Artificial Intelligence

How to become an affiliate

It's rather easy. Most businesses are looking for affiliates and welcome them eagerly. The best part is that program masters have no limit really to how many affiliates they'd want to take on. So you're never too late to start. Here's what you need to get started.

Step 1: You need a website. This seems very obvious. However, it might not be a great idea to get a website just in order to become an affiliate. Although there is nothing wrong or illegal with this, look at it like this: By becoming an affiliate, you're promoting somebody else's product or service. In order that your promotion be affective to at least some extent, your website needs to have some kind of credibility on its own first. And whether you believe it or not - visitors will usually be able to discern quite easily whether you're just out here to 'affiliate' or you actually have a serious business. In short: Your website must have a purpose of its own, and not just further some other website's purpose.

Step 2: Find an affiliate program that matches your website. This will increase your chances of bringing in visitors who will actually make you money. So if your website is about photography, become an affiliate of a website that sells cameras online. Or rather link your visitors directly to the concerned product on a website. This has two advantages: 1. It at least gives you some assurance that your visitors will mostly visit the program master's website. 2. It adds some value to your website for your regular visitors

Step 3: Narrow it down to a few websites whose programs you like. Now sign up as an affiliate (this just requires filling up a form). You will be required to put up a link or display a banner on your website. This is provider by the program owner. After this, it's up to you to make whatever efforts to get visitors to click on the link and at least visit the site. You could do this by reviewing the product or service, giving it a write up, etc.

How to find a program?
That's pretty easy. Just type 'affiliate marketing programs' or 'affiliate marketing directories' in any search engine and you will get a list of directories. These directories are websites that have lists of websites that can make you an affiliate. The websites are categorized based on what they deal in or what compensation model they follow.

Here are some examples of what really popular affiliate programs have to offer-
Amazon's affiliate program is called the Amazon Associate program. Amazon offers its affiliates three options:

1. Links and Banners that they can put up on their website. These links could be to any product or page on Amazon

2. Widgets: These are mini applications that you could add to your website to make it more interactive and fun for your visitors. Widgets like Amazon mp3, deals widget, help make your website fun for your visitors and at the same time advertise Amazon to them as well.

3. aStore: This allows you to display any product available on Amazon in your own store, on your own website.

The best part is that associates can earn up to 15% as commission by bringing in referrals.

The eBay affiliate marketing program is known as the eBay Partner Network. They have a simple formula: Register -> Advertise -> Get Paid -> Optimize

eBay provides its affiliates with all the tools required to promote and drive traffic to eBay's partner websites (including half.com). Different programs exist for each country that eBay exists in. You have to choose according to your country and sign up. Signing up requires filling a simple form that asks for personal contact details as well as the details of your online business. After this you can use any of eBay offers you the following tools to drive traffic to their website:

1. Link Generator: Helps you create links to eBay webpages that can be traced to your website
2. Creatives: Place the logo on your website
3. Editor Kit: Allows you to add real time eBay listings of products that are relevant to your webpage
4. RSS Feed Generator: This allows affiliates to create RSS feeds of items on eBay. The feeds include traceable links to the items
5. API: This tool is for web developers, to give them access to the eBay listings database and also allow them to present the content in a format they like. The tool helps them create applications to do this.

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