Wednesday, October 23, 2019

11 Free WordPress Hosting Services That Don’t Suck (2019)

If you want to launch your very own self-hosted WordPress blog, but you’re not quite ready (or able) to dip your toes into the premium web hosting waters, a free WordPress hosting service could be just what you need.

These free services won’t match the performance and flexibility of a quality paid WordPress host, but they will help you set up a working WordPress site for free.

This post will break down the 11 best options, show you what they do well, and what they don’t do so well.

After reading, you’ll have a solid idea which free WordPress hosting option is best for you and your needs.

Let’s jump right in.

Free WordPress Hosting Services That Don't Suck

1. WordPress.com

Free WordPress Hosting - WordPress.com

WordPress.com, often confused with the open source WordPress software, is a for-profit implementation of the open source software that you find at WordPress.org.

WordPress.com simplifies the process of creating a WordPress site, letting you launch your site by simply registering for a WordPress.com account. However, it also doesn’t give you access to the full WordPress software, which means you’re limited in what you can do.

Standout Features of WordPress.com

  • Easy, user-friendly setup process
  • Custom WordPress.com dashboard
  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • 3 GB of storage space
  • Choose from hundreds of free WordPress themes, which makes it easy to create a custom web design
  • Free SSL certificate

Pros of WordPress.com

  • The easiest setup process of any free host on this list. All you do is register for an account — no WordPress installation required.
  • High-powered infrastructure means your website will load quickly and reliably.
  • You get access to a custom WordPress dashboard for managing your website.

Cons of WordPress.com

  • You cannot install your own plugins or themes on the free plan.
  • You’re only allowed to use a WordPress.com subdomain — you need to pay to use your own custom domain name.
  • No direct server access — you cannot connect via FTP or manage your database.

Who Should Use WordPress.com?

WordPress.com is a great option for non-technical users who don’t need the ability to install their own themes and plugins.

It’s an especially good choice if you’re looking for a free host to launch a blog. You can still use it to launch a static site — you just won’t have many options for customizing how your static site works.

However, it’s not a good option for technical users because you don’t get server access and it’s a stripped-down version of WordPress that doesn’t give you much flexibility.

Final Word on WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a great free option if you don’t need the full WordPress experience. You’re sacrificing the ability to install your own extensions and access your server, but you’re gaining a simple experience powered by world-class infrastructure.

If that tradeoff sounds fine to you, go for WordPress.com’s free hosting plan.

2. 000webhost

Free WordPress Hosting - 000webhost

000webhost is the free WordPress hosting platform from Hostinger, a popular budget host.

While 000webhost is largely just a marketing strategy to drive you towards Hostinger’s premium hosting offerings, it still offers a solid platform that you can use to run a functional WordPress site — as long as you don’t get too much traffic.

Standout Features of 000webhost

  • Lets you host up to two websites for free
  • Custom-built hosting dashboard to manage your sites
  • 1-click WordPress installer tool via Softaculous
  • Full database and FTP access
  • 1 GB of storage
  • 10 GB of bandwidth
  • No ads
  • Free website builder

Pros of 000webhost

  • You can use your own custom domain name (or a free 000webhost subdomain).
  • The custom hosting dashboard makes it easy to perform key actions, like installing WordPress.
  • You get full access to the underlying server and database.
  • You can host two websites for free.

Cons of 000webhost

  • Your website will be suspended if you exceed the free plan limits (you only get one warning and then your site is gone for good — no recovering your data).
  • The hosting dashboard is filled with prompts to upgrade to Hostinger, the paid service.
  • No support for email hosting.

Who Should Use 000webhost?

000webhost is a great option for users who want a full-service hosting experience for free.

You’ll still be able to install your own apps, access your server and database, and use a custom domain name…you just won’t have to pay for it.

Final Word on 000webhost

000webhost is an attractive option because it gives you fully functioning hosting for free.

The only things to pay attention to are the storage and bandwidth limits. While they’re fine for a low-traffic site, a high-traffic site will quickly hit those limits and 000webhost is aggressive about cutting off sites that exceed its limits.

