Affiliate Program Basics

How to Run A Successful Affiliate Program

2009-05-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

by: Adam Waxler

There are many people who log onto the internet everyday looking for a way to make money online.

They start with all the best intentions, but unfortunately, before they know it they are getting bombarded with information and are simply spinning their wheels.

I completely understand this. There is so much internet marketing information online and once you get started it seems like “information overload”.

Therefore, I will try to keep this as simple and short as possible.

Many people will sign up with an affiliate program promoting the affiliate’s product or program. This makes sense. Starting as an affiliate marketer is probably the easiest way to get started online. There are many affiliate programs out there that will give you everything you need to promote their products or program…Well almost everything.

You see, many of these affiliate sites will give you a website, but you don’t own the site. It is a gateway site. You don’t even own the domain name for that matter.

Being part of one of these programs is not bad though. I belong to several. SFI is a perfect example. I joined their program and have several sites that they gave me to promote their products and their affiliate program.

But if you are truly going to make money with these types of sites you are going to have to do a lot more than simply sign up for their program.

It is simply unreasonable to think that people are going to just stumble upon your site and sign up for your program and start making you money.

There are a few things you need to do if you truly want to make an affiliate program work.

First of all, you must have your “own” web page with your “own” domain name and your “own” host. You will then have links from your “own” site to the other “gateway” site(s). You will promote your gateway site it, but you will promote it through your own site.

There are so many reasons for this I couldn’t possible fit it into this one article, but basically the site is yours to run the way you want to. Think of it this way…it is “your” store and you are selling “their” product.

Your web page could be designed as a short sales letter that focuses primarily on this one program if that is what you choose. Or, you could focus on several affiliate programs and products within the same market. For example, a sales letter with the top 3-5 money making opportunities.

THIS IS IMPORTANT: Either way, promoting one program/product or promoting several, you will not only want to own your own site, you definitely want to be able to “drop in” on potential customers from time to time. What I mean by that is you want to capture email addresses of people who visit your site.

To do so you need to give something away that is of enough value that people are willing to give up their email address and receive something from you week after week or at least month after month.

A newsletter/ezine is perfect for this. Send out a weekly or monthly newsletter on your topic that includes articles, tips, e-courses, bonuses etc. This way you can plug your programs over and over again (not just once).

I know this sounds like a lot…design your own web site and your own newsletter.

However, there are programs available that actually set everything up for you, including a website, an autoresponder, a pre-written newsletter, and even unlimited support.

Plug-in-Profit (PIPS) (http://www.money-teacher.com/pluginprofitsite.htm) is a perfect example. You can have a web site that site is 100% yours to change however you wish. The site comes ready to promote 5 different programs. You could work with as many of them as you want and you can also add your own.

You also get a pre-written newsletter and autoresponder that is also 100% customizable. The newsletter is obviously designed to promote the programs that come with the web site, but you can change it however you wish.

PIPS may or may not be what you are looking for; however, if you truly want to be successful online you will definitely need your own web site and your own newsletter.

Copyright 2004 Adam Waxler

Adam Waxler owns and operates The Money Teacher web site and publishes The Money Teacher’s Home Business Tips Newsletter teaching others how to reach online success. To get your free newsletter subscription send a blank email to: newsletter@money-teacher.com or visit our web site at http://www.money-teacher.com.

Mining For Gold With The Best Affiliate Programs And Hitting

2009-05-10T06:43:00.000-07:00

by: Colin McDougall

Colin McDougall tinkered around with affiliate programs earning a few dollars, nothing much to write home about, even had his own e-commerce site, known as the man’s mall. In theory that site was supposed to offer all sorts of gadgets for guys. Colin created the site with the concept “build it they will come” but in reality no one did. Like so many dot.com ventures, it was a huge disappointment, lots of hard work and no pay off.

Colin says, “The man’s mall failed because I started the venture blindly, I didn’t have a clue how the search engines worked or how to make money with affiliate programs. Without an action plan and a map on how to get the gold it was all pointless. But not anymore, I hit the internet gold mine, a virtual moneymaking machine.”

Read on to learn the facts about affiliate marketing and how Colin went from failing on the Internet to making serious money with affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing is paying off for retailers

2003 online sales are bucking the retail trend. With traditional retail sales down, retailers are forced to do more with less. They’ve shifted budgets away from expensive portal deals to performance-based affiliate marketing and search engine marketing and it’s paying off. (Source: Forrester Research)

It’s no surprise that traditional advertisers such as American Express, National Geographic, Toshiba and even Disney are flocking to the emerging affiliate marketing model. Advertisers have a very low risk with affiliate marketing; they simply pay a commission for actual sales. No sales, no commission.

Affiliates love it too

Affiliates who understand the affiliate marketing business are earning huge incomes, even those who are doing it as a hobby, in many cases, are earning a few hundred to a few thousand extra dollars each month.

Jeff Pullen, President of Commission Junction, a third party provider of infrastructure and tracking told the crowd at a recent conference held in Santa Barbara that, “Commissions are up 80% over the previous year”. According to the Affiliate Summit, held in early November 2003 in New York City, affiliate marketing is already a $14 billion industry. (Source: Marketing Sherpa)

Online shopping is booming – the future is bright

Affiliate marketing works because the pay for performance model makes sense. Plus, people are flocking to the Internet in droves to shop online. According to Forrester Research, a Massachusetts-based research firm, nationally online sales are expected to total $96 billion this year and climb to $229 billion by 2008.

Affiliate marketing in a nutshell

An affiliate program is a business relationship where one website owner (a “merchant”) agrees to pay another website owner (an “affiliate”) a commission simply for referring customers.

Merchants typically manage their affiliate program by joining a commission network such as Commission Junction or LinkShare who provide third-party tracking and infrastructure or by purchasing and installing specialized tracking software on their own server.

See Commission Junction and LinkShare.com for a list of merchants who are looking for affiliates to promote their products and services.

How Colin got involved with affiliate marketing

Colin says: “I found the treasure map; the Affiliate Marketers Handbook written by James Martell,” an entrepreneur and successful affiliate marketer. The first time Colin read the Affiliate Marketers Handbook he mentions, that it was like looking at the horizon through binoculars; he could see where he was headed. The second time reading the book Colin, it was like looking at a road map and seeing how to reach the riches on the horizon.

Colin says, “With the book, you learn how to get organized, plan the site, run the business, and focus on the riches along the horizon.”

Colin learned firsthand, with the man’s mall, that without understanding the search engines, your business is dead in the water. The “build it they will come” mind set, just doesn’t cut it.

As Colin says: “The book’s system for using keywords really makes sense, after my prior experience it’s like this light bulb went off…so that’s how I’m going to attract visitors and making money. In my old business, I was set up to fail, with the handbook I’m set up to win.”

Got Dot: How did you go from failing at the Internet to make money?

Colin explains, “By reading James’ handbook. His book is real, it’s not the stuff of Internet legends, but it’s an honest, to goodness road map. James really shares what works. I’ve followed his 8-step system™ and now have a bigger house, a bigger car and financial independence.

At first, I was amazed at how much the book gives away, but that’s James. He really wants everybody to succeed, he’s got things all laid out in his book. If you follow it the money’s there, it’s up to the reader to go for the gold.”

Got Dot: What was it like getting started?

Colin says, “In the beginning I was skeptical, making money with affiliate marketing, just seemed unreal. After attending James’ original class in Vancouver, at the prodding of a friend Chuck Anderson, and actually meeting with other people, earning lots of money with affiliate marketing, the whole process really resonated. I knew I could do it, if they could.”

Got Dot: Why was that so hard to grasp?

Colin: “As a system tech I was working 50% harder for a measly 5% raise, all of $250/month. It was awful. In the class all these people were making a lot more money than me, working just a few hours a day. What a wake up call. I felt like a dummy slaving away at 60 hours a week, with practically nothing to show for it.”

Colin adds, “The hard part for me was getting over my past, removing the skepticism, and just running. My disbelief held me back four months. So I started off small spending one hour a day doing affiliate marketing.

The beginning search engine traffic and commission checks…just blew me away, talk about a real eye-opener. Nothing like numbers to get a techie excited.”

Got Dot: What’s the money like?

Colin: “When I first started I earned $400 a month, nearly double my raise as a system tech. By the end of the year I hoped to make $5k a month (my system tech salary). I hit that mark in six months. Within 9 months I earned $120K. The day job is now history. The money’s astounding, it just keeps growing.”

Got Dot: What is your product niche?

Colin says, “In the beginning, I went after the big paycheck, like credit cards. My newer sites feature things I want to learn more about or hobbies.”

Colin follows the same methods for web site construction developed by James Martell. These principals are incorporated into Colin’s successful sites featuring: mortgage loans, furniture slip covers and credit card applications.

Got Dot: What is a typical day like?

Colin says, “Its ideal. How many fathers can say they have time to play Barbie’s with their daughter? Everyday I work for two hours and spend an afternoon in the park with the family, then another hour or two of work and its dinner time, what a day!”

Got Dot: What tips do have for someone starting out?

Colin says: “Buy the Affiliate Marketers Handbook, follow it step-by-step. Don’t jump ahead. Devote one hour a day to affiliate marketing, when you get home from work. Make the sacrifice. The short term pain is worth the long term gain. Don’t settle for fool’s gold, searching through the “best affiliate programs”, find the real gold, James Martell’s 8-step system™, it’s within your grasp. Go for the gold.”

Colin McDougall followed a simple 8-step-system™ for affiliate marketing created by James Martell, entrepreneur, successful affiliate marketer, and developer of over 70 specialty shopping sites with topics that range from motorized scooters to treadmill comparisons; and also educates people who want to start a homebased business using affiliate programs and the Internet!

Colin McDougall is the editor of the credit review site, Only the best credit cards online. You can visit this site at http://www.only-the-best-credit-cards-online.com/

mcdoog2112@shaw.ca

Why Join 2 Tier Affiliate Programs?

