Clickbank have long been the leading online retailer of digital information products and software and have a huge affiliate network. Sales of ebooks and software through Clickbank total hundreds of thousands of dollars and, the program has helped many people make a very good online income.

As a potential new affiliate it is very easy to convince yourself that by signing up as a an affiliate with Clickbank you will soon be raking in huge commission checks, but the reality is that most hopeful Clickbank affiliates earn very modest amounts and there will be many who will struggle to make a single sale.

Due to the size of the network and the sheer number of products on offer, a whole industry has sprung up around Clickbank that has produced all kinds of aids claiming to help aspiring affiliates to make big bucks.

These range from Clickbank storefronts, portals, viral ebooks, contextual Clickbank advertising and a slew of products claiming to reveal the secrets to Clickbank riches using Pay Per Click advertising with Google Adwords or their rivals.

It is indisputable that some Clickbank affiliates have made some really good money using PPC ads, but, for many struggling entrepreneurs, the cost and non-exact science involved in PPC campaigns makes them unwilling to venture into the crowded waters.

The Clickbank marketplace may be huge, but the web is also saturated with affiliates and Clickbank can be a very tough introduction to affiliate marketing. Many people will lose heart quickly when the anticipated commissions do not start coming in. However, this is not to say that beginners should be put off, particularly if you have a website or blog catering to a specific niche. Clickbank products encompass a wide range of subjects so finding something relevant to your visitor's interests should not be too difficult.

When it comes to promoting products from the Clickbank Marketplace, there are a wide variety of tools and resources to help you. Some of these are free and some require investment, and you should consider each on their merits and how you can use them alongside your online business ventures. There are free storefronts available that will present Clickbank products in neat and easy to find pages, (useful if you do not have a website of your own) and also plugins that enable you to place search portals and search boxes on your webpages - some look better than others.

Placing Clickbank ads on your webpages can be a profitable course of action, but, as with any advertising, a lot will depend on your website's content and traffic. At least with Clickbank ads, one sale can pull in a very decent commission so if you are struggling to make money with Adsense, perhaps incorporating some relevant ads for Clickbank products could earn you more.

Becoming a Clickbank affiliate is free. Whether you will make any decent commissions will depend greatly on your willingness and ability to promote the products to a relevant audience.

At the foot of this article you will find links to some useful Clickbank resources which may help you to improve your performance as a Clickbank affiliate without resorting to PPC if you do not feel ready or able to justify the risk/cost ratio. You can take advantage of all of these tools entirely free of charge, and, if they prove successful for you, there are those with upgrade options, which make them more powerful and viral.

By visiting our marketing blog, you will find many useful and varied tips, tools and software that will help you to kick start your own affiliate marketing and money making efforts.