3. AccuWeb Hosting

Free WordPress Hosting - AccuWeb Hosting

AccuWeb is a US-based web host that offers both free and premium hosting plans. It’s been around since 2003, so AccuWeb is one of the older web hosts out there.

AccuWeb has one of the more generous free WordPress hosting plans when it comes to storage, bandwidth, and email limits. You also get access to cPanel, the latest versions of PHP, and a guarantee of no ads ever.

Standout Features of AccuWeb Hosting

  • cPanel hosting dashboard
  • 2 GB SSD storage
  • 30 GB bandwidth
  • Full server access, including database access
  • 1-click WordPress installer
  • Email accounts
  • Supports custom domain names
  • Basic backup support
  • No ads

Pros of AccuWeb Hosting

  • Has a generous bandwidth limit — you can have up to ~5,000 monthly visitors.
  • Lets you have up to 25 free email accounts, which most free site hosts don’t allow.
  • You get full cPanel and database access.
  • You can use your own domain name.

Cons of AccuWeb Hosting

  • Only lets you host one website per account. AccuWeb enforces this by requiring you to submit a government-issued ID when you register.
  • The only server location is in Montreal, Canada.
  • No free subdomain — you must purchase and use your own domain name.

Who Should Use AccuWeb Hosting?

AccuWeb is a good option for users who need to host a single WordPress site with high traffic while maintaining the flexibility of the full WordPress platform. While it can’t power a truly high-traffic website, it does offer one of the more generous plans when compared to other full-featured free WordPress hosts.

Just remember that AccuWeb is strict about the one website rule — you’ll need to submit your government-issued ID to access your free hosting.

Final Word on AccuWeb Hosting

There’s no single standout feature with AccuWeb — it’s just a really solid free offering. The limits give you enough room to create a functional WordPress site and you still get access to the latest technologies like cPanel and PHP 7+.

4. Byet.host

Free WordPress Hosting - Byet

Byet has been around for over ten years now and is a subsidiary of a parent company, iFastNet (which also runs another free web hosting on this list).

Byet offers some of the most generous free hosting plans around when it comes to storage and bandwidth limits.

Standout Features of Byet

  • Unlimited storage (but 10 MB max file size for individual files)
  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • Free subdomain or use your own custom domain
  • 1-click WordPress auto-installer
  • VistaPanel hosting dashboard
  • Email hosting (up to 5 email addresses)
  • Full server access via FTP
  • Unlimited MySQL databases
  • No ads

Pros of Byet

  • Unlimited storage and bandwidth is quite generous.
  • You can use a free subdomain or your own custom domain name.
  • You can create your own email address.
  • Unlimited MySQL databases means you can technically host unlimited sites.

Cons of Byet

  • While you get unlimited storage, individual files cannot exceed 10 MB.
  • The VistaPanel hosting dashboard looks quite dated.

Who Should Use Byet?

Byet is a great option for users who need full server access for lots of WordPress sites and/or high-traffic WordPress sites.

Byet is one of the few free WordPress hosts to let you create unlimited websites and it also offers unlimited bandwidth, which makes it a good choice for high-traffic sites.

Final Word on Byet

Byet packs the word “unlimited” into its plans quite a bit, making it one of the most generous free WordPress hosts out there.

Just remember the 10 MB limit on individual files, as that might cause issues if you need to host large files.

5. AwardSpace

Free WordPress Hosting - AwardSpace

AwardSpace is a budget web host from Germany that’s been around since 2003.

With AwardSpace, you’ll get a free WordPress hosting plan that’s suitable for up to 5,000 visits per month, as well as an easy upgrade path as your site grows, with premium hosting plans starting at just $0.19 (USD) per month.

Standout Features of AwardSpace

  • Host up to 4 websites
  • 1-click WordPress installer
  • Use your own domain or choose from a free dx.am domain
  • Custom hosting control panel
  • Web-based file manager
  • Full MySQL database support
  • Email hosting
  • 1 GB storage
  • 5 GB bandwidth
  • No ads
  • Also offers free Joomla hosting

Pros of AwardSpace

  • Lets you host up to four websites.
  • You can have your own email account (e.g. you@yoursite.com).
  • You get full access to the server files and database.

