Copyright (c) 2009 Riley West

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 like me, confusion is an uncomfortable state of mind!

Note: If you are still in the dark as to hosting and domains, including 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, have a legal pad and a pen next to your computer.

Make notes and when you think ahead of something that would enhance your project...note it down. When thoughts that don't contribute to progress come around...DON"T write it down!

You will soon find that learning how to put a paypal button on a web page is a great thing! 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 almost drove me crazy at times! But this isn't about that. This is about delivering the downloadable product in a professional manner, automatically, in your sleep.

Please! Keep your eye on 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 reading the right advice from the right guy right now because I have sent customers 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'm going to 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:"  Seec Right there is where you want the URL for your download page! Be certain it is spelled correctly.

Doublecheck! Go to the URL and check it out to make sure it is actually your download page and that it works. 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. The best way is to name them so that the filename makes it perfectly clear what it is.

Special note: As you get further into this business you don't want to alter an established URL name. If you do that there will be a bunch of links out there that don't work...making you NO money. Yes, I did do that and I don't do that anymore. You have the opportunity to do it right the first time! Lucky you.

Let's say you have a domain and hosting.  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.

Place your salespage, including the tested 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.

Design your download page to look good so your customer doesn't think you are unprofessional.

Here's a nugget...this is killer...in addition to your main product download link - add two more! FREE!  Your customers will love it. Any bonuses should compliment the original product sold, 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'd like to you could discreetly put an opt-in form here...on the download page or in the reports, or both.

That's pretty much the download page - paypal button integration process.

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 feel there must be an easy solution...I just haven't gotten around to it yet.

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

If you try to do too much at once it can get out of hand! Keep it simple.