Selecting the Best Affiliate Program

By John Paul Richards:

Those who wish to enter the world of affiliate marketing may find themselves a bit overwhelmed when the time comes to select a company with which to do business. This is because there is a vast array of affiliate programs from which a prospective marketer can choose, making it somewhat difficult to know which program will best suit his or her needs. However, the selection process can be made much easier if one remembers to ask the following questions:

Most programs offered to affiliate marketers do not cost anything to join, but there are certain programs that require an investment on the part of the marketer. This is why questions about fees should be asked first. It is also wise to ask the merchant how often commission checks are distributed and whether or not a minimum amount must be earned by the affiliate before a check will be issued.

When selecting a company with which to form an affiliation, the marketer should also ask whether or not statistics will be made available. If not, this should be considered a red flag by the marketer. Those running legitimate programs will typically not hesitate to offer detailed statistics to prospective affiliates. Other relevant questions include whether or not the affiliate will be compensated for clicks, which simply refers to a visitor who was redirected to the merchant's website from the site of the affiliate. Some programs pay for each click, while others pay only when a sale is made.

In addition to asking the aforementioned questions, marketers should make every effort to familiarize themselves with the merchant's products and services. Affiliates should strive to learn as much as possible about the merchant, as this will help them to decide whether or not an affiliation should be pursued. If such information is limited or the merchant seems hesitant to provide facts about his or her company, it is best for the affiliate to consider other options.

Marketers should also inquire about the type of program being offered by the merchant. There are essentially two types of programs, which are referred to as single-tier or double-tier. Single-tier programs pay affiliates for the business they generate for the merchant. Double-tier programs, however, are associated with an additional pay plan: the affiliate can also earn money for recommending other affiliates to the merchant, provided their recruits are able to drive traffic to the merchant's site.

Finally, one must discover how much commission will be paid by the program he or she is considering. The commissions offered by most companies fall somewhere between five and twenty percent to start, although these figures will vary greatly from one affiliate company to the next. As previously mentioned, there are numerous affiliate marketing programs from which one can choose. Therefore, obtaining an appropriate amount of information concerning any affiliation one is considering is the best way to ensure that the most suitable choice is made. For this reason, these questions should be asked by any marketer who is planning to enter an affiliate program.

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