How big does my site need to be to be accepted into an affiliate program?

[northwester]

Hi guys, I created a 5 page poker affiliate site with unique content centered around poker. I applied to 888 Poker's affiliate program but they haven't got back to me. I emailed them a bunch of times about my application status but they didn't reply. That was months ago. Can you please help me? Was my site not big enough? Does it have to be an authority site?

Thanks

[LinuxGam]

Don’t worry too much..I own a site with 500k page views a month and 33% bonce rate and they didn’t get back to me…. Seems they only care about whats making them cash right now… this is what happens when you bonus people on results rather than new business… I know this for a fact as in the time I was ignored I know other websites with nothing like my traffic that has a history with them that were talked to daily… Apart from bet365 the quality of people and integrity of most of them is terrible….

[chaumi]

Pretend you're a (good) affiliate manager. 'Good' as in experienced, understands what's going to make your company money, cares that your company makes money, doesn't want your company to lose money.

Now, receive an affiliate application.

Go look at the site.

It's 5 pages.

That's not going to make me or my company money.
It might even cost me money (in time or hard costs).
Could it in future? I don't know (or care, maybe) but I have too many others to worry about to waste time/money finding out.....or.....we have set criteria for acceptance and this doesn't meet it



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I'm guessing, of course. But possibly reasonable guesswork. Other thought processes/criteria would come into play with a well-trafficked site, but you could safely guess what those would be!


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Re the actual question. For most affiliate applications (where the receiving party has consideration for the likely returns on their 'investment' or has criteria in place designed to 'protect' them) I suspect the answer is 'how long is a piece of string?' Certainly,I'd have thought they would be using tools to analyze 1. the rankings and traffic, 2. the history, trajectory, potential based on ranking keywords. Alongside their own eyes in determining the quality of the site and the material on it.

[northwester]

My primary traffic source for my internet marketing business is CPV traffic. I don't want to spend money creating a 1000-page poker website (even though this would be extremely beneficial from an SEO standpoint). I want a demo site that's just good enough to get me accepted into an affiliate program. And then I will spend my money buying CPV traffic.

[universal4]

That's not going to make me or my company money.
It might even cost me money (in time or hard costs).
Could it in future? I don't know (or care, maybe) but I have too many others to worry about to waste time/money finding out.....or.....we have set criteria for acceptance and this doesn't meet it

I have ALWAYS disagreed with this.

All affiliates deserve the opportunity whether their sites are large or small as long as they follow the terms.

Any affiliate large or small could end up being the next super affiliate.

Costs? It's a few entries or rows in a database, and overall most affiliate managers put little to NO TIME in to individual affiliates beyond an automated newsletter until they drive much traffic anyway.

Thinking back over the years, some of the most successful affiliate manager as well as affiliate programs became that because they did in fact give all affiliates a fair opportunity.

And when it comes to brand recognition, even when an affiliate is not very successful converting any specific brand, the fact that the brand is seen in that many more sites, small and large, is that much more brand recognition for the operator.

Rick
Universal4

[universal4]

Hi guys, I created a 5 page poker affiliate site with unique content centered around poker. I applied to 888 Poker's affiliate program but they haven't got back to me. I emailed them a bunch of times about my application status but they didn't reply. That was months ago. Can you please help me? Was my site not big enough? Does it have to be an authority site?

Thanks

You seem to imply all is lost if 888 doesn't approve you. I think the mistake here is that you built a site planning to put ALL your eggs in one basket.

Although some may disagree, I do not think 888 is a very good choice on the outset, but if the site is not designed to promote sites other then just them, why limit not only yourself, but the visitors also?

Rick
Universal4

[pokermonger]

I'm not saying anything about 888 directly because I've never promoted them. But Rick had some perfect thoughts.

Some affiliate programs seem to get it, and some don't.

Here's a story from way back in the day. When Golden Palace was big and Jeff ran the program, I needed something. I can't remember what it was, but it wasn't huge, but I had to talk to him to get it done. I was probably sending 2 to 5 players a month to GP, so I was right at the bottom of the barrel.

I got him on the phone, apologized for bothering him, and told him how many players I was sending and what I needed. He was so overly helpful that I recommended hm and their program to dozens of other affiliates. Just doing his job and acting like he cared got his program more affiliates. By taking time to help a nobody.

I know times have changed a lot, but it just seems to me that programs and managers who are easy to work with get better results.

[pokermonger]

Got rambling and forgot my point. Forget 888 or any other program that doesn't want to work with you. Take it as a challenge, find a decent program that will work with you, build your traffic and profits to the point where the programs that didn't want to work with you are begging you for traffic. Then charge them more.

[northwester]

Do affiliate managers examine the age of the domain?

Also, is there a way to explain to the affiliate manager that my traffic sources are offline and CPV (Cost per view) instead SEO? Some affiliate applications don't allow affiliates to explain their traffic methods other than their website.

Thanks

[universal4]

How many hoops are you being asked to jump through?

There are PLENTY of programs that WANT your traffic, concentrate on working with them.

As has been suggested in other threads you asked a very similar question, drive traffic to other brands, and later when that one brand comes to you for your traffic, explain you have some hoops for them to jump through first.

