Okay, I'm gonna give it to you straight. I have no intention of going into business online so I can write "detailed, informative content" and submit it using a service. That's just not my gig. But, you ask, can you still make money using article marketing services? You bet. It's called an affiliate program and if you work it right, it can make you big money on a long-term basis.

I already have a website -- admittedly, it's just a free blog I set up on Blogger. The whole process took me less than five minutes. Now, I do feel like I have the time and energy to write on my blog once or twice a week -- but even that isn't necessary. There are free-reprint articles out that you can use if you don't have time to write. And you, a lot of this stuff is really good info!

So now that you've started your blog and put a couple entries up there that visitors can stand to read, you need to sign up for an affiliate program. There are a million of them out there.

Since I like the concept of article marketing, I've signed up with one of those sites. But I'll get to them later. First, I'm gonna give you an idea about what else is out there so you can decide for yourself what works best for you.

One of the most popular and subtle affiliate programs out there right now is Google Adsense. When you sign up for this program, Google gets your permission to post its ads (which are small, usually just a link and a single line of explanation) on your site. Using Google's excellent search technology, they only display ads relevant to your site's content or the things your visitors search for within your site. You can make money on a pay-per-click basis using this program.

There are other sites out there dedicated to listing affiliate programs in different areas, such as AffiliateGuide. They list several different categories, from Art and Autos, to Food and Wine, to Poker, Software and Sports. When you click on a category that suits your interest or matches up with your website, they give you a list of affiliate programs and the percentages you'll make off of sales you drive.

Many of these programs offer their affiliates 5 percent to 15 percent of sales they refer, and some offer higher percentages for what they call "first-tier" sales. Becoming an affiliate is usually very easy -- it just means including links to their site on your website, either in the margins or within your content.

My affiliate partner of choice is Article Marketer. I can choose to post their banner ads on my site, or simply include their link in my blog and any referrals who buy a subscription via my link give me 50% percent of the sale. And I someone signs up to be an affiliate through my links, I'll get 5% of any sales they make.

I really like this program. But like I said, there are a ton of them out there. If article marketing isn't your thing, you can definitely find a site with an affiliate program that fits with your product or service. Once you set up your account with them, you just promote your site and get the traffic. Then cash in on your monthly payments.

I highly recommend using an affiliate program (or hey! Use several!) as an easy way to make money with your online venture. It's a one-time process for you, and the payouts will continue long into the future.