Before you jump into just any affiliate program there are a
number of key questions and considerations you should
address first. It can be complicated, but armed with some
of the more important issues you will be able to avoid the
more common pitfalls. So, before you sign up, consider
these questions:
The time to ask questions is before you join an affiliate
program. Especially, for those that charge fees or other
miscellaneous costs. Do a little research about the choices
of programs. Will it cost you anything to join? Most
affiliate programs being offered today are free of charge.
So why settle for those that charge you some dollars before
joining, unless there is a crystal clear benefit for the
investment.
When do they issue commission checks? Every program is
different. Some issue their checks once a month, every
quarter, etc. Select the one that is suited to your payment
time choice. Many affiliate programs are setting a minimum
earned commission amount that an affiliate must meet or
exceed in order for their checks to be issued.
What is the hit per sale ratio? This is the average number
of hits to a banner or text link it takes to generate a
sale based on all affiliate statistics. This factor is
extremely important because this will tell you how much
traffic you must generate before you can earn a commission
from the sale.
How are referrals from an affiliate's site tracked and for
how long do they remain in the system? You need to be
confident on the program enough to track those people you
refer from your site. This is the only way that you can
credit for a sale.
The period of time that those people stay in the system is
also important. This is because some visitors do not buy
initially but may want to return later to make the
purchase. Know if you will still get credit for the sale if
it is done some months from a certain day.
What kind and type of affiliate stats available? Your
choice of affiliate programs should be capable of offering
detailed stats. They should be available online anytime you
decide to check them out.
Constantly checking your individual stats is important. To
know how many impressions, hits and sales are generated
from your site is critical data. Impressions are the number
of times the banner or text link was viewed by a visitor of
your site. A hit is the one clicking on the banner or text
links.
Does the affiliate program also pay for hits and
impressions besides the commissions on sales? It is
important that impressions and hits are also paid, as this
will add to the earnings you get from the sales commission.
This is especially important if the program you are in
offers low sales to be able to hit ratio.
Who is the online retailer? Find out whom you are doing
business with to know if it is really a solid company. Know
the products they are selling and the average amount they
are achieving. The more you know about the retailer
offering you the affiliate program, the easier it will be
for you to know if that program is really for you and your
site.
Is the affiliate a one tier or two tier program? A single
tier program pays you only for the business you yourself
have generated. A two tier program pays you for the
business, plus it also pays you a commission on the on the
sales generated by any affiliate you sponsor in your
program. Some two-tier programs are even paying small fees
on each new affiliate you sponsor. More like a recruitment
fee.
Lastly, what is the amount of commission paid? 5% - 20% is
the commission paid by most programs. .01% - .05% is the
amount paid for each hit. If you find a program that also
pays for impressions, the amount paid is not much at all.
As you can see from the figures, you will now understand
why the average sales amount and hit to sale ratio is
important.
These are just some of the questions that need to be
clarified before making the important program selection
decisions. Hopefully, this information will help you in
making good choices and getting your online marketing
efforts into high gear!
----------------------------------------------------
Stephen Wright is President & CEO of
InternetMarketingUSA.com
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