Sean Crotty from eBay discusses their Affiliate Program, discloses the one API call that affiliates demanded the most, and lets us in on a big secret: a product category just waiting for someone to turn it into some serious cash.
WebProWorld In a nutshell, the affiliate program pays participants for each referral that comes through their link. The big money comes from active registrations, where a new referral either bids on an item, or conducts a Buy It Now purchase, within 30 days of registering with eBay. Affiliates Platform Program Manager Sean Crotty chatted with Murdok recently about eBay's affiliate program. As the program manager, Sean has worked hard in getting the word out about what eBay can offer. He's frequently referenced on eBay's developer forums as a resource, and will be taking a more active role there soon. Developers who were fortunate enough to attend JavaOne got to see Sean and Greg Isaacs discuss the affiliate program, including an overview of the API calls. Around 950 developers jammed the room, interested in joining the 18,000 developers Sean cites as already being part of the program. Having a link as a conduit to eBay, a method used by hundreds of affiliate marketers who utilize paid search, presents one of the simplest ways to get potential registrants and bidders to eBay. That requires keyword research, something which eBay enables through the GetPopularKeywords API call. Seeing that supply of keywords proved beneficial, but now as Sean points out, they've made it more effective. By building an application using that API, GetPopularKeywords lets users see demand as well as supply. That's a huge advantage to those who want to target their keyword buys for paid-search as effectively as possible. Affiliate marketers who have been awaiting the debut of MSN Advertising should see that paid-search market open in October. Sean noted how API usage has had a big impact on affiliate business. Those using the written on Google Blogoscoped how he'd like to find out who might be good at writing such an application. The answer comes from the eBay Motors and Google Maps Affliate API program and start writing. Somewhere there's a market for big equipment just waiting to be tapped. David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email himSuggest a Correction
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