Cons of AwardSpace

  • Low bandwidth in comparison to other hosts’ free plans — you only get 5 GB.
  • While you can have four websites, only one of them can be a top-level domain. The other three websites must be subdomains.

Who Should Use AwardSpace?

AwardSpace is a good option for those who want to have multiple low-traffic sites and need full server access. The bandwidth and storage limits will limit how many visitors you can have, but you’ll be able to have four websites (though three must be on subdomains).

Final Word on AwardSpace

AwardSpace doesn’t have a very generous bandwidth allocation, but it does let you host up to four websites, includes email hosting, and gives you full server access.

If you can work within those storage and bandwidth limits, it can be a good free option.

6. x10Hosting

Free WordPress Hosting - x10Hosting

x10Hosting is a cloud-based host that’s been offering free web hosting since back in 2004. Cloud-based means that, rather than your content “living” on a single server, it’s stored in the cloud.

You’ll get unlimited bandwidth, full cPanel access, and a one-click WordPress auto-installer to help you get up and running.

Standout Features of x10Hosting

  • Cloud-based hosting infrastructure
  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • 512 MB storage (potentially more)
  • Use subdomain or your own custom domain
  • 2 different hosting dashboards — cPanel or a custom hosting dashboard
  • Full server access
  • 1-click WordPress installer

Pros of x10Hosting

  • You can use your own custom domain name or choose from five free subdomains.
  • x10Hosting caps your storage limit at 512 MB to start, but they’ll give you more space for certain uses if you ask.
  • Unlimited bandwidth means x10Hosting works for high-traffic sites.
  • You get full cPanel access.

Cons of x10Hosting

  • Limited signup locations. X10Hosting would not let me sign up from Vietnam or using a VPN, so not everyone can use the service.

Who Should Use x10Hosting?

x10Hosting is good for those with higher-traffic websites because it offers unlimited bandwidth. It’s also great if you want a powerful hosting dashboard, as it’s one of the few free web hosts to give you access to cPanel.

Final Word on x10Hosting

x10Hosting is a great free option if you can use it. I wasn’t able to get around the geolocation block to create a free hosting account — so YMMV when trying to sign up for this free service.

7. Free Hosting No Ads

Free WordPress Hosting - Free Hosting No Ads

Free Hosting No Ads certainly won’t win any points for the creativity of its name, but the name does do a pretty great job of describing what you get with this one.

Free Hosting No Ads has been offering free hosting since 2010 — you can even join their Facebook group for a chance to win a free domain name to pair with your free hosting.

Standout Features of Free Hosting No Ads

  • 1 GB storage space
  • 5 GB bandwidth
  • 1-click WordPress installer
  • Use your own custom domain name or a free subdomain
  • Email accounts
  • No ads

Pros of Free Hosting No Ads

  • The 1 GB storage limit gives you a good amount of space to work with.
  • You can create your own custom email account.
  • You can choose between a free subdomain or you own custom domain name.

Cons of Free Hosting No Ads

  • Does not support the latest versions of PHP. Its most recent version is PHP 5.4, which is beyond outdated at this point. You might run into compatibility problems with some WordPress plugins.
  • The bandwidth limit won’t work for a high-traffic site.

Who Should Use Free Hosting No Ads?

Free Hosting No Ads is good for people who are just looking for a free playground to test things, but the lack of support for the most recent versions of PHP will cause a lot of compatibility problems with WordPress plugins.

So if you’re looking to harness the power of WordPress plugins, this one isn’t a good option.

Final Word on Free Hosting No Ads

Free Hosting No Ads is generous with its features and limitations, but the outdated PHP version support means you’re probably better off with a different host for any serious WordPress project.

8. Free Hosting

Free WordPress Hosting - Free Hosting

If you thought Free Hosting No Ads’ name was creative, then you’re going to absolutely love the creativity and brevity of Free Hosting.

By saving time and energy on brainstorming a name, Free Hosting is able to offer generous free cPanel web hosting with unlimited bandwidth.