2009-05-10T06:42:00.001-07:00

by: Terence Tan

Like the more common single tier affiliate programs, 2 tier affiliate programs are a great basis for web-based partnerships between merchants and affiliates. Merchants can focus their efforts on what they should do best-creating high quality products and getting them to customers. Meanwhile, affiliates concentrate on producing interesting content to attract web traffic. And when they successfully refer visitors to buy affiliate products, an affiliate commission is earned.

However, 2 tier affiliate programs have an additional attraction for affiliates. When they sign up sub-affiliates under them, and these sub-affiliates successfully make affiliate sales, the original affiliate also earns a referral commission. The result is that affiliates not only make a profit from their direct sales efforts, but also benefit from the leveraged effects of sub-affiliates under them.

While 2 tier affiliate programs are definitely a new and rapidly growing trend in affiliate marketing, the traditional rules still apply. Choose only good products, with high sales conversions (check out the persuasiveness of the merchants website), and only work with merchants who pay regularly! After all, there's no reason to waste precious traffic on affiliate products are hard to sell, or on merchants who don't make it a point to send those commissions on time.

All else being equal, 2 Tier Affiliate Programs are a good alternative for webmasters hoping to add an additional stream of revenue to their sites.

(Please feel free to to freely reproduce and distribute this article, so long as it is reproduced in full, including the hyperlinks, and no modification is made)

About The Author

Terence Tan is the project manager of HugeAffiliates.com, a website dedicated towards the development of Multiple Tier Affiliate Programs as an alternative system of business. Visit http://hugeaffiliates.com to learn how 2 Tier Affiliate Programs can multiply your affiliate referral commissions.

Top 5 Tips for Frustrated Affiliate Program Marketers

2009-05-10T06:40:00.000-07:00

by: Isaiah Hull

Do you go through affiliate programs like most people go through pairs of socks? Many Internet marketers do. In fact, 97% of all Internet marketers never make a single cent advertising opportunities on the Internet. They jump from one opportunity to the next and never see results. If you want to break free from this cycle of failure-- if you want to earn a living off of your Internet ventures--continue reading. I will tell you exactly how you can earn money from any legitimate affiliate program.

In order to get the most information from what I am about to explain to you, you must accept that these methods are not intended to be "secrets." These are scientifically-proven, best-practice methods that all top marketers use. If you want results, you will have to do and continue to do the following five things:

1. Know your product. Do not advertise for a product or affiliate program that you are not currently using. I cannot even count the amount of affiliate programs and product offers I have rejected immediately from people who know very little about what they are actually promoting. If you want to make money selling a product or service, you have to use it, understand it, and be able to convince your prospects that they should own it. If you yourself do not believe in it-- because you have not even tried it--then you will have a hard time convincing anyone else it is worthwhile.

2. Know your field. You must continually become more knowledgeable about the market in which you are selling your product or service. For instance, I try to read at least 50 pages on Internet marketing each day to complement the marketing I do. This keeps me learning about my field. The best part about this is that you can do it without spending any money at all. The Internet is loaded with free content sites where you can find free ebooks and special reports on any subject. The Internet is also loaded with affiliate program promoters who are out-selling you. Use google to find these sites and then reverse engineer them--pick apart the source code, page setup, and content layout to find out how you can become more like your competition who is outselling you.

3. Focus your efforts and limit your innovation. As much as "limiting your innovation" may go against your business instincts, it is an absolute must with a limited marketing budget. Figure out what works for you scientifically by measuring your advertising results. When you find something that works, stick with it. If you are getting traffic from reciprocal links, continue to build them. If you are getting constant sign-ups from your newsletter, improve your newsletter and order more leads. Do not stray far from your original plan. Preset the amount of innovative ideas you want to try out each night, but center your marketing efforts around getting better results from methods that have already worked for you.

4. Spend money wisely. The Internet is loaded with scams and bad information. It is really easy to be tricked into blowing money on "get rich quick" schemes and information that you can find in free resources. I personally have spent thousands of dollars needlessly. But do not get me wrong; I am not saying there are no legitimate affiliate promotion services or information products out there: I am saying that the vast majority of them do not work as well as they say they do. So hold onto your cash. When you find a product that multiple people have personally recommended to you, then consider buying it. Otherwise, conserve your cash for purchasing services or products that will produce hard, definite results, such as email leads for your newsletter or phone leads you can contact personally to promote your program.

5. Remember that your success is dependent on your choices and your work alone. If you get upset about not becoming successful with a specific affiliate program, do not blame the program--blame yourself. Do a thorough analysis of what you could be doing better and how you could be making quantitative progress every single day. There are people who do not pay any money at all for promotional services and yet are still able to make a living just from using free tools on the Internet. If they can do it, there is no reason at all why you cannot. Joining a marketing group or forum in your field will help you realize this reality. Seeing and talking to people who are succeeding in your field will remind you that it is entirely possible to make money online without having a million dollars to begin with.

While there are some "secrets" to getting more sign-ups and site visitors, the bigger part of affiliate program marketing is following a sound business plan. If you keep the five concepts I have listed above central to your marketing campaign, you will not fail. But, if you continue to market sporadically--switching from product to product and method to method--you will never break out of that 97% who never make money.

Copyright 2004 Isaiah Hull

Isaiah Hull publishes Home Business Tips, a fresh and informative newsletter that focuses on building successful internet businesses and promoting affiliate programs. Stop by http://www.workathomerightnow.net or send a blank email to mailto:workathomerightnow.com to receive a year's subscription for free.

How To Maximize Your Profit Promoting Affiliate Programs

2009-05-10T06:39:00.000-07:00

by: Ken Hill

Promoting affiliate programs can provide you with a good extra income or even a full time income online.

To help you maximize your profit promoting affiliate programs, I've provided the following tips to help you successfully market your affiliate programs more effectively to your site's visitors.

1. Publish an e-zine.

Running an e-zine will allow you to run prime position ads for your affiliate programs in every issue you publish, and is the #1 way for you to follow up with your site's visitors.

You can also easily increase your commissions by sending out special announcements to your subscriber base whenever one of the affiliate programs you promote is offering a special bonus or a special limited time offer.

Once you build up your circulation you can further increase your profits by charging for ad space in your publication.

2. Use a pop up on your site that promotes your e-zine.

Using a pop up as a well as a subscription e-mail or form on your site can substantially increase the number of your visitors that subscribe to your publication.

Your pop up will draw your visitors' attention right to your e-zine, and if you offer your visitors free bonuses for subscribing to your e-zine such as free ebooks or free ads you can further increase the number of visitors who subscribe to your publication.

3. Offer free e-mail workshops (e-mail courses) to your visitors.

Making e-mail workshops will enable you to effectively promote one or several affiliate programs that offer products that relate to the subject of your workshop.

Many affiliate programs provide their affiliates with articles to post on their sites or run in their e-zines which you can use to successfully form the different parts of your workshop.

If you already write articles, you can easily use your own articles to form the different parts of your workshop and transform your articles into yet another powerful marketing tool.

To get the most out of your e-mail workshops, offer your workshops both on your site and by using a pop up, and use your workshops to increase subscriptions to your e-zine as well as repeat visitors your website.

4. Publish your articles on your site.

Posting your articles on your site is a great way to continually add content to your site and draw more repeat visitors.

To successfully use your articles to promote affiliate programs offer a free e-mail workshop in your resource box or use your resource box to promote your e-zine.

This will provide you with an effective way to successfully follow up with your prospects when your articles get published as well as when your visitors read your articles.

5. Offer free ebooks on your site.

Many affiliate programs provide their affiliates with ebooks they can rebrand with their unique affiliate URL and these can be used as an effective marketing tool.

The best way to promote your affiliate programs with ebooks, however, is to make your own ebooks.

If you write your own articles, you can create a unique promotional item by making an ebook compilation of your articles with links to affiliate programs you promote.

You can also create a best of compilation of your e-zine's top issues to drive more subscriptions to your publication or if you make e-mail workshops you can transform these into your ebooks content.

To further increase your profits, offer your ebooks as a free bonus or part of a free bonus for subscribing to your e-zine, and/or allow your visitors to rebrand your ebook with a link to their own business, affiliate program or opportunity.

About the Author

Article © 2002 by writer, Ken Hill. Discover proven strategies to generating more profit promoting affiliate programs. Get your FREE 10 Part Guide To Success With Affiliate Programs marketing course now at mailto:affiliatecourse@zipresponse.com

Free Ways to Promote Your Affiliate Program

2009-05-10T06:38:00.001-07:00

by: Clay Mabbitt

After learning of the success many online businesses have had increasing their sales with an affiliate program, you decided to follow suit. You hammered out a compensation plan both encouraging to affiliates and profitable to your business. You’ve got tracking software in place. You’ve turned the key in the ignition of your marketing machine… and nothing’s happening.

Your army of affiliates can be viewed metaphorically as a tree. Full grown, it will thrive in rain and sunshine. Strong changing winds can shake its branches, but the tree will continue to grow. In the early seed stage, however, special care is needed if you want your tree to break through the surface.

You spent a great deal of time, energy, and likely at least a little money creating your affiliate program. You need to attract strong affiliates that can rapidly build your customer base and return your investment. How can you bring these powerful marketing dynamos into your camp, ideally without drawing on your already diminished cash reserves?

