Best Affiliate Program The Internet has emerged as the new marketplace of the 21st century. It’s where everybody is flocking to, in the hope of starting his or her own business to make money. Indeed, the Internet today offers myriad opportunities of making money online. It has given rise to a new breed of moneymakers – the Internet marketers. They roam about in cyberspace (without really budging an inch from their seats), travel to the farthest nooks and corners of the online world at the click of the mouse and make money like magic! But it’s no magic, really! It’s just what business has evolved into! If one takes a very broad look into this whole business of making money online, one can discern two very distinct groups of people. First, there are those who are selling some product or service (they usually have a website of their own to do so) all by themselves. It’s their product (or service) and they are running the entire show. It’s a one-point contact between the customer and the seller. On the other hand, there are those who content with selling other people’s products. This is done by promoting these products on their websites and earning a commission on every sale. Affiliate program is the name of the game and believe me, when done properly and diligently, this can really rake in the moolah! Talking of affiliate programs, one can be really spoilt for choices these days. We all want to have the best opportunity for ourselves. So it’s no wonder that very often we scour the Internet for the best affiliate program. But it can be a real slammer! Let me explain. Just try keying in “best affiliate program” in any Internet search engine of your choice, and you will be simply bowled over by the sheer number of matches to your simple query. The list will run into tens of thousands, even millions of affiliate programs, each claiming to be the best. Where do you go from there? Surely, all of them can’t be equally good! How do you know the best from the rest? It’s time to think on you own and decide for yourself. Well, it’s not very difficult. Just use your common sense and some discretion, and you can easily zero in on some really good opportunities. To start with, there are 3 major hallmarks of a good affiliate program: A good product Attractive commission Trustworthiness Having a good product is like winning half the battle. In fact a good, quality product will sell on its own merit. Of course you can rev thing up through your own marketing and promotional efforts, but rest assured, even if you do a half-hearted job at that, your product will still sell by its own virtue. Your customers will be happy to buy your product and they will spread the word around, and very soon, you can have an entire viral marketing campaign running for you (without any direct effort from you). A good product will also ensure that there are fewer refunds. The commission that you get by selling these products, is the lifeline of the program. After all, it’s what really matters at the end of the day. The bigger it is, the better! In fact, most affiliate programs will pay you a handsome commission if the company is a reputed one and the product is good. Sometimes you will receive a commission just upon joining a program, even before you make your first sale. Such joining incentives can be very attractive at times (I’m not talking about a measly $2 or $5 scheme here, but real hefty sums!) But don’t choose your affiliate program just because the commission is good. Try finding out how you will get paid and how often. You’d probably like to get paid once or twice a month, and by some means convenient to you (like a check in mail or through third party services like Commission Junction). This brings us to the question of trustworthiness. The Internet is as good (or as bad) as any other marketplace. You will find honest traders and then, you will also find some not-so-honest ones too. There are plenty of scams going around and you are advised to tread carefully. By the rule of thumb, it is better and safer to go by reputed names. If you get an opportunity, ask around a bit before joining a program. Talk to other affiliates of the same program and get their opinion on the program. The best affiliate program takes care of its affiliates. Affiliate members are often provided with a wide range of tools to help in their efforts, such as banners, graphics, text links and other advertising aids. It will also provide top level support. Some programs offer a two-tier structure that allows you to appoint sub-affiliates under you. When one of these sub-affiliates makes a sale, you also get paid. Choosing the best affiliate program is not difficult if you keep these simple pointers in mind. Carefully evaluate the program before deciding to join and you will not go wrong with your choice.