Standout Features of Free Hosting

  • cPanel hosting dashboard
  • 1-click WordPress auto-installer
  • 10 GB storage space
  • Unlimited bandwidth
  • Use your own domain name
  • 1 MySQL database

Pros of Free Hosting

  • You get access to cPanel, which most free website hosts don’t offer.
  • Unlimited bandwidth means you can host a high-traffic site.
  • The 10 GB storage limit is quite generous and should be enough for most WordPress sites.
  • You can have your own email account (but only one).

Cons of Free Hosting

  • You can only host a single WordPress site because you’re only allowed one MySQL database.
  • There’s no free subdomain option — you have to purchase and use your own custom domain name.
  • While you can have one free email account, you can’t send email from your site (though this is an available add-on for a one-time fee).

Who Should Use Free Hosting?

Free Hosting is a great option for people who only need to host a single WordPress site.

While you’re only able to host one WordPress site, the unlimited bandwidth and generous 10 GB storage limit mean that you won’t run into limits as your site grows.

Final Word on Free Hosting

If you want to use your own domain name and only need a single website, Free Hosting is a great option that gives you access to the industry-standard cPanel hosting dashboard and generous storage and bandwidth.

9. InfinityFree

Free WordPress Hosting - InfinityFree

InfinityFree is another free web hosting service using infrastructure from iFastNet (the same parent company of the Byet service detailed above).

Like Byet, it gives you generous limits when it comes to disk space and bandwidth, which is why over 300,000 people use InfinityFree, according to the landing page.

Standout Features of InfinityFree

  • Unlimited storage (but individual files cannot exceed 10 MB)
  • Unlimited bandwidth (but limited to 50,000 daily hits)
  • 1-click WordPress installer, plus a script installer for 400+ other tools
  • Use your own custom domain name or choose from 25 free subdomains
  • 10 email accounts
  • 400 MySQL databases
  • PHP 7.3 support
  • Cloudflare CDN
  • SSL certificate
  • Ad free

Pros of InfinityFree

  • Unlimited bandwidth and storage means you can host large, high-traffic WordPress sites. You can have up to 50,000 daily hits per day, which is enough for thousands of daily visitors.
  • You can have up to 10 custom email accounts.
  • Being able to use 400 MySQL databases means you can host multiple WordPress sites.

Cons of InfinityFree

  • While you get unlimited storage, individual files cannot exceed 10 MB.
  • The VistaPanel hosting dashboard looks quite dated.

Who Should Use InfinityFree?

Just like Byet…

InfinityFree is a great option for users who need full server access for lots of WordPress sites and/or high-traffic WordPress sites.

InfinityFree is one of the few free WordPress hosts to let you create unlimited websites and it also offers unlimited bandwidth, which makes it a good choice for high-traffic sites.

Final Word on InfinityFree

InfinityFree is from the same parent company as Byet, so it’s really just up to your preference which one you want to use.

There are some minor differences — like the number of email accounts you can have. But generally, you get the same service — so just go with whichever name you like better!

10. Freehostia

Free WordPress Hosting - Freehostia

Despite the name, Freehostia offers both free and premium WordPress hosting.

Freehostia uses load-balanced clusters to host your site and gives you generous access to your server.

Standout Features of Freehostia

  • Host up to five websites
  • SSL certificates via Let’s Encrypt
  • 250 MB storage
  • 6 GB bandwidth
  • 1-click WordPress installer
  • 3 email accounts
  • 1 MySQL database
  • Technical support with 1-hour ticket response times

Pros of Freehostia

  • You can have up to three personal email accounts.
  • You get full server access, including nice features like free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates.

Cons of Freehostia

  • The storage limit is quite small — 250 MB is only enough for a very small site.
  • While you can host up to five websites, you can only have one MySQL database, which means you can only have one WordPress install (the other sites would need to be static sites).

Who Should Use Freehostia?

Freehostia is great for users who want to host a simple site that’s mostly static. For example, a portfolio site.

However, the low storage limits means it’s not a good option for large sites. For example, if you had a blog where you upload images, you’d hit the storage limit pretty quickly.

Final Word on Freehostia

From a feature perspective, Freehostia is quite generous for a free WordPress host, with full server access, SSL certificates, and more.

The main thing holding Freehostia back is its low storage limits.