1.) Submit to Online Directories

The method that will show the most immediate increase in new affiliates is listing your program in online affiliate directories. These reference sites are the first stop for hungry potential affiliates looking for the income opportunity that is going to allow them to quit their 9 to 5 jobs. Many such directories exist, and obviously some will bring you better results than others. Since submitting to almost all of these directories is free, though, get listed on as many as you can. Here are a few links to submission pages to get you started, but by no means should you stop with just these few:

http://www.becomeanaffiliate.com/cgi-bin/add.cgi
http://www.affiliatesoftware.info/joinaffiliatedirectory.php
http://www.affiliatescreen.com/suggest_program.php
http://www.affiliatematch.com/cgi-bin/links/add.cgi
http://www.2-tier.com/cgi-bin/add_url.cgi
http://www.affiliatesdirectory.com/links/add.cgi
http://www.earnfind.com/addprogram-howto.php

2.) Advertise in Your Own Newsletter

Hopefully you’ve been collecting email addresses from your website and sending a regular newsletter to your visitors. (If not, read this article: http://www.zeromillion.com/ebiz/creating-an-email-newsletter.html) Your newsletter subscribers are a precious handful of people that have expressed direct interest in keeping abreast of the latest developments with your product/service and company. Give them what they want! You can kick off your affiliate program with an article in your newsletter explaining the benefits and encouraging your subscribers to participate. Your future newsletters can contain short blurbs about the affiliate program and how it’s progressing to inform new subscribers and remind your original readers.

3.) Post to Affiliate Forums and Newsgroups

Approach this method with caution. No one will be impressed if you post a blatant advertisement or a plea to join your affiliate program. If you find a forum that contains such messages, don’t even bother making a post there. The forum probably isn’t moderated, and almost certainly isn’t read by many people. The place to include information about your website and program is in your profile (and in your signature line if other posters do so). A serious forum, read by the type of people you want to have as affiliates, will only contain posts with relevant and useful content instead of advertising fluff messages.

How can you add relevant and useful content? The first step is to read some of the existing posts and get a feel for the general personality of the forum. At best, reading old posts will spark questions that can be turned into relevant posts and generate interested responses. At worst, you’ll see what’s been talked about recently, so you don’t make the awkward mistake of asking a question that was answered a few days ago.

If no topics come to mind after reading old posts, a possible strategy is to ask for the advice of some experienced affiliates in how you could improve your program. You’ll find different ideas on what constitutes a solid compensation plan, tracking system, or incentive program. Beyond getting attention for your program, this is a great opportunity to improve your program by picking the brains of people who’ve been in the game longer than you.

This list is obviously not comprehensive, but it contains a few forums worth investigating:

http://www.ablake.net/forum/
http://iwiz2.richdad.com/jive/application2/forum.jsp?forum=33
http://www.affiliatesdirectory.com/forum/gforum.cgi?forum=7

About the Author

Clay Mabbitt writes articles about evaluating online
money-making opportunities. Need in-depth reviews of
the latest affiliate programs? Find them at
http://www.affiliatescreen.com/

Finding the Best and Most Lucrative Affiliate Programs

2009-05-10T06:37:00.001-07:00

by: Troy Pentico

One of the questions that is asked the most by both the beginning and experienced Internet Marketer is, What are the best affiliate programs?

With literally thousands of affiliate programs on the Internet to choose from it is no surprise that people have problems deciding on the best ones to join and promote.

Today I am going to focus on things you need to take into consideration when trying to tell the difference between an outstanding affiliate program and the ones you should avoid like the plague.

Target Markets That You Have Some Knowledge In

When you know something about the market you are entering into it will save you time and money because you will reduce the amount of research that will need to be done in finding products that target customers in that market need.

If you already know the market you won't be spending a lot of time researching what the market needs because you will recognize these products when you find them.

Focus Your Efforts on Programs in “HOT” Markets

The best programs to promote are not only in hot markets but they also offer products that are needed by the target customers in that particular market but also are unique products as well so your competition is at a minimum.

Look For Affiliate Programs with High Pay Outs

The best ways to promote affiliate programs will be the same no matter what the price of the product. When you sell “High Ticket” items you will be using the same marketing strategies that you would use for products with small price tags.

So the question you need to ask yourself is “Why am I wasting my time and advertising dollars promoting products that will take me double or triple the effort to make good money?”

It is not only common sense but it is simple math as well. If one affiliate program pays $20 dollar per sale and another pays you $40 dollars per sale it is going to take you twice as many sales to generate the same profits from the first program as it will the second.

Seek Out Income Streams

If it cost you $1 dollar in advertising to gain one paying customer which would you choose:

1.A one time sale customer that you will have to continually promote other similar products to on a month to month basis so they spend additional money to increase your profits. -or-
2.A customer that pays a reoccurring membership fee every month that you automatically receive a percentage from.

You don't even have to bother answering the question for me. I already know your answer. If at all possible you want to focus your promotional efforts on the programs that are going to offer you the highest return (your commissions) for the lowest investment (your advertising dollars).

Some businesses that offer multiple products will offer their affiliates life-time commissions. So if you were the first affiliate to get a customer to buy a product from them you will receive commissions on every product they buy in the future from them no matter how they ended up being referred back to the site. These are also very nice programs to put your efforts into.

Start Your Own Mini-Affiliate Program

Some affiliate programs setup what is called a “Two-Tier” commission schedule. With these programs you not only receive commissions on sales that you have referred to the program but you can recruit other affiliates to the program and receive commissions on their referred sales as well.

The bottom-line is the more of these principles an affiliate program follows the more deserving of your time and effort they are.

About the Author

For more amazing affiliate marketing techniques and strategies visit The SuperAffiliate Blog at http://superaffiliateblog.com

Earning from PPC Search Engine Affiliate Programs

2009-05-10T06:36:00.001-07:00

by: Jonathon White

What are PPC Search Engines?

PPC Search Engines are search engines that allow advertisers to list their site within their search results on a pay per click basis. Advertisers bid against other advertisers for the same keywords or phrases. The highest bidder will then have their site ranked #1 in the PPC Search Engine results for a certain keyword followed by the second highest bidder for the same keyword followed by the third highest bidder for the same keyword, etc.

When a visitor then does a search in the PPC Search Engine and clicks on an advertisers bided link, the advertisers account will then get deducted for that click. This only happens once per unique visitor. So if that same visitor clicked on the same advertisers bided link twice, then the advertisers account will only get deducted for the first click.

Why is it easier to earn from PPC Search Engines than other affiliate programs?

PPC Search Engine affiliate programs are a good and easy way to earn some quick cash online. It is a lot easier to earn from PPC Search Engines than most other affiliate programs because you earn from your visitors click-thru’s to an advertisers site and not per action or sale.

Where can I find PPC Search Engines that offer affiliate programs?

There are only a few good resources on the Internet that lists a large amount of PPC Search Engines. Most of these are either outdated where they have a lot of PPC Search Engines that don’t exist anymore or only mainly gives information about a PPC Search Engines advertising offers.

If you were looking to join some PPC Search Engines that offer affiliate programs so that you can earn some quick and easy cash, then a useful resource to use would be http://www.affiliateseeking.com/ppcaff.php.

This is because it lists over 375 PPC Search Engines where you can easily compare what each PPC Search Engines affiliate program has to offer and you can even organize the PPC Search Engines results by Date Added, Minimum Payout, Earnings, etc.

I have joined a PPC Search Engine. How do I go about advertising it so that I can earn from it?

Once you have joined a PPC Search Engine, you can then easily get promotional links/ material from the affiliate section of the PPC Search Engine account where you can then use them to advertise the PPC Search Engine that you have joined.

Most PPC Search Engines allow you to advertise them by using search boxes, an xml feed, text links, referral links, banners, a portal page, and more.

Jonathon White has been doing advertising/ marketing on the Web for over three years. He is the Webmaster of three sites, which are: http://www.affiliateseeking.com - a categorized affiliate programs directory. http://www.simplysearch4it.com - a general web portal where people can play FREE online games, add free articles, search the Web, and much more. http://www.1hostseeking.com - a web hosting directory.

The above article can be re-printed as longs as the bio lines stay in place.

ClickBank Affiliate Program

2009-05-10T06:35:00.001-07:00

by: Ross Dalangin

ClickBank has a remarkable affiliate program. ClickBank is both a payment processor and an affiliate network. ClickBank is an affiliate program manager as well, and it is very easy to sign up as an affiliate with them. All you need is to register with ClickBank, it does not cost one penny, and is open to websites located in any part if the world.

Affiliates can earn anywhere from 5% to 50% commission on sales of products. This is dependent upon what they link to. There are hundred of merchants to choose from with over 10,000 products and services. There are definitely niche merchants within ClickBank.

Linking to a ClickBank merchant has it advantages; such as you know you will be credited for all sales that go through the ClickBank network as the tracking is automated as part of the payment processing. One benefit of linking to ClickBank is that you will receive credit if the customer doesn't buy immediately. What this means is that if the customer comes from your link and decides not to buy, but changes his mind later and purchases, you will receive the credit on the commission, no matter how he got back to the site. This is controlled by cookies, which are maintained for 90 days after the initial click-through.

Once you join you will select a nickname, after that part is complete you will browse through the ClickBank Marketplace to select products to sell as an affiliate. ClickBank will provide you with the URL for each program using your nickname.

The other option is to use ClickBank as a merchant.

As a merchant (vendor or seller) you can set up an account for a one-time fee. ClickBank let's you set up a sales and thank-you page and list that in their database. After they have approved your pages, you can set a price and presto ... you've got an affiliate program running. ClickBank checks and pays your affiliate sales. And they will list you in their Market Place.

ClickBank affiliate program is not limited to people within the United States, however, payment are issued in US dollars and mailed every two weeks. You will also receive an email every time a payment is made through your referral. Real-time sales reports are available for your review 24 hours a day. You will not need a merchant account for this program. ClickBank tracks all visitors from your link, and then the commission is credited once an order is placed and accepted.

ClickBank has a lot of products you can sell as an affiliate, and you should be able to make a lucrative income from it. Remember you will need to put forth some effort if you expect any type of results.

The best way to maximize your profit at Clickbank's products is to create your own Clickbank Mall to CBJunction.Com because CBJunction automatically retrieve data from Clickbank Marketplace and you can automatically use all of the products into one website CBJunction.Com for FREE or purchase it to us.

