What is an affiliate, and why would anyone want to be one? Affiliates are website owners who make money by referring guests to other websites, which are called “merchants.” If the visitors make purchases, the other website will pay the affiliates commission. It's so simple, even stay-at-home moms are becoming affiliates on the web without ever having to leave the house.



By becoming an affiliate of a website, you're saying you approve its product - in fact, you recommend it. Therefore, choose the products wisely, and make sure they're relevant to your site. For instance, if your site is dedicated to books, don't refer your visitors to a site selling T-shirts unless it's somehow relevant. Think of what your visitors are interested in and give them links they'll be happy to click on.

Perhaps even worse than clicking on a link to a bad product is finding a dead site. Make sure the websites you refer your visitors to will be around for a while. Look over the site's records to see that it's doing okay financially, so it doesn't go bankrupt and leave potential customers upset at you for directing them there.

Finally, think of how long-term the product or service is. For example, a subscription to a magazine is something a person will buy once a year, but if people like a line of clothes, they'll come back to buy more whenever they want. On the other hand, perhaps the magazine is more popular than the clothing line. Try to research the company's records to see how they've been doing financially, then make your decision.

Something many affiliates forget about is how websites track consumers. One method is the cookie method, which is when the website places a cookie on the customer's computer. This isn't always reliable, so the preferred method is the database method, when the website puts your affiliate ID in the database with the customer's record. If you feel safe with the cookie method, that's fine, just be informed.

However, even if you pick the right websites, you still need to know how to get people to come to your site and click through to the money-making site. If you're linking to a big website, it probably has lots of other affiliates that are competing with you for commission.

So how is an affiliate supposed to advertise? One of the easiest ways is writing a teaser. They're a sneak preview of the product that gets visitors excited and makes them want to click. Don't forget, a teaser is so short, it has to be creative. Give them a taste of what they can drink up if they only click on the link.

Another great way to advertise is by writing a personal recommendation of the product. Show that you know what you're advertising. The worst thing you can do is recommend a bad product, because visitors will stop valuing your opinion and may not come back. Don't recommend too many products either, as people might get overwhelmed and think you're making everything up. Research the product and write what you really think. If you feel like you have to lie to get people to like the product, maybe it's not the product you should be advertising.

Being an affiliate is tough. While you can be lazy by staying in your bathrobe to go to work, you have to be motivated to research and advertise to rake in the money. However, the great location and the commission checks make it well worth the effort.