I just read a post on a blog that had 6 (yes, I counted them all) affiliate links to the same product - all in a single post. This is a bad idea if your target audience is in the make money online niche.

C’mon, your readers aren’t stupid and having that many affiliate links will surely turn them off. I don’t have anything against using affiliate links but to overdo it is being shortsighted while chasing near-term profits and sacrificing the long term sustainability of your blog.

Here are a couple of reasons why you shouldn’t overload your posts with affiliate links:

1. Your readers will start to distrust your motives. Trust is the highest commodity in the blogosphere. Once you lose the trust and respect of your readers, it’s extremely difficult to get it back.

2. Even if you think your readers are that dumb, the search engines aren’t. Don’t you think it will raise a few red flags if you have 10 links in your post and 6 of them all point to the same product? Search engines like natural linking patterns.

A few words about the make money niche

While you will hear the advice that you should stay away from this crowded niche, ignore that. People will always want to hear about ways to make more money. This is a HUNGRY crowd and it’s a great niche to be in. Of course, you will have to find your own voice and give a reason for why people should be listening to you.

With the economic downturn, the opportunity is even bigger. As companies downsize, people are nervous about losing their jobs and look for alternative ways to support their families. Working online is a great way to supplement your income. So again, there will always be interest in this niche and the marketplace will support a large number of players.

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