Affiliate marketing is the process of tracking leads and sales for the purposes of rewarding individuals and companies for referring others to their web sites that convert into leads and sales with commission payments. Usually, this process involves the use of a specially-encoded tracking hyperlink that identifies you as the referrer of the traffic.
There is one very easy way to get started with affiliate marketing. If you've ever used the Google search engine, it's likely that you will have seen some advertisements called "sponsored links." On Yahoo's search engine, you get a column called "sponsor results." MSN's search engine calls them "sponsored sites." In each case, from the heading, you can tell that people pay for those links to be published on the search engine.
These search engines have each set up a nice easy way to relieve you of some money from your credit card, for which they display these adverts for you. You don't pay each time the ad is shown. You only pay if the reader clicks on your ad, which will send the reader to the web site you have specified. You decide on the text of an ad you would like to place, when the ad should be displayed (for example, when somebody searches for "Christmas"), and how much you would be prepared to pay if the person searching clicks on your ad. The person doing the search is then sent to the web site you specified, and you get charged an amount that may be as little as one penny, but typically may be in the region of 5 to 15 cents or 3 to 10p. Google's service is called Google AdWords, and I believe it's the most popular of these services.
Now, if you had a product to sell, you could easily make money this way, as long as enough people buy your product after you've purchased your advertising. If you don't have a product, you can still make money from the commissions, again, as long as the amount you are paying for advertising does not exceed the amount you are making with commissions.
How do you find affiliate programmes? There are many affiliate networks and individual affiliate programmes out there. ClickBank is one of the most popular affiliate networks, also providing credit-card processing services. ClickBank mainly deals in electronic delivery products such as electronic books and software, and, at the time of writing, commissions can run as high as 70% for these products (ClickBank claims commissions can be 75%, but they take a 7.5% + $1 cut, and the remaining money is shared between the vendor and affiliate according to the vendor's chosen commission percentage).
Another affiliate network is ValueClick's Commission Junction, one of the largest, which administers affiliate programmes for a lot of household brand names such as eBay. There are many smaller affiliate networks, and there are also affiliate programmes that are independent of any network, where the merchant runs the tracking software.
What most of these affiliate networks and programmes have in common is that you can sign up as an affiliate for free, and the networks or merchants will send you money when your commission reaches a certain level; in some cases this is done electronically, in other cases through the issue of cheques. Some people treat affiliate marketing as a hobby; for others, it's a lucrative full-time business. Earnings can literally be uncapped, and your success depends on how dedicated you are to the business, and, to a certain extent, luck.
- Related Videos
- Related Articles
- Ask / Related Q&A
- Where Do I Start? Affiliate Marketing Basics
- 5 Good Reasons to Affiliate Marketing Basics - How to Write an Effective Product Review
- Affiliate Marketing Basics - 3 Things you Must Know to Become an Affiliate Marketer
- Affiliate Marketing Basic Skill 1: Affiliate Business Basics
- Affiliate Marketing Basic Skill No 3: Affiliate Link Management
- What is affiliate marketing? Affiliate marketing, basically, is marketing products or services that are not your own. It is a marketing strategy that
- Affiliate Marketing Basics
- Affiliate Marketing Basics - Key Strategies to Affiliate Success




One Injection of a SEM Manager Required
By: John Stannton | 16/12/2009Establishing and growing a concrete online presence should be an area never neglected.
How to remove Belly Fat
By: Owen Linnen | 15/12/2009There are many things individuals recommend to get six pack abs and burn fat, well what should you consume? Lucky, here's the diet that nobody else will tell you about.
Finding Da Bears Memorabilia
By: Jeff Miramar | 10/12/2009With so many games played, you might think there is an abundance of Bears memorabilia, and that it might be easy to find and collect Chicago Bears memorabilia. Unfortunately, unless you know exactly what pieces of memorabilia you are looking for, a specific year of the item, and how much a good deal is on the item, you might find yourself searching for days, and even weeks or months.
A Search Marketing Expert Gets the Targeted Traffic Needed
By: John Stannton | 08/12/2009A search marketing expert offers an experienced service that strategizes, implements and supervises natural SEO and paid search advertising methods.
Five Reasons To Have Top SEO Software
By: Hunter Morgan | 08/12/2009How do you go about figuring out that the top SEO software is for you? You need to assess your own individual needs, budgets and expectations before you can figure that out. Your best best is something versatile that can be tailored to match your needs.
Simple Tips To Increase Site Traffic-Web Rankings
By: Chris Konkle | 06/12/2009It's not surprising that most every Internet business that falls under the name of R.I.P. does this because they don't have traffic. If hardly anyone is visiting their web sites, they aren't earning any money.
Is There a Need for SEO Submission Software?
By: Dexter Morgan | 05/12/2009SEO submission software can help improve your search engine results but be careful that it is the proper tool for the proper job
Top Five Reasons To Get SEO Submission Software
By: Dexter Morgan | 05/12/2009FInd out the Top 5 Reasons you need SEO Submission Software to see success. Increase the power of your marketing by reading these Five Reasons.
Affiliate Marketing Basics
By: David Thomas | 11/07/2006 | SEMIt's surprising how much money you can make from web sites these days, even if you don't own them. Read on to find out how you can easily make money on the net, even without your own web site!
Which Online Dating Agency Should You Choose?
By: David Thomas | 07/07/2006 | DatingThere are many online dating agencies, some better than others. What questions do you need to ask to help you choose the right online dating agency for you? Find out here!
First Date Tips
By: David Thomas | 05/07/2006 | DatingAre you ready to go on that all-important first date? It will go smoothly and your relationship will get off to a fantastic start with these great first-date tips!
Totally Free Dating Services: The Truth
By: David Thomas | 03/07/2006 | DatingTotally-free online dating services. Are they worth your attention, or are you wasting your time with them? This article lays bare the truth about how these services make money, and answers the question of whether they are worth more than you pay for them!
Conversation Starters And Other Conversation Tips
By: David Thomas | 01/07/2006 | DatingDo you get tongue-tied when you try to talk to people? Have you no idea how to start a conversation with them, or to keep it flowing? This article gives you suggestions and advice on how to start a conversation, and to keep it going naturally.
Dating Profile Photo Tips: How A Good Picture Can Improve Your Profile!
By: David Thomas | 29/06/2006 | DatingYou may have an excellent online dating profile, but did you know that profiles with good pictures can generate up to 10 times the amount of interest and profile views? Using the wrong photograph can turn people away, though. Find out how to get the best response from your profile in this article.
The Power Of Touch
By: David Thomas | 27/06/2006 | DatingTouch plays a very powerful part in the flirting game. If you get it right, a touch will advance your rapport with your date by leaps and bounds; time it wrongly and you've lost whatever chance you had. This article tells you how to touch at the right time and in the right way!