CPA (cost per action) versus affiliate marketing is becoming a classic debate. For a lot of people who didn't get affiliate marketing to work for one reason or another, but have been successful in CPA marketing, it's obvious which the clear winner will is.

The same could be said for a lot of the top online marketers today such as Mark Joyner, Anik Singal, and others who produced their amazing lifestyles from affiliate marketing. So who's right at the end of the day?

Neither, because both have their merits, challenges and rewards.

CPA marketing has been around for many years, but it wasn't until 3-4 years ago that it really began to catch on with both successful and also struggling online marketers. It is because of CPA marketing pioneers like Amish Shah whose success put CPA on the affiliate radar as a rewarding business model, that it has become so popular within the online community. It is regarded by some as a means of generating a cash flow, yet others see it as a primary source of income.

I know a few CPA marketing enthusiasts that believe owning a CPA business is easy compared to affiliate marketing. The reason is because it's simpler for their customers to take an action which doesn't require their credit card information in order for these enthusiasts to generate an income.

Another powerful benefit of CPA advertising is the immediate results companies and marketers get when people carry out simple actions like giving a zip code or filling in an email form. Even when it's just a couple of dollars reward per action, it really is enough to be able to inspire people to keep going as these small amounts add up quickly. Affiliate marketing however demands a lot more endurance to climb the learning curve before they get to enjoy any decent income.

CPA advertising is exciting and rewarding and gaining popularity inside the IM (Internet Marketing) community, but let's consider a little what makes internet affiliate marketing a strong "contender" in this contest to determine what business model is worth your time and attention.

It's asserted "the bigger the risk you take in any enterprise, the bigger the reward". While not always the case, I've discovered from personal experience it is fairly accurate. Normally, the more a person will risk, the more money and higher the profit margins they get in return.

Let's say you possess an affiliate product that generates $30 commission in profits with affiliate marketing. If you have a common CPA campaign set-up, it could take fifteen people doing some specific task ($2.00 for every zip/email submit) to obtain the same amount that it took an affiliate marketer.

Additionally, with traditional marketing online you're not subject to the CPA marketing merchant. Therefore you rarely need to call one to get anyone's approval to get set-up and making money.

As you can see both CPA and traditional marketing have "positives and negatives". For those starting out, I recommend CPA because the determination to succeed increases even with small successes. As you start to make money, you can then branch out into affiliate marketing for a greater online income.

Follow Ray's links to learn more CPA marketing tips and other internet marketing strategies.

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It was a number of years ago when I first considered the Internet as a means to make money online. Unfortunately I was not in the right frame of mind or in a realistic position to make a success of an online business. I did invest in a course which talked about pay per click and AdWords which I tried to do but I simply didn't have the motivation to persevere and was working in a Corporate Management position which was a mental drain if I am honest.

Fast forward 7 years and I am now in a completely different place and the time is right. I have spent the past year learning the right way to do things online and that together with my business background seems to have brought all of the pieces together. My daughter has started nursery allowing me time to do this properly and I am not in any rush. Rome wasn't built in a day and likewise a solid business takes time to build and grow. If you consider Internet Marketing as a way to get rich quick you will very likely become disappointed and give up.

In addition you need to choose a strategy that suits your circumstances. If you are working full time but have money to spare you can look at a business plan where you outsource some of your tasks, perhaps a pay per click campaign in a high demand niche, such as health. I am somebody who after being in a well paid job is now a self employed single mum so for me it has been very difficult to balance time and money. What I have learnt is that you must just do something every day.

There are so many aspects of internet marketing that need to be learnt, it is a minefield and if you miss one part you are likely to fail. You need to understand what you are doing, have a clear goal in mind and stick to it. I am going to cover a couple of strategies and describe the circumstances that may suit each.

Affiliate Marketing.

If we talk about Affiliate Marketing we are straight away getting into a mixing pot of potential failures unfortunately. Yes, the principal is easy, you advertise on behalf of a product or service and get paid a commission for the sale. In reality there are many people trying to do the same, the competition is huge and the method you use to get traffic is a strategy in itself.

Pay per click.

I personally do not use PPC at the moment as I just don't have the funds to do so. If you are someone with capital to invest this may be a strategy for you however it is not as simple as just paying and making sales. You also need to be able to write good ads that will make people want to click through. Getting into the mind of the buyer is an interesting topic that I have studied but is too detailed to cover in this article.

SEO

This is the method that I favour currently as I have learned how to properly research keywords, utilise exact match domains and get free traffic. This method is good if you have time to invest and can be done for little capital investment. It is an Internet Marketing Strategy that I think often gets put into the too hard basket but it is actually not too difficult if you learn properly. It also is the best way to get a sustainable traffic source as once the hard work is done you are likely to remain high in the search engine rankings.

These are just two ways you can work and earn from affiliate programs but there are strategies within strategies so if you are considering buying any kind of training package you should beware of get rich quick and autopilot offerings. It doesn't work like that.

