After being asked that question a million times I decided to make a website about it. There are many ways to do affiliate marketing and some are neither right or wrong. Here is the short version of the way I make my websites.
You make a quality value added website that people find in the search engines and you add a few links to some great online shopping destinations.
When the people click on the ad on your website they go to another website that sponsored the sale. When the people buy from that store you get a commission. That's right you can make money from the comfort of your own home.
Affiliate programs are without a doubt, the fastest way to make money on the internet. There are countless affiliate programs on the Internet today. Most of the big named stores have one and odds are if you have purchased something online you have been on an affiliate site where you received a product review or something similar before you made your purchase.
The principle behind affiliate programs is quite simple. You will only have to pre-sell the products of an affiliate merchant. For every sale that can be traced through your referral, you stand to earn a generous commission that ranges from 5% to 50%, depending on the affiliate merchant. There is no quota to be met. There is no minimum number of sales that you have to reach. You are not even restricted to join a single affiliate program, as you could enroll in as many affiliate programs as you wish. Be careful though as joining too many programs at once is usually a rookie affiliate mistake. I know this because I did it too. I am still taking down bad affiliate programs html two years later.
Making money through affiliate programs is as easy as 1-2-3. Here are ten proven steps that would help you jumpstart this very good income stream. It is not easy at first but it does pay off in the long run. The best part is you can start from home at first. It will get as big as you want it to be. It can replace your 9-5 job too with a little more work. My family and friends are driving me crazy asking me about it so I decided to help get them and whoever wants to read on all about it.
1. Start your own website. Even if you are involved in an affiliate program, it's very important that you develop your own site with a clear and solid theme. Don't fall for the free web site hosting sites as they will be the only ones making money on it. Build a web site with a clear, concise theme that is based around a niche that is supported by tons of quality articles and helpful information on your topic. Choosing a theme is a hardest part as it requires a little research unless you know a lot about a hobby or something. It is better to start with a subject that you know a little about as it will keep your interest while you are building a site and you will develop more pages quickly this way.
2. Find an affiliate program. Everything has to start from here. Integrate related affiliate programs into your site. Your website should be related to your chosen affiliate program. If you decide to make a website that sells jewelry, there is no way you can be successful if you join an affiliate program of a bookstore. It is tempting to join every available affiliate program that sounds lucrative, but in this case, more is not always the best option. It is best to join at least one or two affiliate programs that fit your sites audience and represent the product or services that you sell.
3. Make Your Site Interesting. Your website should not be full of blatant ad and uncontrollable pop-ups. It's important to that your site is a not just page full of links and advertisements to the company you are affiliated with. You should maintain a unique and well-organized content throughout your website. You should have at least 20 pages of original content and keep building your site from there. Yes I did say 20 pages if you don't think you can do that quit now.
4. Build A Good Reputation. You should build credibility to encourage visitors to respect and trust your recommendations. A helpful way to build credibility is to provide useful information and Quality articles to your visitors. This will give the impression that you know what you are talking about and that you are trustworthy.
5. Promote High Quality Products. Again, quality is better than quantity when it comes to your site. Don’t ruin your reputation by referring less-than-satisfactory products and services. Don’t waste your time on junk. Build a site full of junk and all you have is a site full of junk that no one wants. Did you ever see a line outside Fred Sanford's house waiting to buy his stuff? I didn't think so.
6. Promote Yourself. Encourage potential customers by creating or joining user group forums, e-mail groups, and discussion boards. This way, you are able to target, interest specific groups immediately. Actively participate in the discussions without being too aggressive in promoting yourself. Remember to include your contact information and website in your signature. There is no better website promotion than viral marketing.
7. Create Your Own Mailing List. Customers can also be referrals. Build a mailing list that will keep them updated for new products and services. This will help you in establishing a connection with your customers. This way, you can gain their trust. Just don't spam them with too many emails or they will hate you.
8. Maximize Affiliate Income Through Referrals. Referrals are an exponential form of marketing where your profits as an affiliate can be can increase. The more traffic you bring to the site, the more you can maximize profits.
9. Maintain Your Website. Your website is your internet portal in making money through affiliate programs. Ensure a pleasurable visit for each visitor by maintaining a clean layout and updating the site contents. It is best to add fresh quality content every now and then to keep the site interesting and up to date.
10. Optimize Your Site For Search Engines. Use available free tools that help in search engine optimization. A favorable ranking for the right key words can mean a consistent, steady flow of targeted traffic for your site. Don't try any tricks to get better rankings as they only work in the short term.
11. Learn All You Can. I cannot harp on this enough but the more you learn the more you earn. I try to learn something new everyday.
What I am Really Trying To Say!
So lets just say I make a site about sports, I put up a few links to sporting good stores and when people buy I get a commission. The commissions range anywhere from 2% to 20% of the sale in the sports business. Sounds real simple doesn't it? Well to tell you the truth it is really a lot of hard work when you first start your website. The rewards are huge once you get your site on its way.
I was fooling around with putting some affiliate links on my site but I really wasn't making any serious money until I met a man named James Martell and his lovely wife Arlene in New York City. This meeting has changed my whole way of thinking about how affiliate marketing works. James explains how taking practical steps to make money from home.
What you will see on this site:
On this site you will see some places I have traveled and it's all because of affiliate marketing. It really is a great business to be in. The best part is you can even do it in your spare time until you start making serious money.
I went to Las Vegas in 2004 for a friends of www.Abestweb.com webmasters convention to learn how to make even more money online. Imagine being able to go to Las Vegas or wherever you want in the world and make money. The freedom to do this from wherever I want is the best part of the job. All you need is an internet connection.
Recently I have been making websites for people that always wanted one for their business or personal use but didn't know how to make one or was scared about expenses that comes along with it. I have also been making websites that features some of these bargains I find. The way I look at it is if I can make a few bucks why can't the next guy. So I went through the task of getting a few friends involved and all of a sudden this became a job of sorts. I also get a part of what sells on their site. Pretty cool huh.
I will also be using this site to rant and rave about the newest things out on the market or what I am currently listening to, reading, or watching on television. This site is actually my testing ground to see if I can get a niche subject high in the search engines and to study the competition for that subject. In a way this site is a hobby to me. Life can't be all about business you know. Speaking about business you can read all about mine here.
Sit back get yourself a cup of coffee and welcome to my world. Along the way I will show you what affiliate programs are good and some that are bad. I will also tell you why they are good or bad. You may want to add my new RSS Feed to keep up with me. You can sign up for my new E-mail list also.