What are online affiliate programs?

Online businesses of all types which want to expand their businesses offer joint ventures or "affiliate programs" to web publishers (you). You promote their business by a number of means and earn a commission on your efforts when you help them sell their products or services.

How do affiliate programs work technically?

An affiliate relationship is created when you join a businesses' affiliate program by either visiting the businesses' site or joining their program through an affiliate network or an "advertising network". These networks were created to centralize affiliate programs for businesses, leaving the nuts and bolts of the affiliate programs to the advertising network and freeing up the business to focus on their primary job of running their business.

This has been accomplished through advanced server technologies which track customer sales by reading and logging individualized coding in the links customers use to make purchases online if they were referred to the business from another site.

Once a publisher (you) signs up for any given affiliate program, you are given a special "link" to place on your website for the business whose program you are promoting.

For example, take a look at the link below. 

Can you save hundreds on car insurance? Get a FREE quote from GEICO today.

This is what is called a text affiliate link. If a customer clicks on this link and recieves a free quote on car Insurance from Geico, I will get paid $6.00.

All I have to do is get customers to click on that link and receive their free quote and I GET PAID. Sounds pretty simple huh. It is.

The Geico link above is just one of dozens of relationships I have with online retailer's wanting to use the power of web publishers (me & you) to increase their earnings. They are willing to pay us (me & you) real money to help them achieve their goals. And best of all, setting up these relationships is absolutely FREE. It will cost you nothing. Except your time.

And in a nutshell that's affiliate marketing.

Ok, so how & where do you sign up?

Their technical name's are "advertising networks" but I prefer to call them Commission Houses. SImply go to these sites, and fill out their applications...

http://www.cj.com - This is Commission Junction. It is one of the oldest and largest networks on the Internet and it's here where you will want to sign up first. They are the king of the hill. Most large online retailers use them. You can promote things like Insurance, Shoes, Gift Baskets, Cars, Employment the list is really HUGE. Check them out.

http://www.kolimbo.com Kolimbo is another older and well known network but I don't use them personally. You might want to check them out.

http://www.clickbank.com Clickbank is also older and well established. They specialize in Information Products and are a personal favorite of mine for affiliate relationships if you are looking to promote information sales.  

http://www.onenetworkdirect.com One Network Direct is a Digital River company and they specialize in software product affiliate programs.

http://www.regnow.com - Reg Now is another software site offering a very lucrative affiliate program.

http://www.AsSeenOnTVNetwork.com - Join Billy Mays and promote As Seen On TV products here!

https://www.ebaypartnernetwork.com - Join eBay's affiliate program here and start promoting eBay products or entire pages of products from your web site.