11. 100WebSpace

Free WordPress Hosting - 100WebSpace

100WebSpace is a budget web hosting service that offers affordable premium plans alongside its free hosting service.

While its free service is fairly limited, you can upgrade to premium plans for as little as 99 cents per month, so you can affordably grow if needed.

Standout Features of 100WebSpace

  • Support for 1 domain name
  • 100 MB storage space
  • 3 GB monthly traffic
  • 1 database and 5 MB of storage
  • one-click WordPress installer
  • 99.9% uptime guarantee
  • SSL certificates via Let’s Encrypt
  • Customer support — 1-hour technical support ticket response time
  • No ads

Pros of 100WebSpace

  • Your own email address (up to three).
  • You still get access to human support if you need it.
  • You get full server access, including FTP accounts, SSL certificates, and more.

Cons of 100WebSpace

  • It has very limited storage space — 100 MB doesn’t give you much space beyond the WordPress software.
  • You can only have one WordPress install because of the MySQL database limit (though the storage limit kind of makes that a moot point).

Who Should Use 100WebSpace?

100WebSpace is really only good for a simple static WordPress site. For example, if you just want to host a portfolio, it can be a great option. But if you’re a blogger who is planning on… well, blogging, you’ll quickly hit the storage limit.

Final Word on 100WebSpace

100WebSpace is fine for basic uses, but its low storage limit will get in the way of dynamic WordPress sites. However, you can always upgrade to a premium hosting plan for less than a dollar a month, so it won’t break the bank if you have to upgrade.

Editor’s Note:

How to Upgrade to a Premium, Managed WordPress Host (When You’re Ready)

If you keep your expectations in check and pick the right hosting company, you can have a solid experience using one of the services we’ve outlined above.

But eventually — because your site starts bringing in real traffic, you decide to add an e-commerce store, you want better customer support, etc. — the day may come when you’ll want to upgrade to a premium WordPress host.

We recommend SiteGround (affiliate link) to our students. We believe it’s the best WordPress host for most bloggers.

Hosting plans start at $3.95 per month, and for that bargain price you get some nice features:

  • A technical support team knowledgeable in all things WordPress
  • A Content Delivery Network (CDN) to speed up your site (which helps with SEO)
  • Free SSL certificates (so Google will know your site can be trusted)
  • Daily backups (so you never lose your data)
  • The ability to add parked domains
  • A 30-day money back guarantee

When you’re ready, here are the step-by-step instructions for purchasing SiteGround (and updating your domain’s nameservers to point to it).

Which Free WordPress Hosting Service Will You Choose?

Thanks to the hosting services in this post, you don’t need to spend big bucks just to launch your own website.

Now that you know your options for the best free WordPress hosting, there’s only one question left to answer:

Which free WordPress host is right for you?

Pick the service that best matches your needs and go make something awesome.

About the author: Colin Newcomer is a freelance writer for hire with a background in SEO and affiliate marketing. He helps clients grow their web visibility by writing primarily about digital marketing and WordPress. In his spare time, he travels and curates graphic t-shirts.

The post 11 Free WordPress Hosting Services That Don’t Suck (2019) appeared first on Smart Blogger.



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Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Why Marketers Should Invest in the Stories Format and Stories Ads, and How to Do It

More than 1 billion Stories are shared every day across the Facebook family of apps: Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Stories as a social media format are here to stay. Marketers and brands that invest in this trend will reap the rewards. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

from
https://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2019/41961/why-marketers-should-invest-in-the-stories-format-and-stories-ads-and-how-to-do-it

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Top 5 Lesser-Known Social Media Tools to Improve Your Campaign Results

Social media tools can help build your audience and attract sales. Usually, popular tools come to mind when you need a solution. But there are lesser-known, yet amazing, tools that can significantly improve your social media campaign results. Here are five such social media tools. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

from
https://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2019/41956/top-5-lesser-known-social-media-tools-to-improve-your-campaign-results

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Facebook Image Sizes and Dimensions Cheat Sheet [Infographic]

Facebook's algorithm gives preference to visual content--photos, GIFs, and videos--allowing marketers to engage audiences effectively. To ensure your Facebook efforts pay off, use the right image sizes and dimensions. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

from
https://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2019/41938/facebook-image-sizes-and-dimensions-cheat-sheet-infographic

eBay Partner Network: Is eBay’s Affiliate Program Right for You?