Rick
Universal4

[Cash Bonus]

I wouldn't worry too much about the size of your site, so much as the quality of it and the operators that you're willing to work with. Be very careful who you choose to work with, as there are a number of rogue programs who are very keen to steal your hard work from you, because they see affiliates as worthless and couldn't care any less for them.

[Grand_RexAffiliates]

You should not focus on particular brands, especially if they ignore you. I'm sure that you will not be happy if they offer you a near zero % deal. If you want to get some money with your website, it is better idea to list first brands who are more open to you

[Pokerface]

Totally agree with Rick on this one. As long as following the T&C's the new and small programs should also be given an opportunity. You never know what will happen. Even the current big ones were once small.

Some programs can just be very arrogant and as Rick mentions puts us through so many hoops.

[Bartek]

Got rambling and forgot my point. Forget 888 or any other program that doesn't want to work with you. Take it as a challenge, find a decent program that will work with you, build your traffic and profits to the point where the programs that didn't want to work with you are begging you for traffic. Then charge them more.

I love that approach and positivity

[LinuxGam]

From my experience there are 3 types... you get emailed ever day by new startups, and whilst they might be honest, they might not last long. Then you have the big companys like 888 etc, I could list loads.... but i wont... that run everything to suit their bonus and **** you over unless you holding them up.

If you are a big site not on their radar they may not reply or even care... but then there are huge companys like paddy power, that close your account without a word and loads of active players... and wont respond...

I think because of tough times and also the way the staff are bonused... there is zero respect or loyalty. I would say Bet365 is one of the few left.

[wonderpunter]

Sometimes an affiliate that has 0 traffic can spend hours with a afgfiliate manger for questions, usually first to complain when not making money and accuse the brand of fraud across the board, and don't see the point of a 5 page site? the days of doing 1 hour work and making riches have long gone

[eenzoo]

Honestly, I don't get this here anymore. I don't want offend here someone ... but?!
Couple of weeks ago, you have asked for source of cheap poker articles. But you do nothing in serps!?
Actually, you doing paid traffic, which is great.
But exactly in the media buying part of our business is nothing more important as outstanding copy.

If I want to send paid traffic and sign up with affiliate program, or even more difficult, a reasonable network, I just gave them a call and an email and tell them a brought explanation of traffic source and expected amount of players, sending my global tracking domain/url as well and that's it.

What do you expect from a 5 pager? Its nonsense, its wasting time of everyone involved
I guess you just looking around, without ideas ... and yes Rick , he has signup decades ago ... but its boring.

[eenzoo]

I have ALWAYS disagreed with this.

All affiliates deserve the opportunity whether their sites are large or small as long as they follow the terms.

Any affiliate large or small could end up being the next super affiliate.

Just show me one who became a super affiliate with such a unprofessional approach.
And as an operator, I would reject that application too, ofc!

And Jesus hell, what means "All affiliates deserve the opportunity"?
You go to bank or an insurance or a hospital or any other company to ask for business because you deserve the opportunity?
Keen to see the bright smiling faces ...

[dannyx]

Honestly, I don't get this here anymore. I don't want offend here someone ... but?!
Couple of weeks ago, you have asked for source of cheap poker articles. But you do nothing in serps!?
Actually, you doing paid traffic, which is great.
But exactly in the media buying part of our business is nothing more important as outstanding copy.

If I want to send paid traffic and sign up with affiliate program, or even more difficult, a reasonable network, I just gave them a call and an email and tell them a brought explanation of traffic source and expected amount of players, sending my global tracking domain/url as well and that's it.

What do you expect from a 5 pager? Its nonsense, its wasting time of everyone involved
I guess you just looking around, without ideas ... and yes Rick , he has signup decades ago ... but its boring.

I agree about the overall approach.

However, I would not judge a site by the number of subpages.
Of course, a higher number of subpages is great, preferably as many as possible for strong keywords.
It seems to me that there can be a 5-page good site with some limited traffic. Of course, if it's going to be a site about poker or with poker tips, it doesn't stand a chance rather. However, if such a 5 (or even less ) page site has:
- a very niche topic with not a very big list of words it targets
- by a niche topic exhaust it on these 5 pages
- all these pages are full of long unique content
It is such a site in my opinion has a chance to gain positions and traffic in some small niche.

[dannyx]

Just show me one who became a super affiliate with such a unprofessional approach.
And as an operator, I would reject that application too, ofc!

And Jesus hell, what means "All affiliates deserve the opportunity"?
You go to bank or an insurance or a hospital or any other company to ask for business because you deserve the opportunity?
Keen to see the bright smiling faces ...

In my opinion, too, everyone deserves a chance. Especially since the presence of the casino's logo and brand on a site with even low traffic that doesn't convert is good for the brand. After all, every company wants its logo to be visible everywhere.

Anyway, I'm currently doing a niche site in which the subject doesn't have many operators. I wanted to join programs before publishing the site. And it turned out that 2 giants in the market picked up the conversation and were willing to join me in the program explaining everything and asking me about the project. On the other hand, 2 more average/small operators did not pick up the conversation with the site not yet active.

And thanks to this approach big companies are big and small companies are small, of course this is not always applicable and can be refuted, for example Pinnacle and other giant bookmakers with an average approach to partners, but nevertheless there is something in it.