The best affiliate program is something that every affiliate marketer hopes to find. What is the Best Affiliate Program? That's the question we ask; that's what we want to hear. But...
The better question would be, "What's the best affiliate program for me? After all, if your website sells lingerie, trying to promote an affiliate program selling construction equipment might not be for you -- even if it does pay $1,000 per sale!
Larry is redesigning a website for an affiliate marketing expert. The expert has truly become an expert in his field. As of this morning, (January 29, 2007) the site has over 38,000 pages indexed in Google.
It is a niche site, and promotes only two related product lines. Without getting too detailed and possibly exposing confidential information, let me just say that monthly affiliate income is six figures to the left of the decimal.
Best Affiliate Program Traits
- High Product/Service Demand: Is the product or service wanted by the online consumer? We've all heard someone being described as, "could sell refrigerators to Eskimos." I don't think so. Oh, well, maybe one or two, but I doubt there is a very high demand.
- Residual Income Opportunity: Residual income means you earn commissions over and over again from the same referral. Usually this type of product or service has recurring payments and, usually, the payments are made monthly. You receive a commission on each monthly payment.
Be careful. There are a lot of these programs that really don't offer a lot of value for the money. Hence, your recurring commission may last only one or two months. Not only that, the person who took your advice to enroll may not be so quick to take your advice again.
You should also know that most affiliate programs do not offer good residual income opportunities. In fact, most don't offer it at all. I heartily recommend Sitesell for all your needs. It contains web hosting, domain name registration, a killer keyword application, a SEO analysis tool as well as RSS feeds and the opportunity for your site visitors to write articles and comments - for you - and it's a two-tier residual income producer. Look for the Affiliates link at the bottom of the page after you read about what's available to you at Sitesell.
- Two (or more) Tier Marketing Program: A two tier affiliate program means that you can earn override commissions based upon sales made by other affiliates referred by you. Be sure that commissions are based upon sales and not simply upon persons recruited. One is legal; the other is a pyramid scheme.
- Less Restrictive Payment Policy: Anytime you are earning a commission on sales, the company actually making the sale will proabably have a return or cancellation policy. That is to be expected. You will not be paid a commission if the sale is cancelled, nor should you be, nor should you expect it.
Look for a minimum payout policy. Something like, "We will hold your commissions until you reach a total of $200.00." If you join a program like this, you should really make sure that it is a high-demand product and that you have a lot of website traffic.
Home Business Opportunity Reviews
We have and will continue to maintain a specific section of this website dedicated to reviewing Top Home Business Opportunities.
The home-based business programs available are many and varied. Just about any hobby can be turned into a business opportunity. The Internet is all about information. People want information. People want entertainment. People want helpful products and services.
This article is by no means an extensive one. It certainly cannot contain all the answers for each and every individual who reads it. But...hopefully it will provide some advice and guidance for some.
Remember to be patient -- and smile a lot -- you can develop a home-based business that will generate extra income for you. And maybe one day you can do what Larry did and walk away from the security of regular paycheck employment to a fulltime career in affiliate marketing.