Your blog is up and running. You’re ready to earn money and the eBay Partner Network (EPN) sounds intriguing.

But, you don’t quite know what EPN is all about.

How does it differ from all the other affiliate networks out there for affiliate marketers? You need more information. More details.

You’re looking for something that answers:

  • What exactly is eBay’s affiliate program?
  • How is eBay Partner Network different from other affiliate programs?
  • How do eBay affiliates make money?
  • And, finally, how do you join?

This post will answer those questions and more.

By the end, you’ll know the eBay Partner Network forwards and backwards. And you’ll know how you can sell affiliate products on eBay — fast.

So, let’s get to it — starting with a little Q&A.

eBay Partner Network: Is eBay's Affiliate Program Right for You?

eBay Partner Network (EPN) Q&A

What is an eBay Affiliate?

As you probably know, eBay Inc. is a long-standing e-commerce company that brings together buyers and sellers from around the world. They’re well-known for their auction-style sales model.

But did you know eBay.com sells millions of products at set prices? That was news to me too.

So, to help promote their slew of products, an eBay affiliate program was launched in 2008 — eBay Partner Network (EPN).

Note: eBay calls their affiliates “publishers.”

A publisher can be anyone who has an audience they can promote products to online. (There are a few restrictions, but we’ll get to those in a bit.)

If you have a blog, a website, an email list, a social media channel such as Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit, Instagram, or Twitter — you, too, can be a publisher.

How is the eBay Affiliate Program Different Than Other Affiliate Programs?

Most affiliate programs are fairly similar. eBay Partner Network has a few minor differences:

  • EPN has a low joining threshold. And they welcome newcomers. So even if your blog is new and you’re getting little-to-no quality traffic from Google, you can join. And the joining process is super simple.
  • EPN’s payout threshold is low. They pay commissions once a month for accounts that have earned more than ten units of their home currency ($10, 10 euros, etc). (In comparison, Amazon’s payout threshold is $100).
  • EPN will pay your commission through PayPal or direct deposit (if your country supports this).
  • Like Amazon, eBay is ginormous. They offer Best Price Guarantee. And they offer free shipping on many products. But, unlike Amazon, shoppers don’t pay a membership fee for premium services. This means, with eBay Partner Network, you’ll never run out of items to promote and your followers can trust they’re getting the best deals through you — often with free premium services.
  • Finally, eBay has been around since 1995 and is still going strong. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) gives eBay an A+ rating. If you’re looking for a long-term affiliate marketing program partnership with good user experience and high-quality traffic, eBay’s Partner Network is backed by a stable and growing company.

How do eBay Affiliates Make Money?

After joining the eBay Partner Network, a publisher follows a simple 3-step process:

  1. Find a product (or products) on eBay that you like and trust to promote.
  2. Create a traceable affiliate link using one of EPN’s easy-to-use tools.
  3. Share the traceable EPN affiliate links on your blog, website, social media channels, email campaigns, etc.

Now, when one of your followers (aka “shopper”) clicks on the link, the shopper is directed to the eBay listings.

When he makes a qualifying transaction, eBay tracks the sale back to your affiliate link via a “cookie.”

You then earn a percentage of eBay’s revenue. In other words, EPN pays you a part of what eBay made on the sale.

Congratulations! You just received a commission!

How do eBay Publishers Get Paid?

EPN will pay you in your country of residence’s currency (dollars, euros, etc).

You can choose whether to have them pay to a verified PayPal account or to direct deposit (if your country of residence supports it).

And, you get paid every month — as long as you meet the $10 minimum.

What is a Qualifying Transaction?

A transaction qualifies for a commission in 1 of 2 ways:

  1. Your shopper makes a purchase within 24 hours of clicking your link for a “Buy It Now” item, or
  2. Your shopper bids on an “Auction” item within 24 hours of clicking your link and then wins that auction within 10 days.

In short, the EPN “cookie window” is 24 hours. Your shopper needs to either buy or bid on an item after clicking on your link before that cookie window expires.

