I have always wanted to my site to be as transparent and open as possible – so I have put together this page which explains a little about this site and how it makes money (shock horror!).
Why Did I Create This Site?
I created this site when I started a website design, creation and programming class at an evening school (you can read more about this on my About Me page).
After I had had the site up and running for a little while a friend of mine said to me, ‘Do you know you could make money from your website?’. I had no idea how until he explained to me about something called affiliate marketing.
So What Is Affiliate Marketing?
Put simply it is recommending Person A’s product and then getting paid a commission if you send Person B to Person A to buy that product.
In this scenario Amazon would be the best example of Person A and a general visitor to the site would be Person B.
Say for example you read my review of the Honda HRX217K5VKA Mower, within my review are a couple of links to buy the product. The links take you to the Amazon website.
If you read my review and click on the link that says: ‘Get The Best Price Here’ – it will take you to the Amazon product page for the Honda HRX217K5VKA Mower. If you then buy the product I make a small commission (typically around 4% to 8%) on the sale.
Does It Affect What I Pay For The Product?
No. You pay exactly the same price for the product as you would do if you found the product on Amazon yourself.
The only difference is rather than all the money going to Amazon a small percentage goes to this site.
Does That Mean You Only Write Positive Reviews?
No. I try and be as objective about everything I review as possible and will gladly point out the shortfalls of any product.
Let’s face it, even the best products in the world still have areas they could be improved so I will always point out the good and the bad.
And after all, if you buy something on a recommendation from me and it turns out to be awful I am sure you would have no trust in my site and probably not visit it again!
How Do You Choose Where To Link To?
I research each product and find the cheapest online price. To be honest it is usually Amazon, but sometimes it is Walmart or Home Depot. I regularly compare prices and update as needed.
So Do You Only Do This To Make Money?
No! I wasn’t even aware of affiliate marketing when I started this site, however when my friend pointed this out to me I thought I may as well take advantage of it.
In Conclusion
A considerable amount of time and effort goes into every article I write. As said a ‘Best Of…’ guide could take me up to two weeks or more to get online.
IF you find my information useful and IF you think it is worthy of it you can buy a product through one of my links and I get a small commission.
In the same way you might tip a waiter at a restaurant if you get good service, this acts as a tip for me.
Either way I hope you find the product you are looking for whether you buy it through a link on my website or not.
Good luck and thank you for reading!
Steve Mann. Founder of Suave Yards.