by Michael Laleye
If you own a website and interested in getting involved in affiliate marketing, you will have several options from which to choose. The best affiliate marketing program may not be the one that provides a very commission on sales, but may be the one that provides the best opportunity to make more sales. For instance, some of a very popular and highest commission sites tend to be those that offer gambling and adult entertainment. These sites may not fit into the focus of your sites or your visitors.The best affiliate marketing program will be the one that fits into your site and offers a regular opportunity to turn your visitors into sales for the company and improved profits for you. You can develop affiliate options based on the main focus of your site and that appeal to your site's visitors. If your site promoted sports, affiliating with sport related companies, may be your best affiliate programs.
Where to Look
Affiliate networks are the middle man between affiliates and web sites with affiliate programs. Look for affiliate networks that provide all the tools needed to set up and maintain an affiliate program. AssociatePrograms.com is a popular directory with information about merchants that pay you to sell their wares.
Commission Junction is a free network that offers access to thousands of the best affiliate programs. Commission Junction combines all your affiliate earnings (product sales, on-line ads, links) into one monthly check.
What to Look for
The best affiliate programs will be those that target your customer base. An on-line florist would certainly get little traffic from a pet supply website. You want an affiliate whose business is similar or comparable to your product. Avoid affiliates with low quality products. Ask to speak to existing affiliates to find out if a company is reputable.
Referral traffic may link to the merchant site and not buy initially but return to make a purchase weeks later. Look for affiliate programs that remember your site was the reason for that customer. The best affiliate programs remember you for 60 days by using cookies to tag the customer's computer when he visits the merchant site.
The best affiliate programs offer reliable support such as ads, logos, and sales advice. Good programs also provide timely updates on click through sales and earnings, and, respond to questions or problems within 24 hours.
Also, a profitable home business needs time to grow. You should never think that you are going to take off within a couple days of opening up shop. It is going to take you a bit of time to get your bearings and take off. For this reason, patience is important to the success of your home business. With patience you'll be able to wait out the rough times that are bound to show up time and time again. No home business starts making big time money in the first day. But if you take your time you will get to where you want to be.