But be aware. According to EPN:

“A browser cookie is only tracked within the specific browser, so if the user opens a different browser and completes an action, it will not be tracked.”

What Percentage Does eBay Take?

Publishers earn between 50%-70% of what eBay makes on the product sale — depending on the category of the item. The Rate Card shows the category level commissions:

eBay Partner Network: PlainRateCard2

eBay doesn’t earn much on certain categories and items — such as gift cards, items sold by charities, and special promotional deals. That means you won’t be earning money on these products either.

But here’s some good news.

You can earn bonus money when either a new buyer or a “reactivated buyer” (someone who hasn’t made a purchase on eBay in the past 12 months) makes a purchase through your affiliate link. The bonus equals 100% of your base earnings on qualifying transactions.

To make it crystal clear, let’s go through an example:

You tell everybody about a wonderful garden product on eBay and provide an affiliate link on your blog.

A shopper clicks on your EPN affiliate link and buys the product within 24 hours for $100.

Say eBay earns $10 on the sale (their revenue). eBay Partner Network then pays you a percentage of that revenue.

eBay Partner Network: SampleRateCard

Reviewing the commission rates on the Rate Card:

Home & Garden products earn a 60% commission on qualifying transactions.

60% x $10 = $6 — which is what you earn on the sale.

If your buyer is a new or reactivated buyer, you earn an additional 100% of your $6 — or another $6.

6 + 6 = $12, your total earnings on the garden product sale.

Ka-ching! Thanks to your new buyer, you have double commissions.

What are the Signup Requirements for eBay Partner Network?

EPN signup requirements are pretty basic:

  • You need to be able to form legally binding contracts (which means you must be at least 18 years old.)
  • You need to have an eBay account in good standing.
  • Live in a country where payment via PayPal or Direct Deposit is permitted.
  • You need to have an online platform that doesn’t feature “adult, illegal, or restricted” content.

And, as I said before, EPN has a low joining threshold. Unlike other affiliate networks, platform traffic is not a criterion for joining.

How Do I Join the eBay Partner Network?

Joining the eBay affiliate program is super simple.

First, make sure you have an eBay account. If you don’t, go to eBay, click “register” in the upper left hand corner of the page, and create an account.

eBay Register

You can choose between a personal account or a business account:

eBay Partner Network: Create Personal or Business Acct

Once you have an eBay account set up, scroll to the bottom of eBay’s home page and click on “Affiliates”:

eBay Partner Network: Affiliates2

Click on one of the “Sign Up Now” buttons and fill in your details:

eBay Partner Network: SignUpNowRev

After acceptance of the eBay Partner Network Agreement, you’ll be accepted into EPN almost immediately.

Log in to eBay Partner Network account and you should see a Welcome page.

Click on the “Account” tab to see the drop-down menu.

Now fill in the rest of your information — your address, payment (PayPal or direct deposit), and tax info (you’ll need your social security number or employer ID number):

eBay Partner Network: Fill Out Account

If you want, take a look at the dashboard for some good information on affiliate marketing and EPN.

And that’s it! You’re all set up.

Now let’s drive traffic to eBay and earn money!

How to Make Money with the eBay Affiliate Program

Okay, we’re down to the nitty-gritty. How do you earn money with EPN?

Never Leave Without a Trace: Campaigns and Campaign IDs

You can’t earn money if the merchant can’t track you.

So, to start, you need a campaign. EPN will start a default campaign for you when you first join. You can find it under the Campaign tab on the Welcome page:

Campaigns

What’s a campaign?

A campaign is “a group” with a unique 10-digit identifier that’s embedded into your affiliate link (the link that points traffic to the merchant; in this case, eBay).

Each campaign will have its own identifier, which EPN calls the Campaign ID.

Here’s an example of an EPN affiliate link and the embedded Campaign ID:

Campaign ID embedded

This Campaign ID becomes attached to products in your campaign and helps with tracking and analytics. It also allows you to separate and manage your traffic.

You can create different campaigns for different purposes.

For example, you can use separate campaigns for different product categories.

Or, you might want to use separate campaigns to track conversion rates on different parts of your website.