Remember your success will depend on the effort that you put in. However here's the eBook that can help you. http://www.webquartet.com/befamous
About the Author

Ross Dalangin
Software Developer Since 1991
Computer Instructor Since 1994
Web Developer and Consultant Since 1995
Database and Network Administrator Since 1996
Search Engine Optimizer Since 2000
Web Publisher Since 2001
http://www.webquartet.com
http://www.cbjunction.com
http://www.recordname.com
http://www.dalangin.com
http://www.systemempire.com
http://www.instant-weight-loss.com

Choosing the Best Affiliate Programs for Your Website

2009-05-10T06:34:00.001-07:00

by: Justin Hallman

Which company has the best affiliate program? How do I choose the best affiliate program? Can you help me pick an affiliate program? I am often asked these questions. And, the answer many people expect is : the program that pays the most. However, the point that many rookie affiliates miss is that just because mortgage, gambling, and credit card programs are paying the most per sale or per lead dosen't mean that you will ever make any money promoting their products. In fact, the overwhelming majority of affiliates never earn a dime. Most are lured in by the promise of easy riches, discover that it's not so easy, shortly thereafter, and then give up before ever earning their first paycheck.

So, how do you earn that first paycheck from an affiliate program?

1. Pick an affiliate program that fits the theme of your site. This is obvious, but as I stated above, many people are lured in by the temptations of quick and easy money from higher paying programs. You should never have to change the content of your website to match your affiliate program, either. Make the programs work for you, not against you.

2. Choose a program that pays per sale over per lead. Some affiliate programs pay a percentage for every sale made and some affiliate programs pay per lead, or a certain action taken by the prospective customer, such as filling out a loan application. The per lead programs seem like they should have the higher conversion rates, but this is just not true. I've repeatedly had more success with pay per sale, rather than per lead. My theory is that people are bombarded with these forms and applications and sales pitches everyday, so they tend to block them out. Time is extremely valuable, especially in today's society. To get credit for a sale with these programs, people must invest time that they simply don't have or don't want to use signing up for these offers. It is much easier just to buy something online, than it is to invest time online doing work. That's why information products sell so well online, despite the fact that many times the information for sale is available free online, if you have the time to spend gathering it.

3. Pick an affiliate program that offers a wide variety of items for sale and preferably, one that offers dynamic content ads. You should always pay attention to what's hot and don't be afraid to rotate items that you promote. Just because something sold well yesterday, dosen't mean it will sell well today or tomorrow. If you run a website that promotes books, for example, you would probably want to rotate into your website ads promoting the current week's bestsellers. Visitors to your site will thank you for the fresh content, even if it is an advertisement. The easiest way to do this is with an affiliate program that delivers dynamically generated ads based on your established criteria.

4. Choose a well-known merchant. Trust is a very important factor in converting sales. More times than not, a customer is going to buy from the merchant that they know and recognize. Many smaller merchants will increase the percentage they offer to affiliates as a way of try and drive more traffic to their site and to promote their brand. Not surprisingly, many of these merchants come and go. It's safer and more profitable to go with the big names. You're also more likely to get paid (and on time!) by these merchants.

5. Pick an affiliate program that sells products that you have tried and like. If you have had a good experience making a purchase from a company, see if they have an affiliate program you can join. It is much easier to promote a product that you like, and your product endorsement will come across as more authentic. And, if the visitor to your site tries and like the product as well, you gain instant credibility and trust, which will lead to future sales.

Hopefully, these tips will help you when deciding which products to promote on your site.

About the Author

Justin Hallman writes for www.publishprofits.com

Choosing an Affiliate program

2009-05-10T06:32:00.000-07:00

by: Kevin Sinclair

What should you consider when choosing an affiliate program? You need to think about two key things: what business are you in and what can the affiliate program provide to your customers.

No matter what business you are in, the largest investment you make will be customer acquisition. If you have your own product, and have acquired a base of satisfied customers, then single product affiliate programs could work very well for you.

However, if your business is acquiring customers for other businesses, that is, purely affiliate programs, then a better choice for you could be affiliate programs with multiple products or services. This will help you to capitalise on your investment in customer acquisition.

The key to choosing successfully is to ensure that the affiliate program offers products that meet the needs of your potential customers. Coupled with this is the need for the products to be high quality and for the supplier to provide excellent customer service. Remember, your credibility is on the line every time you refer someone to buy through your affiliate relationship.

Some of the other factors I consider when evaluating affiliate programs include:

+ Is the affiliate program a reputable business? You can check out a business you are considering a relationship with in variety of ways. Talk to the Better Business Bureau in your local area or a similar body. In addition, I find web sites that monitor affiliate programs to be worth looking at. The best I have found is Associate Programs http://www.AssociatePrograms.com. Allan Gardyne pulls no punches and tells it as it is.

+ Does the program enable you to share in the lifetime value of the customer? Great programs will give you commissions on all future purchases of the customers you introduce. This is where the real profits are. These types of programs, in effect, allow you to partner with the supplier.

+ Does the program reward you for introducing other affiliates? This type of program is commonly referred to as a two-tier program. Often your customer may become an affiliate also and you will be rewarded for this.

+ Is the supplier interested in your success as an affiliate? The top affiliate programs engage in a process of coaching or information sharing to help you succeed. Affiliates are provided with regular newsletters outlining what is working for successful affiliates and providing updates and details on new products.

+ Is the commission reasonable? Commission rates on commodity products such as books and CDs are low. This is because there is very little margin in the products due to competition. Look for products that have a commission rate of 15% or more that are not commodities - that way you will be better able to recoup your customer acquisition investment.

+ Are statistics provided? The higher the level of statistics provided, the better off you are. This will enable you to measure the success of your marketing efforts and to determine the best places to invest your marketing dollars. Insufficient statistics is a sign that the affiliate program is not sufficiently interested in your success.

+ Are new products being developed regularly? To get the full value from lifetime commissions, new products need to be introduced on a regular basis. Without this, lifetime commissions can be worthless. Also, look for consistent high quality in new products introduced.

+ How frequently are commissions paid? The more frequently commissions are paid, the better off you are. Good quality affiliate programs will pay you monthly. In some situations, commissions are not paid until a certain level is reached. If the program you are considering has this requirement, check how many sales need to be made before the level is reached.

+ Have you read the affiliate agreement? This is a key area that you should look at. Some affiliate agreements are totally in favour of the supplier. Others are more balanced. Some agreements restrict your ability to promote similar products from other suppliers. Most agreements have anti-spam provisions. Look for agreements that are fair and that do not stack everything against you as the affiliate.

While there are other factors that can be considered when choosing an affiliate program, following the suggestions above will help you to make superior business choices that will lead to long-term success.

About the author:

Article by Kevin Sinclair, CPA, of Be Successful! Business & Personal Success Resources ( http://www.ksinclair.com/ ). He is the author of 2 free ebooks: "Success Secrets" & "How To Choose A Home Based Business". Kevin is also the publisher of "Be Successful News" - a free ezine dedicated to your online business success - to subscribe, visit http://www.ksinclair.com/pbs_news.htm

www.ksinclair.com

Build A High Profit Business With Online Affiliate Programs

2009-05-10T06:31:00.000-07:00

by: Tim Knox

Q: I am considering starting an ebusiness using affiliate programs, but there is so much hype out there I can't figure out which programs would work best for me. Everybody claims their program is best. I'd really appreciate some guidance here.

A: Affiliate programs can be an excellent way to start an ebusiness. Before we dive into the specifics, let me explain how an affiliate program works.

An affiliate program simply means that you sign on as an affiliate marketer for someone else's product. It's your job to market the product, send the company customers, and get a cut each time a sale is made from your efforts. Affiliate program commissions can range from as little as 2% for high ticket items up to 50% for ebooks and informational type products.

As an example, let's say you sign up with Amazon.com's affiliate program. You are assigned an affiliate code which you use to promote Amazon's books on your website. When someone clicks to purchase an Amazon product from your website, your affiliate code is included in the URL and you get a commission for the sale. Some folks have built elaborate websites that sell nothing but Amazon.com's books, and each time they make a sale they get a piece of the pie.

At dropshipwholesale.net we are affiliates for many products that fit our entrepreneurial niche. We market mostly ebooks and software, but we do have an Amazon page for business books.

One of the most appealing aspects of affiliate programs is how quickly you can begin making money. You can literally sign up as an affiliate and begin making money in minutes. I've done it, I know it works.

Admittedly, I am not an affiliate program expert, so I sought out the person that many call the Ultimate Affiliate Program Authority, Rosalind Gardner.

Rosalind Gardner began making money with affiliate programs in 1997. She has since grown her affiliate business into a $400,000 a year business and is now considered the authority on the subject. Her book 'The Super Affiliate Handbook: How to Make a Fortune Selling Other People's Stuff Online' has been out since March and is already considered by many to be the affiliate marketers bible.

I ordered Rosalind's book as research for this article and I have to tell you I found it to be one of the best books on the subject I have ever read. It's a hype-fr*e approach to what affiliate marketing is really all about and how to make it work. The book is 270 pages and leaves no stone unturned. For anyone serious about making money with affiliate programs, I highly recommend this book.

The bottom line is this: you can make a lot of money with affiliate programs, if you pick the right product and do your part to promote it. As for which programs would be best for you, I advise that you concentrate your efforts on one or two products instead of starting with a shotgun approach. Pick only top quality products that hold some personal interest you. Never pick an affiliate product just because you think you'll make a ton of money with it.

Remember, you are starting a business. If it's not a business that holds your interest, you won't be in business very long.

Here's to you success!

Tim Knox

About the Author

For more information on affiliate programs: THE SUPER AFFILIATE HANDBOOK Rosalind Gardner - http://hop.clickbank.net/?tknox/webvista2 CLICKIN' IT RICH Michael Campbell
--- http://hop.clickbank.net/?tknox/dmcorp - http://www.prosperityandprofits.com

Affiliate programs made easy

2009-05-10T06:30:00.000-07:00

by: J. E. Johnson
Author - J.E. Johnson
(c) 2004. All rights reserved.
www.SponsorDirectory.com

The Internet is the world's greatest market place. Hundreds of thousands of companies are selling their products and services online with each desperately trying to stand out from the masses. With millions of web pages on the Internet today it has become increasingly hard to be noticed amongst those masses. In order to sell any product a company will usually employ several marketing systems. One of these marketing systems is the affiliate program.

