What Is An Internet Affiliate Program

An affiliate program is a great way to make money on the Internet. Many internet retailers have programs where you can get a commission if you can get people to go to their web site and buy their products. After establishing an account with the retailer, you write an article/s about that product and promote the article so that people read it. In the article you have links to the retailers product that you have written about. When your reader clicks through your article to the retailers product, your account number is included in the link so that the retailer can identify you as the affiliate partner. If your reader buys that product, you get a commission on the sale.

The reason affiliate programs work so well is becuase you're not relying on a computer to match up ads to your content. You do it yourself. You know best what ads would work best on your content and which products and services to recommend. And when your readers see that you've taken the time to review a product or service, they're going to feel more comfortable buying that product.

How Do Affiliate Programs Pay?

Most programs have very specific rules about how they pay commissions, however, the most common ways are:

  • Pay per click - This is similar to most online advertising, and you get paid whenever someone clicks on the link, button, or image you placed on your site. Pay per click is usually fairly low paying, but you get something even if your reader doesn't make a purchase.
  • Pay per sale - Instead of paying you everytime someone clicks on a link from your site, this method of affiliate payment tracks what the customer does once they leave your site. You might be paid a percentage of any sales, or you might get paid every time someone moves deeper into the target site. This method, especially when you get a percentage of sales, can be very lucrative.

How much can you make on an affiliate program? That depends on the commission structure offered by the retailer, and your ability to get your readers to buy the retailers product/s.