have a reason yourself – have you ever lost money to one? Genuine affiliate marketers hate them because they make people suspicious and less likely to trust – and therefore less likely to believe what the affiliate marketers say! The only way to stamp them out is to starve them of what they want: your money.

But how do you spot a scam? It can be very difficult. The best scammers, the ones that make the most money, are identical in appearance to legitimate sellers. But most aren't that good. Most can't be bothered. Scammers, after all, are lazy. They can't be bothered to make a living honestly, so they do it by cheating instead.

And while it's probably impossible to stay completely safe (there is always an element of risk when you buy something, after all, online or off), there are some things you should look for when visiting a website. It will take a little extra time, but it might well save you money.

The first thing to always, always check is contact information. Is there any? If not, run! A genuine seller will want you to be able to contact them – after all, you might want to offer them more money! Or you might have a question you want to ask about their product before you buy. Genuine sellers will be happy to answer – scammers just want to hide.

If there is contact information, look at the e-mail address. Is it free? There's nothing wrong with that by itself, but remember how easy Yahoo and Hotmail accounts are to set up. They're also more likely to be blocked by spam filters. A paid-for e-mail address means a higher chance this person is legitimate.

Second, check the small print. Is there a disclaimer? Genuine sellers realise that their product will not be able to help everybody – no product can – and that there is a chance you'll be disappointed. As such, they'll add a disclaimer saying so. They'll also have a money-back guarantee. Of course, the words 'money-back guarantee' are no guarantee of anything - typing something doesn't make it true, and the words alone don't mean you'll get your money back. But they're a step in the right direction.

Third, have a quick exploration of the site. What other websites does it link to? Reputable sites won't be happy about scammers linking to them – and scammers probably won't want to let reputable sites know they exist. After all, if the wrong person finds out the scammer could find themselves in court - much of what they do is against the law. Scam websites tend to be small – often just one page. Genuine websites have more content, and therefore more pages. A small website isn't proof that you're being scammed – but it should make you wary.

A final thing to check, and this is one of the main things that gives scam sites away, is the testimonials. They're supposed to reassure you, convince you that the product is worth buying. You can use them you work out whether you're being scammed or not. Read them carefully. Do they sound natural, like something you might write? Or do they sound like a continuation of the sales pitch? The latter is a sign that they're probably fake. Also look at their photographs – and this goes for all the photographs on a site. Do they look professional, like they could belong in a catalogue? Or do they look like ordinary snapshots? The more professional they look, the more likely they are to be fake.

It is possible to avoid the vast majority of scammers. You have to be careful, take your time when reading a website, and not rush into anything. Don't get carried away by a sales pitch! If they're genuine, they'll still be there tomorrow – and still at the same price, whatever they might say!

The only way to defeat scammers is by preventing them from making a profit. So in future, be careful – don't give your money away!


Article Source: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard

About The Author: Anita Buchan is a full-time affiliate marketer who now wants to help others become a success. For genuine affiliate marketing opportunities and free resources visit www.dont-get-scammed.biz

P.S. Great web promotion apportunities:

Free Classifieds for small business

Web Site promotion for webmasters

7 Tips for Effective Reciprocal Linking

Reciprocal linking...does it work? Yes it does. One can debate the value of reciprocal linking compared to other linking strategies. And without a doubt, one way links far outway the value of a reciprocal link. However, if done correctly, reciprocal linking can be a powerful SEO strategy for your website.


Tip #1
Search for reciprocal links from pages that have a Google PR equal or greater to your own. By doing so, you are enhancing the quality/value of the reciprocal link improving your overall success in the eyes of the search engines - especially Google. The higher the Google PR the more valuable the link becomes.

Tip #2
Exchange links only with sites that are related to your site/industry in some way. For example, don't link to web sites about athletic clothing if you're selling hardware. Sites that you're exchaning links with need to be contextually relevant. When they are, you earn extra points in the eyes of Google and other major search engines.


Tip #3
Make sure that your anchor text, the text that comprises your link contains your keywords. This is one of the most important aspects of linking. For example, a link to my primary site should look like this: "Internet Marketing Expert Marketing Secrets" instead of "www.marketingscoop.com". Doing so will signal the search engines with the specific keywords that you're optimizing for. This enhances your search results when someone searches on your keywords or keyword phrase.


