Dear Affiliate,

Winter is well on its way and so is the next HostelBookers' customer offer! We have also released new Halloween banners, so please read on for details...

The Global Price Leader!
HostelBookers is launching the Global Price Leaders Prize Draw, where we are giving away a prize each day over 10 days! This is to celebrate the fact that we are leading the pack when it comes to low cost accommodation!

Whenever a customer books a hostel, hotel or room between 1st and 10th October 2009, they will automatically be entered into a prize draw. One lucky person each day will then be picked at random from this draw to have their entire accommodation costs refunded.

Please copy and paste this url into your web browser for full competition details:http://www.hostelbookers.com/competitions/free-holiday/


New Halloween Banners
We've released Halloween banners through the AffiliateFuture interface so please take a look! If yu have any questions on how to implement these links into your site then please contact me: michelle.rando@hostelbookers.com


What do you want from HostelBookers?
There have been significant changes to HostelBookers lately and we would love to hear what you think about our affiliate program. The information received from this survey will help us tailor upcoming links and offers to suit your website.

Please click on the url below to complete the survey online, and let us know what you want from the HostelBookers Affiliate program!

Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=46a3_2fE6WhQDqMgNtrflICQ_3d_3d


SEO Tip of the Month: Off-Page Optimisation
Off-page optimisation is a time consuming activity that requires dedication as well as a good keyword strategy but can produce good results. The following two tips are to help you get started on your way to building links; this is not an exhaustive list.

Remember that building links should never be directed towards the search engines themselves, rather they should be directed towards the end user, that is, your potential customer.

1. Directories: Try to find the most relevant keywords in your sector. Use your principal keywords for the title and secondary keywords for the description. However, it is best not to use the exact same title and content in all of the directories.
Dmoz.org is one of the biggest directories, if you haven't registered your business here, then it is a good idea to do so.
2. Article Submission: You can write interesting articles around a theme based on your relevant keywords. Content is key in improving your SE rank.

Most of all, before starting off-page optimisation, it is advisable to:
- do plenty of keyword research,
- identify your site's position,
- identify the potential traffic volume of your site,
- check out the competition.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

Kind regards,
Michelle
The HostelBookers Affiliate Team
e: michelle.rando@hostelbookers.com
t: +44 (0)20 7406 1805