New Categories in Hair Care, Cosmetics and Toys & Games

Both Shopzilla and BizRate strive to offer a top notch shopping experience.  One consistent effort is the creation of new, more granular categories.   The creation of new categories will not always impact all Publisher Program affiliate products, with the exception of our XML FTP Data Feed product.  Should you have any questions or concerns regarding this category release, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Release Date: November 19, 2008 (Shopzilla & BizRate)

Download Pub_NewCats_11.19.08

IMPACT
XML FTP Data Feed: There will be new category files representing each new atomID.  There will be fewer offers in related category files as offers are recategorized into the newly created categories.
XML Catalog API & Dynamic Content Assets (excluding product pods): If you are making dynamic calls within either ‘Cosmetics’ or ‘Kid’s Accessories’, and not specifying a keyword, you may want to consider tuning your specified category to continue displaying your desired results.

Publisher Program on Facebook!

The Shopzilla Publisher Program is now on Facebook and we are encouraging all of our Publishers to check out our new page! On our Facebook page, affiliates can meet and correspond with our team members, read some general information about our program, and access our blog posts. It's one more way to stay informed of Publisher Program news and updates!

Become a Shopzilla Publisher Facebook Fan!

Also, as a reminder, Shopzilla Publisher Program is on Twitter! Subscribe to our Twitter feed to remain updated on our quick alerts regarding program maintenance and new releases.

Join us on Twitter!

Our Publisher blog is a great place to find out all the latest news and updates in the program. We regularly have featured articles and information that is designed to be beneficial to our Publishers. Also, from time to time, we require program maintenance. When this occurs, we try to post an update on the Publisher Program blog so that you, the publisher, are informed about what is going on.

So, take advantage of having all the latest Publisher Affiliate Program news at your fingertips! It's a bummer to be caught by surprise or to miss out on cool new features, so stay informed with help from our Publisher Blog, Facebook page and Twitter!

New Seasonal Shopping Banners available!

It is getting close to the holiday season, so we have updated our seasonal Holiday banners! They are currently available for Publisher's use until mid-January, when the banners will be removed from our program until next November. 

To find the new banners, simply check into your publisher account, go to the Get Content Page and choose the Banners link.  From there, select the "Holidays and Special Occasions" link. This will take you to a wonderful assortment of well-designed holiday banners.

Enjoy!

What makes a good Shopzilla Publisher Program candidate?

We are fortunate to receive hundreds of new applications each day from many types of websites looking to use the Shopzilla US Publisher Program. Each applicant is individually reviewed by the Shopzilla Publisher Team to ensure that there is an appropriate fit between the applicant and the Shopzilla US Publisher Program. Our primary goal is to enable website content publishers to generate the highest monetization and advertising yields through our program, while ensuring that the traffic directed to Shopzilla, Inc.'s merchant advertisers is well-qualified. To that, we only accept publishers whose website content is complemented by shopping-related advertisements.

 

We have put together the below list to explain some of the general criteria that we look for in applicants, and that you should take into consideration when applying for the Shopzilla US Publisher Program:

 

1) Your site must have a qualified and pre-existing US user base for participation in our Shopzilla US Publisher Program.
In order to use the program in the most efficient way, you must have a base of visitors to your page that are interested in what you have on your page! The reason we place an emphasis on a US user base is because the Shopzilla US Publisher Program serves US merchants and many of these do not ship internationally. It would not be fair for our merchants to have to pay for this type of traffic. Targeting international visitors only decreases your traffic quality.

 

If your website caters to the UK user base, we invite you to join our Shopzilla UK Publisher Program.  To register, please visit our Shopzilla UK Publisher Program Portal.

 

We have also recently introduced the Shopzilla Publisher Program to Germany & France for those of you with a German or French user base.

 

2) Your site must be relevant to the Shopzilla US Publisher Program.
This one is simple. Go to www.shopzilla.com and try to find products that relate to the content on your site. If you can not find anything, then our program is probably not right for you.  Using Shopzilla links that target your visiting audience is how to succeed with our program.

