Are you looking for another way to monetize your WordPress blog?   Back in November 2008, I wrote about a new premium WordPress plugin called Auction Thumbs.   After that post was published, there seemed to be a lot of interest in this type of product.  This seems to be because people are quickly discovering they can make a lot of money online by doing nothing more than simply sending traffic over to eBay for relevant auctions!  In this post I will be discussing a similar WordPress plugin which has actually been around for over two years now called PHP Bay Pro.

PHP Bay is an eBay affiliate script that comes in two forms.   The first is a stand-alone API version which allows non-WordPress PHP based websites to quickly and easily add eBay keyword based content advertisements to their website.  The second version is the one which will apply to our readers, and that is the easy to use PHP Bay WordPress plugin.

PHP Bay Pro lets you take advantage of the 80 million auctions on eBay by adding relevant auctions to your WordPress blog.   When users click on the auctions, they are taken to that auction on eBay.   Then once people buy ANY item on eBay, you earn a commission, even if it wasn’t what you referred them for.  In fact, you get commission for any auctions won over the next 7 days by that person.   If that wasn’t enough, if someone signs up for an eBay account within 7 days of clicking on your eBay auction link, you also get a very nice commission (can be as high as $40.00 I believe, but usually around $15.00 each).

Here is the feature list you get with PHP Bay:

• Earn revenue through the Ebay Partner Network or other popular programs like PepperJam, Mediaplex, TradeDoubler or Affilinet!
• Add keyword rich Ebay items to your php based web site that encourage impulsive buys!
• Easily Integrate into any New or Existing WordPress Blog!
• Thousands of free Wordpress templates available across the web to create virtually any type of site!
• Not Javascript based! Auction listings are 100% pure html based creating additional targeted content for your site!
• List auction items regionally from 17 different countries!
• List items by postal code (zip code) for localized results.
• List items from specific Ebay categories.
• Listings displayed in language and currency of selected country.
• Listings displayed in rows or specified number of columns for a Web 2.0 look and feel!
• Access to our active members only forum that offers a tremendous value in how to get more out of phpBay Pro, strategies, tips and tricks and much more!
• Use on as many sites as you own! phpBay Pro is not limited to one domain. It can be used on one, or hundreds of sites with one license!
• Comprehensive user manual with illustrations, in PDF format, for both the WordPress version and the API version, that will walk you through, step-by-step, to install and get working quickly with phpBay Pro!
• Upgrades are free for the life of the product! phpBay Pro is nearly two years old with three major upgrades made with suggestions from our user base!

If you are considering buying this WordPress plugin, make sure the topic your WordPress blog(s) covers will convert well on eBay.  Product based websites which cover something that is often bought on eBay seems to convert the best (electronics, pictures, etc.).   If your blog covers free products or some sort of service, chances are using a WordPress plugin like this won’t be worth your effort and will annoy your readers.

If you decide you’re interested in PHP Bay Pro, it looks like it is currently available for $79.00.  I believe they used to have a free version as well, but I’ve not been able to track that down so they may have removed it since I bought my copy of this plugin last year.

Have you ever wanted to run one of those review websites?  They’ve been sprouting up all over the place over the past year and you may be wondering how people are building these sites so easily.   WordPress users now have that option with a single premium WordPress plugin and premium theme called WP Review Site.

With this premium theme and plugin combination (you get both), you can easily create a bunch of small niche review sites by simply uploading and activating the plugin/theme combination!  The theme has everything setup upon activation, so there is no need to do anything.

WP Review Site Plugin Features:

• JavaScript star rating system added to comment forms
• Posts sorted by weighted average
• Works for posts or pages
• Powers an entire website, or just selected parts of it
• Horizontal/List or Vertical/Table displays
• WordPress Affiliate Link Management
• Complete Premium WordPress Theme
• Admin panel integration (Ratings show up in comment moderation screens, and only approved comments influence the average ratings displayed on any post or page.)
• Free Upgrades for Life

Here is a sample of how WP Review Site will look using the default theme:

In order to get a copy of this premium WordPress plugin (and theme), you can now purchase a copy.

Single Use Package: $97, Multi Use Package: $199, & Developer Package: $299

You might remember that a couple of weeks ago I reviewed a premium WordPress plugin called WP Affiliate Pro. In the time since then, I came across a similar premium WordPress plugin called WP Ninja Affiliate, which I managed to pick up a copy of and have been playing around with ever since. What can I say? I’m a sucker for plugins that have the potential to make my online life easier!