If you are interested in getting further information you can visit my website where I aim to provide useful resources to those wishing to learn how to make money online through Affiliate Programs the right way.

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Article marketing and PPC (pay-per-click) advertising are the two main methods of online marketing. Both are dependent on strong keywords and dispersal to be most effective in driving traffic to your site.

What is Article Marketing?

Article marketing is the principle of contributing content to article directories which then links back to your website. It also includes guest blogging. These articles create back links to your site, which helps to boost your ranking in search engines.

The keywords you include will also affect your search engine ranking. Including strong keywords in your title, first paragraph, and last paragraph is most effective. However, you should always write for entertaining, informative, and readable content over keywords.

Articles should be about topics related to your website and should provide the reader with some information that he or she didn't know. It should also make them want to click through the link to your page. Leave them wanting just a little bit more than you've told them, and include a clear call to action.

What is PPC?

In pay-per-click, you sponsor a link at a search engine and pay a fee to the provider every time your link is clicked. Sponsored links are clearly labeled for the purposes of full disclosure.The best known provider of PPC is Google AdWords, though Bing Adcenter (a Yahoo! and Microsoft joint venture) is also popular.

The downside to PPC is that the top keywords are often fairly expensive. This is because competition is high, and the usual bid model drives up the price. Everyone who wants to purchase a certain keyword places a bid for how much they are willing to pay. Then, when someone searches for that word, the highest bid wins and that advertiser is displayed. Often, multiple ad spots are available. In this case, they are displayed in the order from highest bidder down.
This makes choosing the right balance of keywords and cost something of an art. It requires you to be very attentive to your analytics so you can drop the keywords which just aren't bringing in revenue.

PPC ads appear not only on search engines, but on third-party websites which have partnered with the PPC provider. These are called contextual ads because the ads which are displayed are chosen on the basis of relevance to the site, according to keyword similarity. So, for example, a horse stable's website might display ads for tack or veterinary equipment.

Effectiveness

PPC effectiveness is fairly easy to track. By adding code to your URLs, you can easily see the conversion rates - that is, the number of people who click your ad who become customers or regular visitors - for each campaign, keyword, and specific ad copy. Google AdWords provides you with many tools to help you track your PPC, and your blogging platform may do so as well.

It's a good idea to create discrete campaigns for each keyword for this reason. That way, you will be able to compare the effectiveness of each keyword on its own. To evaluate your ad copy, create at least two ads for each keyword. If one performs particularly well or particularly poorly, you should be able to figure out what the difference is.

Regularly check your analytics so you aren't wasting money. You can tweak your current ads or create new ones to make them stronger, based on your feedback.

Articles of 400 to 600 words, broken into short paragraphs, have been found to be most effective. They're easy to get through and deliver the information concisely without a lot of filler.

Another thing about articles that can't be said of PPC is that your readers have the ability to share what they find interesting, either by linking to social media or emailing to others. As advertising for your site, this is some of the best, because it comes with a personal recommendation. You are seen as a professional, trusted source, which builds loyalty and reputation, both of which are essential for online marketing.

This is why compelling content and saying something new is so important. It's why you have to keep in mind your human readers and not just keywords and positioning.

Cost and Return on Investment

Article marketing is essentially cost-free to you, unless you pay someone to write for you.PPC, especially for top keywords, can become pricey. You need to set yourself a firm budget and stick to it. To calculate your return on investment (ROI) for PPC, consider your profit margin, sales volume, and conversion rate.

Profit margin is the amount that you make from each sale after costs have been covered. If you're not selling a product but using advertising on your site to generate income, then consider the cost of the advertising relative to how much you earn from each ad.

Conversion rate was defined above.
Now look at the formula:
(Number of sales x profit in dollars) / number of visitors = dollar value of each visitor
This is your maximum cost per click which you should not exceed or you will end up losing money on the deal.

Calculating ROI on article marketing is a bit trickier, though you could say that since your investment is essentially zero, even one conversion is a positive ROI. But if you think more about it being your time spent writing and distributing articles, then you can see it's still important to calculate and evaluate.

Review your analytics to see which articles are sending you the most traffic and which are sending the least. Now, you need to look for characteristics which may account for the discrepancy. For example, articles with a strong call to action at the end may be outperforming those which simply taper off.

And, as always, the quality of the content is the most relevant factor.

Longevity

This is another area in which article marketing pulls ahead. Articles can remain relevant for a long time, years in some cases. This doesn't mean that you only have to put up articles once and then sit back while the hits rolls in. you definitely need to continually put out fresh content.

However, if you've got a really quality piece, people will continue to find value in it over more recently composed but less informative or poorly written material.

Conclusion

Ultimately, the determination of whether article marketing or PPC is "better" will come down to your unique situation. For most people, the factors of longevity and return on investment give the edge to article marketing. Many people use both as elements of a well-rounded marketing campaign.

Evaluate your analytics regularly to help you refine and narrow your strategies, throwing more effort into the areas which are bringing you the most traffic, conversion, and financial rewards.

Gideon J E is a successful online marketer and share his success secrets on his website

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