Joining an Affiliate Program- 3 Factors to Consider

Joanna Cox    – NYC, NY
123Triad: Web Design & SEO Company

Affiliate programs have become popular nowadays and have become one of the popular ways in which people earn money from their web sites traffic. Most of these programs are designed to allow one to be able to simply set up and begin earning some money on visitors and sales he refers. However, the programs quality, and the results one will see, vary from program to program, making it important for one to choose wisely which are best for him and his site. This articles purpose is to help one sort through many of the programs, and also offer assistance when one is determining what he is looking for.

My personal experience with these programs goes back over a year which is pretty long in Internet terms, when I did a program for my employer. Over this period, I did research on  many of the affiliate programs that are available on the Internet,  did experiment with my company’s own, as well as tried  to best determine which works best for us, and also for the webmasters who partnered with us. From the experience at that time here are some of the factors one should consider:

1. - Company and program Stability
   
   I did find out that the stability of the company and that of the affiliate program are some of the highest priorities for web masters. This should be one of someone’s top considerations when he is evaluating programs. Is the company financially sound and stable? Does the company offer assistance with promoting the opportunity available? And, does it pay in a timely fashion? mostly, webmasters have been lured  by offers of high commissions, and they only find out they will never ever  see a paycheck, despite referring thousands leave alone hundreds  of visitors.
2. - Synergies with ones site

   Often, I see many sites sign up for as many affiliate programs as they can, figuring that if they make a few bucks on each,  they will be profitable. For a few, this may well work. However, for many sites it does not, and in many cases one will turn off his audience because of the ‘over-commercialization’ of his site. As he is considering the available affiliate programs, he should be sure that he considers what exactly his audience, his visitors, might be interested in sampling and buying at last.

   For example, if ones site caters for a general audience, then maybe general affiliate programs like CDNow, Amazon or Reel.com will be effective. Or maybe Spree, which allows one to sell CDS, books, flowers, music, and gifts all via one program. If ones site only caters to auto enthusiasts, then programs like Carprices.com and Auto Web might just make him earn a lot of money. If ones audience is made of hardcore techies, then I think software.net may be his best choice.  The key is to think of the affiliate program as an extension of ones web site and not just as a way of making money. It should be thought of as a service one offers to his customers to help them buy the services or the products they are interested in, both at good prices and with a merchant they may trust.

3. - Tracking the commission.

   Another important aspect one should consider is whether or not the affiliate programs offer some way for him to track his sales, and even the number of visitors he refers. This can be accomplished in several ways. These include real-time, online reports which show ones sales and his commissions. Or perhaps the sales can be tracked via a simple email each time one receives a new customer. This can be very important as it allows one to test and evaluate the programs effectiveness, compare it with other programs and advertising opportunities, and give one peace of mind that one is receiving what is fairly due.

   Virtualis, which is a web hosting tool, offers very good online reports which tell one the date of sale, what he sold, and what his share is. Software.net sends out reports weekly by email. These reports detail the sales and commission he made. However, Spree recently came under scrutiny due to their lack of reports. To rectify this issue they are currently working so they can add full commission tracking for all their members in the future.

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