Getting an ROI through your PPC campaigns

I have a publisher account with a few different affiliate companies.  My favorites, as I've talked about before, are AzoogleAds, ClickBank (for eBooks) and ShareASale.

When I run out of ideas for websites I will log into my affiliate accounts and instead of checking stats and earnings I will check the new affiliate programs, or the latest offers.  Some offers change their payouts regularly so it is a good reminder for me to check them out every few months.

How do you know what affiliate you should be promoting?  Is there a clear cut way of defining profitability?  For me there isn't.

I look at a few things when trying to determine if I want to promote a certain affiliate or product.

1. Have I promoted this product or niche before?  Was it successful or a failure?  If it was a failure, do I have anything new to bring to that offer?

2. Do I have a domain that fits the keywords?  I have around 100 domains, some of which aren't developed yet.  If I have a domain that fits the offer, that is perfect!

3. How much competition is there?  For this I usually check Google and view the paid ads.  If my keyword is "spy removal software" I know that I am going to be facing a lot of stiff competition.  Some of this competition will be from vendors and directly from manufacturers, both of which make more money per sale that I can make.

4. What is the payout in comparison to the marketing costs?  For me, I usually look at marketing costs from the PPC angle.  Are my keywords going to cost me $1.50 per click, or $.15 per click.  A $30 CPA payout with a $8 CPC isn't my cup of tea.  However a $13 payout with a $.10 CPC is right up my alley.

Next time you think about an affiliate campaign, use these 4 quick tips to immediately know whether you should promote it, or drop it!