We've all come to know and love (or hate) them. Colorful banners, annoying pop-ups, pop-ins, pop-unders, unwanted email (Spam) and even messages on our instant messenger service (Spim) are all used to attract the attention of the crowd to a particular product or service. A lot of these advertisements will create an excess of 'useless' traffic (i.e. people that just go to the advertised site to see what all the hustle and bustle is about). As a result this method of advertising is often considered unreliable and inefficient and has to be used in large quantities to be successful. Enter the affiliate program.

Affiliate programs are essentially used to have someone other then the product owner promote and sell the product. This is done on the basis of commissions offered to website owners who are willing to advertise the product on their website. The affiliate program owner offers a fee to the affiliate whenever someone buys from the affiliate program owner's website via a link placed on the website of the affiliate. This leaves advertising for the product almost completely up to the affiliate who only receives a fee if a product is actually sold.

Affiliate programs can generate large networks of affiliated sites that can drastically increase the sales of a particular service or product. Affiliate program referral fees can be anything from a few cents per click to hundreds of dollars for a registration or a product sale.

Affiliate programs have the nice addition that they are incredibly easy to set up often only needing a few minutes per month of maintenance for potentially high returns. As an affiliate all we have to do is place the link of the affiliate program on our website or find some other means to link to the affiliate owner's website and money will start coming in all on its own.

As opposed to endless banners, popups, pop-unders, pop-ins and Spam mail affiliate programs often manage to be a more direct method of advertising. Only interested parties will generally click on affiliate links converting many of the casual surfers to actually interested buyers.

Today the affiliate program is one of the most popular tools for Internet marketing purposes.

About the author:

J. E. Johnson is the owner/operator of
www.SponsorDirectory.coma highly respected affiliate
program directory and internet marketing website.

For more informational articles and a listing of thousands
of affiliate programs please visit
http://www.SponsorDirectory.com

Affiliate Programs : Golden Opportunity or Waste of Time?

2009-05-10T06:26:00.001-07:00

by: Steven O. Ng

Now that the idea of doing business over the internet has been firmly established, many potential internet businessmen are searching for the best way to do business. Usually the choice comes down to whether you want to set up your own business and online store, or sign up for an affiliate program.

First of all, let's define what we mean by an affiliate program. An affiliate program is basically an internet business set up by someone else. They could be selling physical goods, education, information or any other products that can be sold online. By signing up as their affiliate, you are helping them promote their business or store. In return, they will pay you a commission for each sale you bring them. The amount of commission varies between different affiliate programs. Examples of affiliate programs include Amazon.com and Wordtracker, which you can visit at:

http://www.onlinebiz-help.com/links/wordtracker.html

1) EARNINGS

So how does an affiliate program differ from starting your own online store? Let's start by looking at the potential earnings. (After all, the main reason everyone wants to start an internet business is for the money). When you sign up for an affiliate program, you will be paid a commission for each sale you refer to the online store. This commission can range from 5% to 15% for physical products, and possibly up to 50% or more for virtual products such as subscriptions and ebooks.

On the other hand, if you start your own store, your profit can be much higher. For virtual products, your profit can be 100% of your selling price. After all, once the newsletter or ebook is created, you do not need to spend any more effort. When someone buys your ebook, they just download it from your website. If you are selling a physical product, your profit depends on whether you are manufacturing the product yourself, or buying from a wholesaler or dropshipping company. Your profit in this case could easily be more than 40% or 50%.

So, if you only consider the potential earnings, starting your own business is more lucrative than joining an affiliate program.

2) LOGISTICS

However, money isn't everything (Or so they say). When you are starting your own internet business, there are a number of logistic issues you need to look at. Here are a few things you would need to take care of:

a) Create your website
b) Design your product (if you are selling new products)
c) Create your product (if you are selling new physical products, or any virtual products)
d) Set up an online store
e) Set up a merchant account or payment gateway
f) Set up a warehouse or storage space (if you are selling physical products)
g) Have procedures and staff ready to fulfill orders
h) Set up an affiliate program to get others to market the products for you
i) Monitor for fraud
j) Monitor stock levels

As they say, "No pain, no gain". Having your own store pays very well, but requires a substantial time investment from you.

On the other hand, if you sign up for an affiliate program, all you need to do is set up a website to promote the program. All the ads, banners, marketing text etc will be provided to you by the affiliate program. Your only responsibilities would be to get people to visit your website, and hopefully click on the affiliate links to buy the products that you are promoting.

3) CONVERSION

Whether you have your own business or are promoting an affiliate program, the bottom line is the conversion rate, or the percentage of visitors that actually buy something from you. A number of factors influence this conversion rate. Factors as quality of the product, quality of the website, customer support are all important. However, I personally believe that the most important factor is trust.

When a potential customer arrives at your website, he will need to trust your site enough for him to be willing to buy from you. After all, on the internet you are just a faceless salesman. He doesn't know who is actually running the site and whether he will actually get the goods that he orders.

Having said that, one of the key methods of garnering trust is by recommendation and referral. If a store is being referred to or recommended by another website, the potential customer will feel that the store is trustworthy. After all, if the store is not trustworthy, why would the other website recommend it?

This is where affiliate programs shine. When you refer a potential customer to the store for which you are an affiliate, the customer will feel more relieved, since the store is being recommended by your site, a 3rd party. The customer will be more likely to buy from the store, benefiting both the store, and you as well.

There are both pros and cons to joining an affiliate program. You might earn less with an affiliate program compared to starting your own store, but I believe the benefits of not having to be responsible for the logistics makes affiliate programs are very viable "passive" source of income.

For more information on affiliate programs, do visit http://www.onlinebiz-help.com

About the Author

Steven is the webmaster of http://www.onlinebiz-help.com - Your Guide To Internet Business. His website contains various resources on affiliate programs and internet marketing advice to help you succeed in your internet business.

Affiliate Program Scams To Watch Out For

2009-05-10T06:25:00.001-07:00

by: Chet Brzezinski

Affiliate programs are a great way to earn extra money or even a good living if you do things right. But unfortunately, there are alot of people out there that know this and will do everything they can to swindle you into selling their products while not having to pay you a dime. There are some merchants that view affiliates as a source of free traffic and free marketing.

Here are a few things that should draw up a red flag when you come accross an affiliate program:

No Contact Information

If they don't post their contact information on their site then you should not bother with them. To me this tells me they are trying to hide something.

Commission To High

Yes, it is great when we find affiliate programs that pay high commissions. But you also have to be careful that they are not just trying to draw you into their affiliate program by using big numbers. It wouldn't be good to earn alot of money just to get scammed. If it is to good to be true then most likely it is. A merchant will never pay more on a commission then they would get for the sale. It is just not business smart.

No Replies To Your Emails

If they do have their email address on their site and you send them an email but they never reply then you should drop them like a hot rock. If you can't trust them to take one minute to give you a reply then you shouldn't trust them to spend a few more minutes cutting and mailing you a check.

Returned Affiliate Payment Checks

If they do send you a check and your bank returns it then this would be another reason to draw up the red flag of being scammed. Of course you should always contact the merchant to try to resolve the issue, it could be an honest mistake. But if it happens in conjuction with no email replies and lousy affiliate support then I wouldn't waste anymore of my time with them.

The bottom line is that you should always use your gut feeling when dealing with affiliate programs. If you are not sure about an affiliate program then search the search engines for the merchants name. If they are known for scamming affiliates you are sure to find it in the search engines and affiliate forums.

About the Author

Chet Brzezinski has been in the affiliate marketing and affiliate management industry since 1997. View more affiliate program related articles at any of Chet's sites below:
http://www.affiliate-program-review.com
http://www.proudmedia.com

5 Mistakes To Avoid When Choosing An Affiliate Program

2009-05-10T06:24:00.000-07:00

by: Michael Turner

When people decide to join an affiliate program to make extra money, or to have a full time job, they often do so with illusions and no idea of how the affiliate program actually works. Read the following top 5 mistakes people make when it comes to choosing an affiliate program and avoid these mistakes at all costs. Then, you will be able to be more effective and make more money for your time, so it is definitely worthwhile to read these warnings and avoid them.

#1 Don’t Compete, Support

Too many affiliate programs compete against their competitors which wastes money and puts affiliates out of business. However, if you are part of an affiliate program the more affiliates the better for getting more information and more money. One of the worst things to do is choose an affiliate program that believes in competing against other affiliates. Instead, choose an affiliate program that agrees with supporting and growing other affiliates to have a larger network and access to more affiliates.

#2 Little Reward

Another mistake people frequently make when choosing affiliate programs is choosing a program that offers little reward for the individual’s hard work. Too many affiliate programs pay too little and as a result affiliates find it difficult to make the money they should be making. Look for an affiliate program that has a good pay rate for your work.

#3 Old Statistics, if Any

You want an affiliate program that offers good, solid, real time statistics, not old statistics or ones that are no longer valid. There are not many affiliate programs out there that provide the kind of statistics an affiliate manager needs, but do your best to find an affiliate program that offers the most.

#4 No Support

Too often affiliates find themselves waiting days for an answer to an e-mail and an important question for their business. You want an affiliate program that guarantees you support round the clock if possible or at least within 24 hours. If not, keep looking for an affiliate program that wants to help you help yourself.

#5 Fresh Ideas, Creatives

Many affiliate programs provide few ideas or creatives to their affiliates and so thousands of web pages end up with the same advertising. However, affiliate programs would have a better success rate if many different ads were made available so affiliates could alternate ads and place different ads on different sites, depending on the products sold.

Commit these five mistakes to memory so you know exactly what you are looking for in an affiliate program, as well as what to avoid. You will be much more successful and happier as well if you do not get caught in these traps!

