Going Live with Local Deals

I stumbled on a company called "Prosperent" out of Denver.. This is a technology company that aggregates data for affiliate marketers. They have a huge database of products and deals from thousands of merchants.

I am interested in developing Geodomains in the mountain west. At this point the domains are basically a local directory and calendar. My problem is that I haven't found a way to fund the sites. If I can't fund the sites, I can't expand them.

So, I decided to try Prosperent API to see if I can make some compelling ads.

The API includes an interface for searching local deals. So, I made a local deals search engine for each of the sites. Here are entry points to the search by state: Arizona, Colorado and Utah. If you go to the state site, you will see a list of local communities. Simply press the Search button next to the community name and you will see the local deals.

I will receive commissions from local searches. Affiliate Networks report that earnings for local deal sites run from one to two pennies per click. I am hoping to get about 2000 searches year at and make $0.02 per click which would be $40/year income. I have my fingers and toes crossed. A more realistic expectation is 200 searches per year generating an average of penny per click, which would be below the minimum payment threshold meaning no money.

I don't expect the local deals to be enough to pay my hosting fees but, if I combine local deals with other  efforts, the sites might return to a state where the income covers the hosting fees ... which run about $100 a month.

The reason I went through the brain drain adding a local deals database to my sites is that I believe that it would enhance what I am doing with the sites. I am trying to create a structure in which local sites can get some traffic outside the huge search engines that dominate the market. The Local Deal sites allow local merchants and restaurants to list coupons and deals. LocalSaver gives a site a direct link along with the coupon.

BTW: I also have sites for Missoula and Cheyenne.