Affiliate marketing programs have skyrocketed in popularity over the years.  People are jumping on this wave by millions as one of the fastest and easiest ways to start an online business.  Affiliate programs provide merchants with the opportunity to appoint vast armies that pay for the results achieved.

    Rewards can be great for affiliates, and skilled affiliate marketers can earn several thousands of dollars per month.  This winning situation has exploded the number of affiliate programs available for the affiliate market.

    With this increase of affiliate opportunities, many questions have arisen, such as: How do you choose the right affiliate program for you?  What qualities should you look for in a program and which gives you a good chance to make a sustainable income?  Below are some tips that will help you evaluate affiliate programs, and help you avoid wasting time and money.

    What commission does the program pay?

    It is very important that you know how much you can earn from sales.  There is no point in spending time and money promoting a product that pays very little commission.  You can spend more on marketing than your sales.  It is probably best to stick to marketing products with high commission value, unless you have found a niche market where you can sell a large amount of products, and make a substantial commission on your sales volume.

    How much traffic is their website?

    Try to find the amount of traffic already on the affiliate owner's website.  Alexcom is a very useful tool for doing this research.  If the website is ranked in the top 100,000, the merchant is getting a good amount of traffic, so it is possible that there may already be too many affiliates.  If it is ranked below 500,000, it may not be good, or it could be a golden opportunity to make some real money by becoming one of the first affiliates!

    Always research a merchant's product if their website has a low traffic ranking.  If you can buy it then it may be a good idea to buy the product yourself.  Otherwise you can do a search to find out if there are any negative reviews about it on the internet.  Be careful what you listen to because many people are in the habit of bashing affiliate programs because there is really nothing to support their comments.  If you get a large amount of negative reviews with little positive, then it is probably best to stay away from that affiliate program.

    How often do affiliate commissions pay?

    Some affiliate programs offer commissions every week;  Some pay once a month, others only every quarter.  It is important that you know how often you can expect a pay check if you are going to have financial control over your business.  If you have to wait a long time before paying, do you have the financial resources to continue the product?  It is also wise to find the minimum commission that you must earn before paying.

    Does the affiliate program use tracking cookies?

    Many customers do not shop on a merchant's website on their first visit.  It is therefore important that the merchant uses cookies for its affiliate program, so that you get credit when the customer returns and is purchased at a later date.  Check how long cookies last.  Cookies last longer;  There is a possibility of better payment!

    Does the affiliate program pay for subsequent sales?

    Some programs will only pay commissions on sales that come from your site via a direct link to customers who visit your site.  They do not give you anything for any subsequent purchase that customers go directly to the merchants' site.  It is important that you do not matter which customers return from the customer if you build a permanent affiliate business.

    Does the marketing resource offer affiliate programs?

    Look at the type and quality of marketing resources that they provide.  Do they provide articles, advertisements or other content that you can use to create on your site?  Do they offer free guides, special offers, free viral e-books, or product samples that you can send to your list?  If the marketing material they provide is good, chances are the business will provide good support for their partners.

    It can be difficult to find the right affiliate program for you.  The best advice is to do your own research, follow the advice above and listen to your instincts.  Use the questions above as an aid in finding affiliate programs that enable you to reach your financial goals.  You never know ... You can just strike affiliate marketing gold!