What I have learnt is to ask questions first before I join an affiliate program. Normally I will do a little research about the program that I am intend to join in. The reason of doing this is because I want to get some answers first; those answers will be the deciding point of what I will be achieving later on.

How about the join cost?

As you know in today's market, most affiliate programs being offered are absolutely free of charge. So why settle for those that charge you some dollars before join in?

Secondly, how about the commission check? When the merchants issue the commission checks?

Every program is different. Some issue their checks once a month, some merchants issue checks twice per month, but some of them pay to their affiliates on every quarter. Thus, select the one that is suited to your payment time is important. Many affiliate programs are setting a minimum commission earning amount that an affiliate must meet or exceed in order for their checks to be issued.

In addition, what is the hit per sale ratio?

This is the average number of hits to a banner or text link that takes to generate a sale based on all affiliate statistics. This factor is extremely important because it will tell you how much traffic you must generate before you can earn a commission from the sale. So don't simply just ignore it.

How referrals from an affiliate’s site are tracked? How long do they remain in the system?

You really need to prepare yourself and have high level of confident on the program to track those people you refer from your site. This is the only way that you can gain credit for a sale. The other important thing is the period of time that those people stay in the system. This is because some visitors do not buy initially but may want to return later to make the purchase. If it is done some months from a certain day, then you will still get credit for the sale.

On the other hand, what are the kinds of affiliate stats available?

The affiliate program that you choose to join in should be capable of offering detailed stats. They should be available online anytime that you can check them out where or whatever you want. Constantly checking your individual stats is important because it can help you know how many impressions you have got, hits and sales are already generated from your site. Impressions are the number of times the banner or text link was viewed by a visitor of your site. A hit is the one clicking on the banner or text links.

You may ask - does the affiliate program also pay for the hits and impressions besides the commissions on sales? The answer is it will depend on each program. In general, it is important that impressions and hits are also paid, as this will add to the earnings you get from the sales.

It is especially important for the program which you are in offers low sales that to be able to hit ratio.

Furthermore, who is the online retailer? You need to study and find out whom you are doing business with, this will help you know if it is really a solid company or a scammer. Know the products they are selling and the average amount they are achieving. The more you know about the retailer offering on the affiliate program that you are join in, the easier it will be for you to know if that program is suitable for you and your site.

How about affiliate program tiers? Is it a one tier or two tier programs?

A single tier program pays you only for the business you yourself have generated. A two tier program pays you for the business you yourself have generated, plus the commission on the sales generated by any affiliate that you direct sponsored in your program. Some two-tier programs are even paying some small recruitment fees on each new affiliate you sponsor.

Finally, what is the amount of commission paid? 5% - 75% is the range of commission that paid by each programs. 0.01% - 0.05% is the amount paid for each hit. If you find a program that also pays for impressions, you will see the amount of pay is not much at all. As you can see from the figures, you will now understand why the average sales amount and hit to sale ratio is important.

These are just some of the questions that needed to get the answer first before you enter into an affiliate program. You should be familiar with many important aspects before you sign up with any program, you also need to consider to incorporating them into your website before you choose any program. Try to list down the questions and ask your affiliate program that you are going to join in.

Above these can help you save time and select the right program from among of many other available.