Tip #4
Your links page should never include more than one hundred links. Keeping your link quantity below one hundred ensures that search engines do not discredit the value of your site or challenge it as SPAM. One way to include more than one hundred links to to create a mini-link directory. Develop categories and group your links appropriately.


Tip #5
Check your partner's websites on a regular basis to ensure that they are still linking back to you. Often I've exchanged links with a site only to find that they removed the link back to my site only days after the exchange. You can do this manually or utilize software to do it for you. There are a variety of options out there. No matter how you validate reciprocal links, check them on a regular basis.


Tip #6
View the title of the links page where your link will be placed. You can do this by visiting the link page and then pressing "view" on your browser menu bar. Then select "view source code" and find the meta tags. The title tag should include keywords relevant to your site. It doesn't have to, but if it does, the more valuable it becomes.


Tip #7
Quality over quantity. When you being the process of building reciprocal links for your website, go for quality over quantity. Once you get started, you will undoubtedly have numerous sites looking for an exchange. If the sites don't meet your linking criteria, you must say no to the link exchange.


In summary, make sure your reciprocal link program includes relevant links that have an equal or greater Google PR. Check your links often and make sure not to include more than 100 links on your link exchange page. Follow these tips and you're well on your way to a successful reciprocal linking campaign. Lastly, be patient. The value of reciprocal links is most clearly seen over time.


* Michael Fleischner is an Internet marketing expert and the president of MarketingScoop.com, the Internet’s biggest source of marketing information and free marketing resources. He has more than 12 years of marketing experience and has appeared on The TODAY Show, Bloomberg Radio, and other major media. Visit Marketingscoop.com for further details, marketing secrets, or more FREE reprint articles.

7 Tips for Effective Reciprocal Linking
By Michael Fleischner Marketing Expert, Internet Marketing Secrets*

Free Classifieds for Small Business
Website promotion for webmasters

Free Classifieds for Small Business

One easy source of free traffic are Classified Ads.

Your daily promotions should include posting your ads to a list of free classified ad sites.

Tips:
The ingredients to a compelling classified ad are:
- Grab the reader's attention
- Interest your reader with something that appeals
- Arouse with a catch-phrase that makes him "desire" the product
- Demand that the reader act immediately

These are the ingredients of any good classified ad - Attention - Interest - Desire - Action. Without these four ingredients skillfully integrated into your ad, chances are your ad will just "lie there" and not do anything but cost you M0NEY.

Submit your Ads for Free: Free Classifieds for Small Business

Free Classifieds for USA

Free classifieds for USA.
Place your classified ads here - Huge traffic, active buyers and tens of thousands of fresh daily visitors ensure your items sell fast.
Submit Your ads here for FREE: UsFreeAds.com

FREE Classifieds for Small Business

One easy source of free traffic are Classified Ads.

Your daily promotions should include posting your ads to a list of free classified ad sites.

Tips:
The ingredients to a compelling classified ad are:
- Grab the reader's attention
- Interest your reader with something that appeals
- Arouse with a catch-phrase that makes him "desire" the product
- Demand that the reader act immediately

These are the ingredients of any good classified ad - Attention - Interest - Desire - Action. Without these four ingredients skillfully integrated into your ad, chances are your ad will just "lie there" and not do anything but cost you M0NEY.

My top FREE Classifieds:

#1: tumano.com Free Classifieds - Submit Your classified ads here for Free. Web site traffic, active buyers, effective advertisement. more info

#2: UsFreeAds.com - since they are free and offer multiple helpful options, like Tracking, Add a Picture, Paypal Button and so on. Free Advertising using Free Classifieds can be a very time consuming task and the results are overestimated at the beginning. It is recommended to consider the option to buy "featured" Ads to reduce the manual effort and maximize the results. UsFreeAds.com

Need more traffic? Use Free Text advertising!

Need more Traffic?Need MORE People in Your Downline?Or don't know how to get started?
Use FREE Text AdvertisingSignUp Bonus 3000 impressionsIt's a well known fact in the internet marketing industry that text links have much higher success rates than graphic links: LinksPromote.com