AFFILIATE MARKETING-A Starting Point

There are many people who ask me what a good affiliate program to join is. The truth is, good and bad is a relative term indeed. It’s really more what you do with it. However, if you’re looking for affiliate programs that I really think are the cream of the crop, hopefully, this article will give you a place to start. I’ll also include a couple I recommend staying away from.

Probably the top affiliate program, which is really more an affiliate network, is Clickbank. This is not to say that they don’t have their problems, because they do. Every program has problems as perfection hasn’t been perfected yet. But Clickbank is a very well run company, they have great products, some which pay very high commission percentages and they send you your checks like clockwork on the 1st and 15th of every month. Just about every affiliate marketer and guru I know uses Clickbank.

But Clickbank isn’t the only game in town as far as affiliate programs and networks. Another very good affiliate network is Amazon. Now I know there are going to be people reading this who are familiar with Amazon who will say that I am crazy because Amazon only pays out 4% commission to start. That may be true, but Amazon has many advantages over other networks. They probably sell the biggest range of products of anyone, some of which are very high end products. So that 4% commission can translate into a good income. Also, because Amazon has such a great reputation among buyers, it is very easy to sell products through them.

Okay, I’m going to give you a couple of affiliate networks that I personally would stay away from, not because they are bad, but because there are things about them that I just don’t like. The first one, as popular as it is, is PayDotCom. Believe me, there is a lot of good to this program, but the thing I don’t like about it is that the payments come from the individual merchants and not from PayDotCom directly. Unfortunately, some merchants just don’t pay. Eventually, PayDotCom throws them out of the network, but not until after you’ve made sales that you never got paid for. I don’t know about you but that kind of hit and miss isn’t for me.

Another affiliate network that I would stay away from is Sharesale. Again, there is a lot about them that is very good, but they have a relatively high minimum payout and a lot of their products, quite honestly, are expensive and not worth what they cost. Plus, you have to get approved through each individual merchant, which can be a real hassle, if you want to sell a number of products.

This list should give you a starting point in picking an affiliate network or program to get started with.The Best Part is You don’t need a website or blog of your own if you are serious about making money online through affiliate marketing. Of course you can have a website of your own but its not compulsory-of course you need to have great online marketing and sales skills!