However you use them, a Campaign ID is mandatory for all EPN affiliate links in order to track sales back to you.

Note: To make sure you receive credit for your sales, eBay Partner Network recommends:

“… you always get your EPN link from a tool provided by EPN, such as the Link Generator tool, or the Bookmarklet tool. We cannot guarantee tracking if the link has been modified.”

eBay Affiliate Program: Easy set-up. Fast Earnings.

Okay, you’ve set up a campaign. Now what?

Well, you have to find something you want to promote and generate a traceable EPN affiliate link.

One of the easiest ways to get up and running fast is through promotable links. You can use the Copy & Paste method or BookMarklets. They’re both super simple.

Copy & Paste

You’ll find it on your Dashboard page:

CreateAPortableLink

So, let’s walk through it:

  1. First, find a product on eBay you want to promote. I searched under “Garden” and found a decorative garden wagon:

FlowerPotStand2

  1. Next, open the URL and copy the address:

ClicktoOpenURL

  1. Fill out the Copy & Paste form (on your EPN dashboard).
  2. Choose your campaign.
  3. Paste the eBay product URL in the correct area.
  4. Click “Create.”

choosepastecreate

  1. Your promotable EPN link will pop up on your screen:

PromotableLink

  1. Copy and paste the unique EPN link onto your blog, website, social media platform, email, etc. The traceable EPN affiliate link and image should appear.

Voila

Bookmarklets

Another quick and easy way to generate trackable affiliate links to drive traffic to eBay is through Bookmarklets. You can create these in a couple of ways.

First, from your Dashboard page:

  1. Choose your campaign.

SpeedyBookmarklet

  1. Then drag the icon to your toolbar. (Remember, this icon is specific to only one campaign. When the icon fixes to your toolbar, it changes to the campaign name.)

EPN Garden toolbar

  1. Now, when you’re browsing eBay, if you find an item you want to promote under this campaign, click the Bookmarklet on your toolbar.
  2. An EPN affiliate link will generate and pop-up onto your screen.
  3. Copy this affiliate link and share it with your audience.

Bookmarklet Link URL

A second way to create a Bookmarklet is from your Campaign page:

  1. Click on the bookmark associated with the campaign you want.

Click on BookMark2

  1. A pop-up will appear telling you to drag the link to your toolbar.

BookMarklet DragCampaign

  1. Drag the link and then click “Done.”

Once on your toolbar, the Bookmarklet acts as described above — just click on it when you come across an eBay product you want to promote.

eBay Partner Network: Quick to Start. Easy to Do.

So now you know what EPN is all about.

You’ve taken a deep dive. You’ve had your questions answered. And you’ve seen how the eBay Partner Network stacks up against Amazon Associates, ShareASale, CJ Affiliate, ClickBank, and other affiliate networks.

Is EPN the right affiliate program for you? If it is, it’s time to get started.

It’s time to get your blog working for you.

It’s time to earn some money.

About the Author: Dawn Bauman is a freelance writer and SmartBlogger Certified Content Marketer. She writes for the travel and digital marketing industries. Dawn uses skills she learned as a nurse practitioner to connect with people while educating them in a clear and easy-to-read style. Learn more about Dawn at https://writer.me/dawn-bauman. Contact her at baumancreativevision@gmail.com.

The post eBay Partner Network: Is eBay’s Affiliate Program Right for You? appeared first on Smart Blogger.



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Thursday, October 3, 2019

15 Tips and 9 Tools to Boost Your Instagram Video Marketing

If you're going to run a successful marketing campaign on Instagram, you need to understand it and its audience inside and out. Here are tips as well as tools to help you succeed on Instagram with video marketing. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

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https://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2019/41903/tips-and-tools-to-boost-your-instagram-video-marketing

How to Set Up and Use Your Small Business Instagram Profile [Infographic]

A social media strategy is crucial for most businesses today. For many small businesses, Instagram seems an obvious choice because it's well-suited to brand-building and promotions. Before all else, though, you need to set up a killer profile--then follow these best-practices. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

from
https://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2019/41904/how-to-set-up-and-use-your-small-business-instagram-profile-infographic