How Do I Choose the Right Kind of Affiliate Programs for my Business?

Are you overwhelmed trying to decide which affiliate programs are right for your online business? In order to choose the best ones, use this easy checklist of 10 attributes to look for when choosing appropriate affiliate programs:

1. Choose Affiliate Programs that will complement your current site's niche and will target your visitors' interests. First, start by gathering a list of potential products and services that you feel would complement but not compete with your current services and products. Using an affiliate program
promoting "pens" might be the perfect complement to your "stationery" website and should not conflict with the sales your own products.

2. Choose Affiliate Programs with a good web design. Once you visit a potential affiliate company website for review, quickly evaluate the web design. It doesn't necessarily have to be the fanciest site on the web, but if it's very poorly done or looks very cheap, you're going to have a hard time earning commission on sales. Also, take into consideration whether the affiliate site has easy-to-read lettering, easy-to-view colors, and a well-proportioned layout that is not overly crowded or confusing.

3. Choose Affiliate Programs that offer good commissions. If the affiliate site passes the web design test, take a quick peek at their affiliate program overview. Do not choose affiliate programs that do not state what they are going to pay you or that are merely interested in offering their pretty graphics to make your site a little lovelier. I've seen far too many affiliate companies boast about what value they can add to your site and what lovely graphics they have to offer you. This is a business issue not a web design enhancement!

Affiliate commissions need to be high enough to have a good return for your investment (ROI). To know 100% sure if you're getting a good return, you will have to do some testing. In most circumstances, the little measly 5% and 10% commissions will hardly cut a profit for you after spending money on marketing. Look for at least 20% or more on commission levels. Many ebook affiliate sites will offer you a good 50% share on commission; however, 30% can be considered a good commission on an ebook of high quality especially if it fits your niche perfectly.

4. Choose Affiliate Programs with easy navigation and checkout features. Their sales will be low if navigation is difficult or their checkout is confusing. Test everything out by hunting for some specific items and doing a starter checkout to see how many clicks it takes to get to the final payment area. Statistics show that the more clicks required to checkout often results in a larger percentage of shopping cart abandonment.

5. Choose Affiliate Programs offering reasonably priced items and shipping costs. The company doesn't need to offer the "lowest" priced items on the internet. It does; however, need to at least be reasonable. Some companies will try to price their items really low and then tack on high shipping costs. So, make sure to check out the shipping costs as well. I've abandoned my shopping cart quite a few times after the shock of discovering that my shipping costs were almost as much as the items I was ordering.

6. Choose Affiliate Programs run by companies that also offer good customer services. Take time to click the contact button and ask some questions about their products. See how long it takes to get an actual response from the company. If it's a company that you've never heard of before, do a feedback checkup on your favorite search engine by typing in the company's name. Look especially for some forum comments. People often chat about their good or bad experiences with related companies. Even purchasing a product yourself can be to your advantage so that you can testify on the quality of the product, the quick shipping, the wonderful customer service experience and more.

7. Choose Affiliate Programs by companies whose products or services are not overly saturated on the internet. If practically every blog and website is promoting that affiliate program, try seeking something a little more refreshing and new. Of course, if it's an affiliate program that is overly
promoted but really fits well with your niche and you really like it, by all means, use it. Nevertheless, be sure to add some other affiliate programs as well that will offer you a chance to earn some commissions easier without the overbearing competition.

8. Choose Affiliate Programs that offer customer promotions. Check to see if the affiliate company offers their customers seasonal promotions or other promotional discounts. This is a company who understands marketing and benefiting from repeat sales. If they have a newsletter, sign up to see
what kind of offers they send to their customers. If they're doing well on marketing themselves and not just depending on affiliates for sales, then this company may be a really good candidate for you.

9. Choose Affiliate Programs offering good tracking tools. Keeping an eye on statistics is important for affiliates. If the company also offers tracking cookies which are set for a period of time, you will have even a greater advantage since most visitors do not buy on their first visit. A 60-day cookie
means that the your affiliate company has tagged your visitor with your referral link. If they come back any time within 60 days, you will still receive commission even if they do not come back through your affiliate link.

10. Choose Affiliate Programs offering affiliate newsletters, promotions, graphics, text ads, articles, additional support and more. A good affiliate company will treat their affiliates well by offering them bonuses from time to time and additional promotions to motivate them to earn even more commissions. At the very least, make sure you are paid in a timely manner. No company is of complete perfection, yet, if you find that a company is frequently delaying payments or offering other excuses for not paying you, then move on to a company that will appreciate your talents more.

As a final note, there is no complete failproof guide to choosing the perfect affiliate programs for you. Only performing tests from your actual affiliate promotions will help you decide which ones are bringing you the best results for your business. Keeping your guideline handy; however, should help eliminate some wasted time and money and help you succeed in choosing ones that are worthy of your time.

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Rhonda White Get your Free Affiliate Marketing Ecourse at mommyaffiliates.com Need Help Marketing your Home Business? Visit wahm-announce.com

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