About the Author: Michael Turner reveals step-by-step how you can increase search engine traffic in his free 7 part mini-series. Grab it now at http://www.powertraffictactics.com/
Source: www.isnare.com

6 Must Read Reasons to Join Online Affiliate Programs

2009-05-10T06:23:00.001-07:00

by: Hamad Kadmany

Are you looking for a very cost effective way to make an extra income? Let me show you why online affiliate programs are a great answer to your needs...

You must have been exposed to the online hype, and the fact is starting an online business is a great way to make an extra income. There are many ways to make money online, one of them, is joining online affiliate programs...

Here are six great reasons (only) why this could be exactly what you are looking for. I respect your time, so I’ll keep each point brief. Here we go...

1. Your Products

Many people don’t have their own products to market online, and even if they do, they would have to handle the shipment of the products to every corner of the world, or they would narrow their market to specific areas only.

Online affiliate programs provide a wide variety of quality products, which meet every customer’s needs, and you can market those products world wide without worrying about their shipment. All you need is to refer people to your affiliate websites. Any orders taken from that website are automatically handled by the company on your behalf.

2. Your Income Potential

Besides the commission you can earn from direct products selling, there’s another powerful way to make a great income online - residual income, and this is by referring other people to join the opportunity. This way you can build a network of people where you make a commission for each sale they make...

Some companies limit you to one level of sponsored affiliates, which mean, you only get commission for the sales of the first level of people you refer, however, MANY other great companies do NOT limit your income potential, actually, it’s infinite deep network where you can enjoy passive income.

3. Your Investment

The great news is – you are NOT required to put any money down in order to join an online affiliate opportunity, you can join for FREE! Some of them might claim that you must buy their products (you should avoid those...), even though I believe in the concept of buying from your own store, real opportunities should not force you to perform nor limit your potential, so it is all up to you.

Of course, any kind of business requires some kind of investment, generally speaking it’s a trade off between time and money, the more you are willing to invest, the less time you need to build a solid business, and vise-versa. So it is all up to you.

4. Your Business Training

Some of the great online business will train you for FREE. Do NOT take this lightly, if you are serious about making real income, you will need proper training to build your business effectively, this will save you time AND money!

The information I have learned is priceless! I learned how to master the science of marketing, and it was easy for people like me (I’m a computer software engineer who knew NOTHING about marketing!) to build a successful business. As I already mentioned, this training is available to you for FREE even before they see a penny from you!

5. Your Business Needs

This is extremely important. To have a successful online business, you must have the proper tools like tracking software, websites, follow-up manager and more. Without those tools, you are shooting in the dark and you’ll waste your time and money.

The serious online affiliate opportunities will provide you with those must have tools, and will guide you exactly how to use them in your favor. Again, FREE of charge!

6. Your Bottom Line

I’m well aware to the fact that the bottom line of any business, including online business, is making money. However, there are issues beyond that, those are the issues behind your desire to make money, either to spend more time with your family, get out of debt, own your own home or you name it...

Affiliate programs can be a great way to achieve whatever reasons you might have that triggered you to search for ways to make an extra income. Just make sure you join a great opportunity that is willing to invest in your success, because your success means also theirs!

Allow me to close with a quote by Robert Kiosaki, the author of the book titled "Rich Dad Poor Dad". Mr. Kiosaki, a self made millionaire who also works in network marketing and who opened my eyes through his astonishing books, said the following:

"Is your business or the company you work for going to do well in a depression? If not, start a part time business. Our businesses are designed to do well in a good economy and do even better in a depression. A part-time business that will do well in a down economy is a network marketing business. During a depression, many more people will be very receptive to joining a network marketing company".

Online affiliate companies are the new cutting edge network marketing companies, which makes the whole process much easier.

About the Author

Hamad Kadmany helps real people succeed online with his free newsletter and his website. His business provides you with a real online business opportunity and the proper tools, training and support for a successful online business. Discover why so many have found their ideal business with Hamad today at http://www.OnlineBizKnowHow.com

8 Basic Rules for Choosing The Right Affiliate Program

2009-05-10T06:13:00.000-07:00

by: Syahriansyah

Joining an Affiliate Program is a great way to start earning a sizeable income on the Internet without many of the hassles that come with running your own business.

But the problem is… there are so much affiliate programs out there for you. In this article I will guide you to choose the most suitable and profitable Affiliate Program for you. I recommend you to follow this rule before choosing an Affiliate Program.

1. Find a great quality product or service

Remember that any recommendation you make will reflect directly on you. If you recommend a great quality product, the people you recommended will always trusted you and be interested in future recommendations that you make. If you recommend a bad quality product, and I'll guarantee that they will likely hesitate to act on any offers you recommend.

Don't get greedy. Only recommend products that you truly believe in.

2. Look for a program that offers top commissions.

I think it's perfectly reasonable for you to expect to be paid 30% to 50% of the profits on each product sold. 5% to 10% is very low. You should look for companies who understand the "lifetime value" of new customers you refer and appreciate your efforts.

Only consider joining programs that show a similar level of respect for their affiliates.

3. Make sure they have a high sales conversion ratio.

Make sure that the affiliate program is turning a reasonable number of visitors into sales. If not, then your efforts directing traffic to their website will be completely wasted. A 1% conversion ratio (1 out of every 100 visitors) is quite good, 2%+ is better.

4. Be sure you'll be credited for every sales you make.

You should find out what kind of tracking software the Affiliate Program that you're interested in joining uses. You MUST look for a program that uses quality affiliate tracking software that is reliable and tracks ALL (online, by phone, fax, mail orders, etc), because there are many companies only track online orders, and this means that you will never get credit for anywhere from 5% - 10% of your affiliate sales!.

Make sure they have a high sales conversion ratio and a good tracking software.

5. They should allow you to access your sales statistics real time.

What I mean is that the Affiliate Program you join should give you a special username and password that you can use to access your own personal affiliate sales information right on their website. Many affiliate programs have done this, you don't have to worry about that, but incase they don't, you should reconsider to join them.

6. Look for a program that teaches you to maximize your affiliate sales.

A good affiliate program will provide you with everything you need to be successful. They'll provide you with traffic-generating banners, text-links, and recommendation letter templates. They'll tell you which techniques work well in which circumstances.

Find an affiliate program that is similarly dedicated to educating their affiliates.

7. Make sure they are reputable.

I still feel I should mention the importance of doing business with a reputable company. I know many people who have worked really hard, made a lot of sales for a company, but then they have never been paid or forced to wait months and months to get their money, I've been there too. If you have any concerns about a company that you are thinking of doing business with, ask for references and do some checks on them before you join them.

8. Be sure to read all contracts and agreements.

Before you join any affiliate program, just make sure that you read all contracts and agreements very carefully. Pay very close attention to exclusivity clauses in the agreement. Be careful that any affiliate agreement or contract you sign does not restrict you.

Copyright 2005 Syahriansyah
About the Author

Syahriansyah is the owner of http://www.advancetactics.com. His website offers an idea for home based businesses. Feel free to check all the guides and articles.

12 Tips For A Successful Affiliate Program

2009-05-10T06:12:00.001-07:00

by: Ken Hill

1. Look around at other competing businesses that offer affiliate programs, and think of ways that you can make your
affiliate program more attractive.

2. Pay your affiliates well for their efforts.

If you're thinking about offering a 10% commission for sales of your product and a competing business is paying a 50%
commission for referrals, you'll lose affiliates to your competitor.

3. Make your affiliate program more lucrative by offering residual commissions.

This is an excellent choice if you offer a product that is paid for on a residual basis such as webhosting or access to your membership site.

4. Offer lifetime commissions.

Your affiliates will see the power of lifetime commissions, and work hard to promote your business and send you more
sales.

5. Make your affiliate program two-tier.

Reward your affiliates by giving them a commission on the sales of people they refer to your affiliate program.

6. Don't leave your affiliates out in the cold.

Provide your affiliates with lots of sales items that they can use to successfully promote your products.

Some items you could offer your affiliates:

- e-zine ads (sponsor ads, classified ads, 2 liners)
- signature file ads
- sales letters/solo ads
- brandable ebooks
- sample recommendations
- email courses
- your articles that they can reprint with their affiliate URLs in your resource box.

7. Be quick to respond to your affiliates' emails.

An easy way to lose your affiliates is to not respond to their questions in a timely manner, or to not respond to their e-mails at all.

It shows that you don't value them, and since their are tons of other affiliate programs, you would be losing potentially
very good affiliates to other businesses.

8. Provide your own tips and advice.

Follow up with your affiliates with tips and strategies that they can use to increase their commissions.

9. Reward your top affiliates with higher commissions and bonuses.

You'll be able to achieve more sales over the long term because your top affiliates won't jump to another affiliate program where their efforts are more appreciated.

10. Publish an affiliate's newsletter.

Your affiliate's newsletter will help you to share your tips with your affiliates, and keep them going in the right direction.

You could also use your newsletter to keep your top affiliates excited about your program.

Some effective ways to do this are:

- Share what your top affiliates do to earn big commission checks.
- Showcase their sites and tell why their sites sell.
- List your 5 or 10 highest earning affiliates for the month.

11. Track your affiliates' sales accurately.

Your affiliates will find out if they send you customers and you don't credit them with their commissions.

Your affiliate program will lose credibility and you'll end up losing your affiliates as word gets around.

12. Participate in affiliate marketing forums.

Share your valuable advice and expertise with the members of the forums you participate in.

Include your signature file that promotes your affiliate program, and always follow the rules of the forums you join.

About the author:

Article by Ken Hill. Want To Start Your Own Profit Driving Affiliate Program? Power packed solution has what you need. Includes affiliate program software, shopping cart, ad tracking and easy e-zine management. Automate your online business today at: http://www.scstats.com/r.cfm?i=5029

A Successful Affiliate Program

2009-05-10T06:09:00.000-07:00

by: Hamoon Arbabi

Two Christmases ago I tugged on one of those paper crackers and after a small bang, out opped a piece of yellow paper the size of a credit card.

