Tip 1 – Begin your search for suitable products to promote by visiting the large affiliate network programs such as Commission junction and Clickbank. You will find many others if you search for something like “affiliate programs”. This will enable you to see what’s on offer in the various markets or niches that interest you.
The next step is to search online for websites in your chosen markets and have a look on their pages to see if they have an affiliate program. You are looking for a page link that says “Affiliate” or similar. Take note of all the companies that are of interest.

Tip 2 - Consider the commission percentages on offer. You will find percentages ranging from 4% on Amazon to 75% on Clickbank. Whilst commission percentage is an important factor to consider, it is by no means the most important. For example, a business paying 75% per sale might have a very poor product with a high rate of returns and you don’t get paid if a refund is made.

Tip 3 – Visit the company’s sales page and view it as if you are a potential customer. How does it strike you? Does it make you want to pull out your credit card? If not you might be better striking that company off your short list. Some affiliate networks have statistics that give you an idea of how well the vendor’s sales page converts, so make use of this information in your business evaluation.

Tip 4 – Find out how the business keeps track of visitors you refer to them. Most of the time it is done by a cookie being placed on a visitor’ computer when they land on the sales page. What you are looking for is the length of time a cookie is active. This can range from 24 hours for Amazon cookies to a year and more for some affiliate programs. Obviously the longer a cookie stays activated the better for you as you will receive a commission on sales made by a customer referred by you as long as the cookie is active on that person’s computer. Again, don’t lay too much stock on this as people can clear out the cache of cookies on their computer at any time; however, it is a useful factor to take into account.

Tip 5 – How much support does the business provide for its affiliates? Some merchants, recognizing the value of a good affiliate base, offer a wealth of sales materials to support your marketing efforts, such as banners, articles describing the product and graphics for your website. Others seem to think that all that is necessary is to provide a link back to their sales page. Again, as with commissions, the abundance or lack of sales material is only one factor to bear in mind when making a choice of product to promote. Having readymade banners and content can be a great time saver and make you look more professional.

Tip 6 – Check out the merchant’s customer support. Ask them a question about their program. What you are looking for is prompt, polite attention to your query. If you receive this then there is a good chance that the customers you refer to them will also get the same service. This is important not only for your own reputation but it helps reduce refunds.

Tip 7 – How is your commission paid to you and how often? There are some affiliate programs that make payment by check and, if you are in a different country, you may have to pay bank charges on these checks. Much better if a company has electronic payments such as bank transfers or Paypal. The timing of payments varies widely too. Some merchants will pay as soon as a sale is made; others pay monthly and yet others quarterly. Although not necessarily that important, it does help your budgeting if you know when you can expect payment.

So there you have it. Seven factors to consider when making a choice from the bewildering number of affiliate programs out there. If you choose wisely it is possible to be very successful marketing another business’s products.

And don’t forget that you can promote more than one item at a time. In fact this is a sensible course to take as product sales can have their ups and downs. You don’t want all your eggs in one basket.