Here are some things that I look for before joining an
affiliate program. They are items I feel are imperative to
being in a successful affiliate program.

1. The affiliate program has a great payment structure. For me,
a high commission that is also a high percentage of the
purchase price is essential. Nothing under 25% commission.

2. Make sure the affiliate program you are joining has a good
looking site. You do not want to be sending visitors to a site
that you do not like yourself.

3. Make sure they offer a comprehensive affiliate statistics
page that lists the number of click throughs, number of sales
and amount earned. This should be broken down per month.

4. Also make sure that the affiliate statistics are updated
automatically and immediately. You do not want to find out
today about a sale you made a week ago.

5. Ensure they give a wide variety of text links, banners and
graphics to put on your web page. Although I prefer text links,
certain types of banners and graphics still work well.

6. Know how often you are going to be paid. If you are tossing
up between 2 programs and one pays monthly and the other pays
quarterly, the one that pays monthly is better. You do not want
to wait months before getting paid for your hard work!

7. See if the affiliate program gives examples of how the top
affiliates are doing. This can be a great pointer to whether it
is good or not. If some affiliates are earning many thousands
per month, it is a good affiliate program.

8. Along these lines, also see if they give examples of what
marketing methods these successful affiliates are using to get
the best results.

9. An affiliate program that offers a special monthly
newsletter just for the affiliates is great. Here you can get
extra tips and techniques that are working well.

10. See if they offer email notification when you make a sale
or get an affiliate signed up under you (if it is a 2-tier
program). It is good to see 'You have made another sale' in
your inbox.

11. Ensure top level support is given. If they cannot answer
your query straight away make sure they can respond within 48
hours.

There is tremendous demand for affiliate programs and choosing
the right one is no easy task. Make sure you do plenty of
research before joining one.

Resource Box
David McKenzie is the author of a new e-book titled "The Facts
You Should Know About Affiliate Programs"
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