On one side was a riddle that didn't make much sense, but on the other side was an 'Inspirational Quote' that made a lot of sense.

So much so, that I still have it in my wallet.

This is what it said: "The shortest and best way to make your fortune is to let people see clearly that it is in their interests to promote yours".

I'm constantly amazed to see affiliate programs that offer 20%, or even as little as 15%, to their affiliates.

It is generally accepted that the production of any information product is only 10 percent of the whole process.

What's the other 90 per cent? Marketing!

My own affiliate program gives 50% commissions, and I wouldn't dream of offering less. After all, who makes the sale - me or the affiliate?

It may be disappointing to see 50% of your sale price going to your affiliates. But it's worth remembering this: without your affiliate, that sale simply wouldn't have occurred.

Of course, there are many other factors involved in building a successful affiliate program, but this is the first and most important: make your affiliates your equal partners, because they'll be doing 90% of the work.

Good luck.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hamoon Arbabi
Find more about Affiliate programs, Online business opportunities, Marketing tactics, Free services, Free tools and... In http://homebusiness.nexuswebs.net

A Unique profitable Affiliate Program

2009-05-10T06:08:00.000-07:00

by: Lakshmi
[Cashing in thru Recurring revenues Affiliate Programs
Participating in Affiliate programs where one can get Life-time Commissions]

We at Nimbustel have launched a unique Affiliate Program for webmasters FREE OF COST. It will provide an opportunity for webmasters to generate revenue through the sale of our online prepaid calling cards.

At Makemycall.com, we have a Premier online store for all prepaid calling card needs where we provide customers with virtual calling cards delivered instantly via email within minutes of placing an order.
Over 400 Global destinations to choose from, and big savings up to 50%, it is the ultimate ease of shopping for International calling cards to call from USA to around 400 International destinations.

Joining our Affiliate program, you get:
- 10% Commissions on ALL successful Sales for LIFE
- Get 2% commission on 2-tiered sales
As online prepaid calling cards are regularly being used by customers, hence you will be automatically entitled to get Recurring Revenues for the customers forwarded from your website via our Affiliate program!

With our Affiliate program we will provide you with a wide array of marketing tools like Search boxes, Banners and Text links to display in your website that will sell products for you and augment your sales.

Further you will have access to our user-friendly online reporting tool where you can check your online sales generated through your website and commission accrued to you.

For further information on our Affiliate program visit:
http://affiliate.nimbustel.com

Thanks & Regards,
Lakshmi

About the Author

Developed a Unique profitable Affiliate Program!
Cash in thru Recurring revenues Affiliate Programs by Participating in
Affiliate programs where one can get Life-time Commissions.

Joining our Affiliate program, you get:
- 10% Commissions on ALL successful Sales for LIFE
- Get 2% commission on 2-tiered sales

For further information on our Affiliate program visit:

http://affiliate.nimbustel.com

A Successful Affiliate Program

2009-05-10T06:06:00.000-07:00

Affiliate Programs

2009-05-10T06:05:00.000-07:00

by: Helen Peshkova
Affiliate Programs

RichTrack.com explains what affiliate marketing is all about and how much money you can make. RichTrack.com will help you to become an affiliate. RichTrack.com has reviewed the best Affiliate Program Providers (APPs) and here you can find our top APPs ranking. Also you find a lot of resources which help you to promote merchant’s products and get money in the lucrative world of affiliate marketing.

Basic Idea

Affiliate marketing is a type of marketing in which revenue sharing between online merchants and online salespeople (affiliates), whereby compensation is based on performance measures, typically in the form of sales (Pay Per Sale), clicks (Pay Per Click) and impressions (Pay Per Impressions).

Merchants run affiliate programs to generate leads and sales from other Web sites. They pay an affiliate to generate sales from a button, banner, or link placed on affiliate’s website, newsletter, e-mail or pay per click ad. For example, if a site owner signs up for any merchant’s affiliate program, he will receive banners or links from this merchant that he can place anywhere on his site. Then, if a visitor clicks on this banner or a link on his site and buys something, he will receive a commission.

The introduction of affiliate programs in the late 1990s brought Internet marketing to a new level. The first companies that offered these programs saw sales increase dramatically. These companies basically get free advertising and only pay their affiliates a percentage of the sales they generate. It's a win-win situation for the company that runs the affiliate program.

Now there are thousands of companies in hundreds of industries that will pay commissions to you for sales, leads or impressions.

How does it work?

1. First of all you are looking for products and services sold online and used an affiliate program.

2. Then you should sign up for free as a reseller (affiliate). How to become an affiliate you can find below.

3. After that you should advertise these products and services. How to promote them you can find below.

4. After all you’ll receive commission checks.

How to become an affiliate?

There are two ways to become an affiliate:

1. Some merchants have their own affiliate programs. You can join them on their sites.

2. But the most typical is to use Affiliate Program Providers (APPs). There are several large APPs. They connect a lot of merchants and affiliates in different industries. APPs collect payments from merchants and consolidate affiliate reporting and payments. For example, the affiliate places links to the merchant on their website, email, newsletter, or Pay per Click ads. When a potential customer clicks through the link they are sent to a specified page of the merchant’s site. If this potential customer buys something, fills out a form, or completes any action desired by the merchant the affiliate is gotten a commission. The APP tracks all elements of the transaction.

Joining an APP is absolutely free. You should only fill out a form. The affiliate should usually wait a few days for approval, sometimes applying is automatic. You can find the Top APPs at http://www.RichTrack.com.

Advantages

Affiliate Programs are the ideal way to get money quickly and easily online:

You don’t need to launch a new product;
You don’t need to handle any products;
You don’t need physical inventory;
You don’t need a huge investment. You can start with $10 and 2 hours a week;
You don’t need a website because you can use Pay per Click ads.

Disadvantages

The very important disadvantage is a low click-through to conversion rate.
Only a few percent of your visitors will click on a banner or link; of that percentage, a few percent will actually buy something. It can be disheartening to see that there have been thousands of visits to your site, and only small percent of them have bought something you promote.

Recommendation: If you focus on the affiliate programs to the theme of your site and the interests of your audience then the better the results you will achieve. Also text links, "odd" ads (i.e. advertising that doesn't immediately look like advertising) will generally give rise to much better results than banners or buttons.

You should be reliant on a merchant's ability to sell to the visitors the products that you're promoting. Of course you can improve the chance of a sale by effectively pre-selling the product or service, but it's still up to the merchant to close a sale. And if they don't sell anything to your visitors, you get nothing.
Recommendation: Before promoting any product you should learn it and decide for yourself: “Would I buy it?” If the answer is “Yes” that's greate, but if “No” you should look for better productsto promote.

You can find books to read first and AdWords helping tools at http://www.RichTrack.com.

About the Author

Written by Helen Peshkova, RichTrack.com.

http://www.RichTrack.com is one of the first business oriented education portals. It's the leading online business information network for millionaires. The goal of RichTrack.com is to present business content in a professional, helpful and practical format that helps you getting rich.

Affiliate Program Primer

2009-05-10T06:04:00.000-07:00

by: John Calder
© 2004, John Calder
http://www.TheEzine.net

Ever since Amazon launched what is perhaps the most well-known, but not the first, affiliate program in 1996, other merchants in every business category imaginable have followed suit. And even though many webmasters have earned money from these programs ever since, there are still a lot of questions to this day about affiliate (also known as associate or referral) programs. So maybe it's time to revisit some basics for new or soon-to-be Internet marketers.

An affiliate program is, at the bottom line, a commissioned sales job. Like the Fuller Brush salesman of old, you are an independent representative of a company, offering their products or services to potential customers. When one of them buys, you get a percentage of the sale. But, in the high-tech version, you have a few very powerful advantages over the classic door-to-door sales rep.

To start, you can represent multiple products from more than one company at a time, on as many web sites as you own, in as many markets as you choose. You don't have to travel anywhere, yet the web puts you in front of a worldwide market. This gives you an incredible diversity of products, markets, and "neighborhoods" to sell in, all from right in front of your computer screen. You could possibly make multiple sales at one time, yet you never have to deal with door-slammed-in-your-face rejection. On the Internet, you don't always even have to make a sale to earn a commission. Some affiliate programs will pay you if someone just clicks on a link at your site, fills out an application, or even asks for more information. And here's the best part - your web sites work for you around the clock, every day.

Commission rates vary by type of product. Physical goods (that have to be shipped) tend to pay lower rates than products like software or ebooks that can be digitally delivered. However, 5% of a $2000 TV is more than 50% of a $50 ebook, so you have to remember to look at the big picture when deciding what affiliate products to offer. For best affiliate sales results, you'll want to offer products and services designed to appeal to the target audience of your web site. For example, it makes no sense to place affiliate links to mechanic's tools on a cooking site, while it makes perfect sense to place them on a site about restoring cars.

There are several ways to join affiliate programs. Some companies operate their own program, and you will apply through the company web site. But many merchants choose to operate through an affiliate network. These third-party companies offer sign-up, tracking, payment, and overall affiliate program management services to merchants and affiliate marketers. A few top names are Commission Junction, LinkShare, and Clickbank. Just search for "affiliate program" or "affiliate network" and you're bound to find more.

Your sales and clicks are tracked by software. It's your responsibility to make sure your links follow the guidelines stated by your merchant or affiliate network. Some browsers, ad-blocking software, link cloakers, and coding techniques (such as frames) can prevent the tracking links on your site from working properly, and you may not get credit if one of your clicks leads to a sale. Most all affiliate marketers sooner or later run into this, and when it happens, it's not intentional, so don't feel victimized. Technology is very good, but it's not perfect.

For almost every Internet marketer, affiliate marketing offers a fast and inexpensive way to get started in an online business. These programs can help you generate income while you learn the ropes and work towards developing your own product or service, if that's your goal. And yes, you can even become an affiliate for the Fuller Brush Company!

