Most of us seem to think we need a very descriptive domain name for our website. But that doesn't always work. Here is a message written by Joe E Clayton, Jr, that was meant for affiliate marketing but I believe it is valuable to anyone building a website on the Internet.

By the way, following Joe's advice I've registered a crazy domain name: http://turbo-chicken.com. And I can almost see the logo ;-) Like one of those old Roadrunner Cartoons...

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Using the "Crazy Name System" To Make Affiliate Money

(c) Joe e. Clayton Jr.

There have been scores of eBooks and software programs written to deal with the most critical aspect of selling as an affiliate for other people's products: hiding that affiliate link, because people hate to click affiliates links. (I should know - I have a HUGE amount of software about that on our site).

Based on our testing, the method I am going to describe here is the best I know of, does NOT require software or editing, is re-usable, AND may be the most fun you will have selling.

I call it the "Crazy Name" system. It not only hides that link, but it helps you get that link clicked by its very nature!

There are two key parts to the system:

Using domain names Choosing Crazy Names

Using a Domain name as your link is critical: It's short, it does not look like an affiliate link, and it's re-assuring, because it looks like a full blown web site.

But how do you use a domain name if you can't afford hosting? You do NOT need to host the name - you choose a registrar, like GoDaddy.com, who will provide what we call "URL Forwarding" AND "Masking" for free.

URL forwarding means that GoDaddy sets the DNS up so that whenever someone 'clicks' that domain name you put in your ads, they are SENT to where-ever that domain is 'forwarded' - to what ever URL you gave GoDaddy. And what URL did you give them? Your Affiliate Link! And "Masking" means the customer does NOT see that link in it's browser address bar, but instead sees whatever you tell GoDaddy to display.

Now your link is hidden, without using software, without hosting. It's easy, and the only cost was the name itself!

Which brings us to Part 2: What domain name to use?

Use a Crazy Name!

Do NOT pick a 'marketing' like name, like

http://www.incredibleMarketingMethod.com

that is not only boring - invoking responses like "oh, sure...here we go again...been there, done that..." - but could also get the ad "filtered" by filters looking for such "selling" words.

Pick a Crazy name, like:

http://www.Bear-Slams-Into-tree.com

http://www.chickens-playing-football.com

Your LINK is helping sell, because it invokes curiosity, maybe even laughter, or both. (those are real sites by the way). AND, they are easily remembered.

(BTW: as we explain in my newsletter, you need those dashes between words)

These "name" links will work for any product you choose, and are re-usable: you can change that 'forward' to any affiliate link you want, any time, as often as you like.

One last benefit: Search Engines. pay per Click will not let you register an affiliate link, but they DO allow domain names. And if your "vendor" copies our approach, and hosts a mini-site for every affiliate, then that name can even be registered with 'normal' search engines!

=== Joe Clayton is the founder and creator of one of the best sources of software for resell on the Internet, and one of the most unusual affiliate programs: Free-Software-Forever