At first glance, WP Ninja Affiliate might seem a lot like the WP Affiliate Pro plugin due to the many similarities, but in testing I’ve found that in many ways, it is a more advanced version of that plugin. It does the things you’ve come to expect from WP Affiliate Pro, such as managing your affiliate links, adding cloaked affiliate links to your existing blog posts, and even provide you with click statistics.

In addition to all that good stuff, you’ll also be able to:

1. Assign Multiple Keywords – If you want to use multiple anchor text for an individual affiliate link, you can do so with this plugin.
2. Group Affiliates – Group your affiliate links for easy management.
3. Enjoy Smart Caching – This plugin uses a smart caching feature to prevent your blog from slowing down.

I also found that many of the functions are easier to do than WP Affiliate Pro. Also, in the time that I’ve owned this plugin, it has already seen updates, leading me to believe it is very well supported by the author. If you aren’t happy with your purchase for some reason, you have an eight week money back guarantee!

Overall, I am very happy with my acquisition of this premium WordPress plugin I plan on using it on a few of my WordPress blogs. If you find you are managing a lot of affiliate links on your blogs, I recommend you check out the WP Ninja Affiliate splash page.

Yesterday I posted an extensive review of the OIO Publisher premium WordPress plugin. Since then, I’ve managed to set up with a new contest for Hack WordPress readers!

I have been in contact with Simon, the creator of OIO Publisher, and he has generously agreed to offer two copies of the OIO Publisher plugin to two of our readers. In order to be considered for one of the plugins, here are the two simple requirements you’ll need to follow to enter into this contest:

1. Review the blog demo, the admin demo, and then write a post on your blog explaining what you feel is the biggest strength of the plugin and what you feel is missing that you’d like to see added in a future update of the plugin.
2. Place a link to both this post (so I can track entries) and the OIO Publisher’s homepage somewhere in your post.

This way Simon can get feedback on what features you like and also find out what things he can do to improve the plugin. All posts must be published by June 5, 2008. We will then review the posts and announce the two plugin winners on June 7, 2008. Good luck!

Update: If your blog post is not in English, please send the translation to Kyle AT HackWordPress DOT com.

When most people start out blogging, it is usually because they love to blog. Remember those days? Over time, you either quit or continue to grow as a blogger, and it is almost inevitable that at some point you will start to look into monetizing your blog. Whether you use Google AdSense, affiliate marketing, or direct advertising sales, there is nothing wrong with getting paid for doing what you love to do.  In fact in many ways, getting paid can cause you to work harder and up both the quality and quantity of your work.

One of the many problems with selling direct advertising is that it can sometimes be a pain to manage, and it often takes you away from what you love to do, which is blogging. It is kind of like small business owners who love their job, but hate all the paperwork and accounting that is involved with running and managing their own business.

Fortunately as WordPress bloggers, there is a solution available to us in the form of a WordPress plugin called OIO Publisher. This is an incredible premium WordPress plugin that will completely automate the entire advertising process on your blog. In fact, chances are that you have seen people using it (including many high profile bloggers), but just not realized this plugin is what they were using to control the entire process from their WordPress dashboard.

When you download OIO Publisher, you’ll receive a WordPress plugin and be able to get an API key for each blog you want to use it on. The plugin will create an OIO Publisher tab in your dashboard where you can manage your blogs advertisements (designate how many links, paid reviews, inline ads, banners, or custom advertising your blog will have available), create and manage an affiliate program for products or services on your blog from your dashboard, and even see statistics regarding your advertisements!  Possibly my favorite feature of this plugin is that you can even set the plugin to send weekly reports to your advertisers or place your statistical information into their marketplace.

The best part about this premium plugin is that it will just about manage everything for you for a one-time fee of $37.00. Once purchased, you then have access to use the plugin on as many blogs as you would like, as well as get access to their downloadable sales platform, marketplace, and all of the other features mentioned above!  You also get free updates each time the plugin is updated.

In my opinion, the value of this plugin heavily outweighs the low price, but if you’d like to see for yourself the plugin in action, I recommend you check out a demo of OIOPublisher and purchase your copy today. The demonstation allows you to view how it will look on your blog and how you can manage everything from your WordPress dashboard.