About the Author

John Calder is the owner/editor of The Ezine Dot Net. Subscribe Today and get real information YOU can use to help build your online business today! http://www.TheEzine.Net

Affiliate Program Basics

2009-05-10T06:03:00.000-07:00

by: Albert Hallado

Affiliate Program is a ground floor opportunity. All you have to do is send visitors to your affiliate web site by placing a textlink or banner on your website and receive a commission on each sale, without the complication and expense of selling anything yourself.

Instead, you earn a commission for producing a ransaction. Affiliate programs, also known as Referral Programs, Associate Programs, Profit Sharing Programs or Reseller programs, give affiliates the ability to create an online business selling thousands products and services.

One of the first affiliate programs was run by the mega- bookstore, Amazon.com. They still have the largest base of affiliates on the net although they may not be the best affiliate program for many! with over 600,000 web sites being affiliated.

Affiliate programs are generally offered by sites selling goods or services, although some affiliate programs reward other types of transaction such as getting a visitor to sign up for a free newsletter, or a download.

Some affiliate programs pay per lead rather than per sale, in other words, you bring them a prospective customer and they pay a fixed "finder's fee" for the chance to market to that customer.

This is a typical arrangement for affiliate programs in the insurance, real estate and credit card industries, for example:

Types of Affiliate Programs

Pay per sale: If you refer a visitor to the online merchant's site and if visitor makes a purchase you get a percentage of the sale as commission.

Pay per lead: You get paid a one-time fee for generating a lead for the merchant. Usually you get paid $2-$5 if the visitor you referred fills out an application.

Pay per click: You get paid for every visitor you send to the online merchant regardless of any sale or purchase. Usually companies pay $0.05 - $0.15 per click.

Two-Tier: You get commission on direct sales you generate and also you get commission on sales generated by affiliates you recruited. Usually companies pay 25% commission for direct sales and 5% for sales generated by your affiliates.

Bounty: You get a one-time finder's fee payment for the visitor you referred. You will not get commission on any future purchases that customer makes.

When you join an affiliate program, you will be given a specially formatted URL (Links) that you should use to link to the affiliate provider's site.

This will enable the affiliate provider to monitor traffic to your site and pay according to the type of affiliate program.

The Benefit of an Affiliate Program

Is that you just need to drive traffic to your affiliate site. Write a few articles and provide a few links.

You don't need to find or deal with brokers, wholesalers, inventory, process orders, shipping & handling, customer service, tech support, handle returns, warranties, employees, etc-

An affiliate doesn't even have to be present, your site will keep earning money while you're sick, on vacation, or just doing something else.

Another advantage of being an affiliate, is that you do it from almost anywhere in the world..

How The System Works?

Many affiliate programs pay a commission based on a percentage of the revenue generated by purchases made by visitors coming from your website.

For example; if you're participating in an affiliate program that offers a 25% commission and you

send a visitor who purchases US$100 worth of products, you've just earned US$25 in commissions.

The commission rate itself can vary from 20% up- to 50%+ in the case of intangible products such as eBooks or website subscriptions.

Affiliate programs vary widely in terms of overall quality, reliability, commission , statistics, the amount of help that the merchant site offers in marketing the products or services it sells, and so on.

By thoroughly understanding an affiliate program, you'll minimize the risk of not getting paid - and maximize your potential earnings.

Albert Hallado

Owner of netbizreview.com (Guide To Internet Based Business)Albert is known for interviewing online business experts and Helping Entrepreneurs Doing Business On The Internet

Editor@netbizreview.com

Affiliate Program Intro

2009-05-10T05:59:00.000-07:00

by: Shanon Lewis

What is an affiliate program? Everyone who surfs the web has come across affiliate programs. You may have seen a banner on a website that says, “click here”, and once you do, you get access to whatever’s being promoted. Or you could click on a link in an email you’ve received. You’re using someone’s affiliate program.

Basically, the company that sells the product sets up an automated way for people to be paid a set amount to help them promote their products or services. The links send you to the company’s website where you can buy the product. The owner of the originating website or email gets a fee for taking you there.

The bookstore Amazon was the first company to heavily promote affiliate marketing on the internet. Although this type of marketing is ideal for businesses that only operate online, it's also become popular with businesses that have both an online and bricks and mortar presence.
Affiliate programs are an ideal way to make your web site profitable. With the huge range of affiliate programs now available, there’s almost bound to be something to suit you and your website.

How it works

Perhaps you’ve created a website about the city where you live. People find your website while searching for information about your city. Once they’ve read your pages they check out your recommendations. They might click a link to book a flight there. You get paid a commission. Then they clink your link that points them to somewhere they can book a hotel room. Another commission for you. Then they might want to buy a guide-book or street map. Yet another commission.

Or perhaps you have a website connected with your hobby. Maybe you want to share your enthusiasm about the crafts you do. Your website could point people towards suppliers, books on the subject, magazine subscriptions…the list is endless. And all the time you’re earning your commission.

The commission is paid in different ways according to the company you’re affiliated to. You can be paid per impression, per click, per lead or per sale. The stronger the likelihood of a sale, the higher your commission will be.

The advantages for you

There’s no need for you to develop the products – it’s already been done. All you need to do is to pick the best out of those available. You don't need to spend money on making or storing the product. Sending people to your affiliate merchants means you don’t need to take or process a single order, or worry about processing payments. You don't have to handle or mail the product - your merchants do that. You don’t have to offer customer support. Affiliate programs are usually free to join. You can run your affiliate business part time for a little extra cash while making minimal effort.

Choosing your affiliates

It’s worth spending some time making sure that you choose the right companies to affiliate with. Different companies have different requirements. Some require you to have a minimum number of visitors to your website, while others require you to have your own domain name.

The best way to choose an affliate program that will suit you is according to the type of people who visit your website. If your website is about guitars, you’re unlikely to have much success with affiliating with a company that sells gardening products. The first thing you need to do is know your target audience.

You also might consider whether you want to join every single affliate program that comes your way. A lot of people find that they make the most money from using only a small number of programs. Also, concentrating your advertisements may allow you to be paid faster.

Sometimes, it can be hard to choose between two similar companies. What works well for someone else may not be the best choice for you. It’s not just about how much money you can make – you’ll want to feel confident in your recommendations.

You can maximize your income by thinking beyond the obvious. If your website is aimed at parents, obviously you might think of affiliating to a toy company. But what about books, clothes, videos, DVDs, child oriented software…

If you’re thinking about affiliating with two similar websites, you might want to choose the one that easiest to use or offers the greater benefit to a visitor, even if it pays less in commissions. You'll do best with programs that represent a subject you're personally interested in. Your own interest in the subject will entice others.

To join an affiliate program, you simply go to the site and complete their online application form. Some programs approve you instantly, while others check out your application before it is approved. Once it’s approved, you're given some HTML code that you can cut and paste onto your web page.

How do I make my money?

Before joining any program, you should probably be aware of the different payment programs available.

Pay Per Impression

Here you are paid according to the number of times the advertiser's banner is displayed on your site. The amount paid is usually small, but it is easy to earn as everytime a visitor loads the page, you earn. The more vistors your site attracts, the more you earn.

Pay Per Click

With this method you’re only paid when visitors click the advertiser's banner on your site. It generally pays higher than the pay per impression program. You’ll get better results if your banners are carefully selected to suit your target audience.

Pay Per Sale or Lead

You only earn if your visitors click through the banner and buy the product or service.
Often, to avoid wasting resources in issuing checks for very small amounts, advertisers will accrue the amount owed to you until it reaches a certain amount before they pay you.

How do they keep track of referrals?

Every affiliate banner or link that a visitor clicks on has some type of coding added to the URL - this differentiates it from other affiliates' links. The most common means of tracking affiliate links is by "cookies" Cookies are tiny files stored on your computer by a web browser when you click on an advertising link.

Cookies are generated to track visitors to websites. This is how they can "remember" what you bought when you visit there again. For an affiliate company, the cookie records information on which affiliate referred the visitor to the company, and when.

As some computer users block or delete cookies, there are other methods used to track referrals. For example, CGI-based scripts related to the individuals affiliate code attached to the URL links and database matching algorithms are used.

Second tier programs

A two tier program allows you as an affiliate to sign up other affiliates under you. You earn a smaller commission on the referrals or sales that arise from their advertising efforts as well as your own.

This costs you far less time and money for each sale if some of them aren't yours. In effect, you have your own sales force and pay a commission to your sub-affiliates. Except that the commission comes out of the affiliate company's profits rather than yours.

The affiliate company benefits by a possible exponential growth of its sales force for no more effort on its part - you're providing that. It’s not hard to recruit people under you in two tier programs.

A second level can be a great advantage to you as an affiliate. Even if you only spread the word amongst friends and family, you never know when someone who signs up under you will really take off. They could earn you a lot by their own efforts in spreading the word about a program. You might not get rich, but you'll get some welcome extra income.

A multi tier affiliate program builds on the concept of a two-tier program.

Not only can you earn from sub-affiliates, but you can also earn from their sub-affiliates, and perhaps their sub-affiliates. With a two tier program, you have an incentive to sign up sub-affiliates. A multi-tier program gives you the incentive to help your sub affiliates sign up others.

Is it for me?

If you have a website then there’s guaranteed to be an affiliate program to suit your needs and audience. For minimal effort you can make your website earn money, even while you’re happily sleeping. Perhaps it won’t make you a fortune overnight. And it’s true that no-one hands you money for doing nothing. But with some careful thought and planning, choosing an affiliate program that fits in with YOUR website and sells products that YOU are confident in is a straightforward way of increasing YOUR income. And it costs you nothing.

About the Author

Shanon Lewis is a web marketing specialist with over 7 years of search engine placement, e-mail marketing and affiliate management experience. She is part of the expert team at affiliateprograms.com, the premiere affiliate programs directory online.