How to Rig a Simple Download Page For Distributing Your Ebooks!

First, setting up a download page isn't too hard BUT...if you let it get out of control, if you don't hang your supporting pages correctly, and if you don't get the URL's right and name them correctly, you'll get confused! If you are anything like me, confusion is an uncomfortable state of mind, and productivity plummets.

Note: If you don't have a handle on domain, hosting, html, ftp, pdf, and paypal buttons...you really aren't ready for a download page.

Maybe this would be a good spot to tell you how I beat confusion. First, refuse to be distracted! Second, keep a yellow legal pad and good pen right next to your computer.

Keep short notes and when your mind races ahead and thinks of something that would contribute to your project...note it down. When you think of something that doesn't contribute to progress...DON"T write it down!

You'll find that the installation of a paypal button was one of the best things you ever learned! Now you can sell something, automatically, and get paid, nice and neat like.

Learning how to install a paypal button was a real learning experience for me...one that drove me to drink a few times! But this isn't about that. This is about automatically delivering the downloadable ebook in a professional manner, while you sleep.

Remember, don't take your eye off the ball. The reason we are into this is the whole idea of being able to hang a sales page on your host's server, arrange for traffic to come to the offer, collect their name and email addresses, convert the traffic into paying customers, collect the money, and send them to the download page to get what they purchased. Then repeat.

You're listening to the right guy here because I have sent people to the wrong download page. I've sent them to 404 not found, and, I had to get up in the middle of the night to keep a fellow in Australia from canceling! Now...I always get it right. There's still one thing missing, in my setup, and I'll tell you about it here...soon.

Here's the drill. Number one! When making your paypal button operative be sure to go down into section 3 to the box about 4 or 5 places down to "Take customer to a specific page (URL) after successful checkout:" See? That's where you want your download page URL! Make sure it's spelled correctly.

Doublecheck! Go to the URL and make sure it's actually your download page and it's OK. Always doublecheck.

When your customer is finished paying at Paypal they will click the "Return to Merchant" button and it will be a link to your download page. The one you just doublechecked.

You can put all your html and pdf pages AND download pages on the same site. I have a dozen, complete, working sales pages, with download pages and supporting documents, including graphics, on one domain name - keeps things simple.

Name your files carefully. Best practice is to name them so that when you look at the file name it's obvious exactly what it is.

Special note: As you go forward in this biz be careful that you don't randomly change a url name. If you do there will be thousands of orphaned links out there...making you NO money. Yes, I did that, and I don't anymore. You don't even have to do it the first time! Lucky you.

So let's say that you have a domain name hosted somewhere. Let's use www.mydomain.com as your fictional main site, and say you are selling an ebook.

Create a subdirectory (folder) called "ebook" Every file that goes along with this little project gets uploaded into that file folder. Keep it neat - keep it simple.

Put your sales page, that has the working button on it, at this address - http://www.mydomain.com/ebook/ebooksp.html.

That is...name the file "ebooksp.html" and save it to your desktop. Upload it to www.mydomain.com/ebook/. At this point it would be good to have all your files in a folder on your desktop. Name the folder "ebook" or whatever the actual name of your "ebook" is.

Easy! (sp for salespage) (substitute your actual domain for "mydomain.com".

Put your ebook itself at this address - www.mydomain.com/ebook/ebook.pdf.

Put your download page at www.mydomain.com/ebook/ebookdl.html (dl for download).

Put a link to www.mydomain.com/ebook/ebook.pdf ON the download page.

Make your download page look nice so your customer doesn't think you are a rube.

Here's a nugget...this is killer...in addition to your main product download link - add two more! FREE! Your customers will love it. The extras should enhance the main product if possible.

You might give them a couple of nice free reports that have YOUR links in them AND a paypal button in case they want to purchase resale rights, or whatever.

If you want you could politely place an opt-in form on the download page OR in the reports, or both.

That is the essence of the download page installation instructions.

One thing I haven't handled yet is "How to arrange it so the customer can't download dozens of my ebooks!" It hasn't been a problem yet. I know there is an easy solution...I just haven't implemented it yet.

One last suggestion, please. Get the download page working BEFORE you start adding extras to it, like the two extra products.

Too many things at once and it gets complicated! Keep it simple.