 

3) Your site should have a good Google page rank or Alexa trend/rank.
This is something we focus on when determining whether or not a website suits our program. Both these numbers tell us about your website, how it is performing and what your traffic numbers are like.  It is not a strict requirement and we have many publishers with low or no page rank, but it is something we consider when reviewing an application. 
Check your Google Page Rank
Check your Alexa Trend Score

 

4) Registration with an email address that corresponds with your domain name.
This allows us to verify that you actually own the website and have permission to look for acceptance into the Shopzilla US Publisher Program. If there is a valid reason that this can not be provided, let us know and we will take it into consideration.

 

Some website types that do not work for the Shopzilla US Publisher Program:
Ad Networks
Adult Content
Automotive Sales
Healthcare
Insurance, Credit, Finances
Online Gaming
Travel Services

Why do these types of websites not work?
Typically, these types of websites are not relevant to our program.  Shopzilla, Inc. does not advertise services, we compare prices for products. We can not help you offer insurance deals, health care or trips to Paris (unless you’re promoting iPods and laptop travel cases)!  A partnership between our companies would most likely not be fruitful if you fall under some of the above categories. Please take these into consideration when applying for our Shopzilla US Publisher Program.

If it sounds like you qualify for our Shopzilla US Publisher Program, register now!

Publisher Affiliate Spotlight: Shoes of the Day

A month ago we interviewed fashion and shoe blogger, Tracie Murphy.  We recently had the opportunity to interview another "shoe blogger," Derek Miner, who uses Shopzilla Publisher on his excellent Shoes of the Day site.  Derek took a moment to speak about his site and why he's using Shopzilla Publisher on it.

Chris:   Please tell us a little about yourself, Shoes of the Day, and how it came to be:

Derek: I am a Scorpio - oops, wrong platform.  I am passionate about shoes and one of the few males that I know who has more shoes than his spouse! Shoes of the Day was created to provide a unique online shoe review experience - real reviews with an occasional random post to mix it up for fun.

Chris:  How do you find your material to blog about?

Derek:  Thanks to the Internet, jet airplanes and public transportation, the possibilities are endless to find good shoe content to see and write about.  I must also give a shout-out to the niche retail shoe stores and shoe companies who send me shoes to test, take pictures of, review and write about. 

Chris:  Why do you use the Shopzilla Publisher Program's ads?

Derek:   We want our users to have a great shoe experience on our site.  One of the main reasons that Shoesoftheday.com uses the Shopzilla publisher ads is that they showcase unique shoes visually - not just text, but a variety of footwear displayed just how we want it on our pages.   Also, knowing that when our users click in the ad on a pair of shoes they are interested in, they are taken to a trusted Shopzilla vendor who will give them the best price for their next pair of shoes.

Chris:  Anything else?

Derek:  Visit ShoesOfTheDay.com to find a review on your next pair of shoes.  Want to promote your shoe brand?  Send us a pair and we'll take it from there.

Chris: Thanks, Derek!  We wish you and Shoes of the Day continued success!  To any Publishers reading this, if you are interested in participating in our regular Publisher Affiliate Spotlight series, please contact us.

Announcing new categories in Cosmetics & Kids' Accessories!

Both Shopzilla and BizRate strive to offer a top notch shopping experience.  One consistent effort is the creation of new, more granular categories.  Going forward, we will be posting announcements to celebrate the release of these new categories.

 

The creation of new categories will not always impact all Publisher Program affiliate products, with the exception of our XML FTP Data Feed product.  Along with the new category name and associated category atomID, all known implications will be listed with each announcement. 

 

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding any new category release, please do not hesitate to contact us.

 

Release Date: October 31, 2008 (Shopzilla & BizRate)

 

Download Pub_NewCats_10.31.08

IMPACT

XML FTP Data Feed: There will be new category files representing each new atomID.  There will be fewer offers in related category files as offers are recategorized into the newly created categories.

XML Catalog API & Dynamic Content Assets (excluding product pods): If you are making dynamic calls within either ‘Cosmetics’ or ‘Kid’s Accessories’, and not specifying a keyword, you may want to consider tuning your specified category to continue displaying your desired results.