Obviously, the first filter that you ought to apply to any likely affiliate programs is relevance. While thinking about which affiliate programs you should opt for, you have to judge how that affiliate program fits into your web site. The reason for this is that visitors to your web site will expect to see something on the issue matter.
If I Google ‘teddy bears’ and when I get to the site, there are just ads for rocking horses, Forex and winter cruises, I am not going to be best pleased. The first principle is to offer people what they are searching for – stay on topic.
Does the supplier charge anything? Some suppliers may try to charge you a ‘joining fee’, a ‘registration fee’ or ‘handling fee’ – simply give them a wide berth. It ought to be free to join an affiliate scheme, you should not have to pay to have the right to sell someone else’s goods.
In a similar vein, what is the minimum payout amount? A lot of firms will not pay out less than $50, some even $100. This is a rip off. It is a factor to help you choose between one supplier and another – a deciding factor. If you are using three or four suppliers on your site, you might have to earn $300-400 before you are paid out!
Do they charge to process your payment as well? They should not really, does your boss make you pay to get your wages? It is the same principle. And how frequently do they pay out, weekly, monthly, quarterly?
Do you like their creatives, that is their banners and other adverts? There is a lot of proof that the normal, old fashioned banner advertisement of 468×60 is not very effective any more. Look for variety – boxes and skyscrapers. Otherwise, are you able to make your own?
Do they publish data on how effective their creatives are? What is the average conversion rate for every banner? That is, how many views does it take to get a hit and how many hits to get a sale?
Do they permit you to make a downline? That is, if someone visits your site and chooses to sell orchids as well, will you be given a part of the commission on that affiliates sales? You should be.
What is the value of the average sale and how much pay out will you make on that? Really, you want to be making at least a few dollars a sale; a few cents is no good, unless you are receiving thousands of visitors a day.
Create a couple of questions and send them to ‘support’. Do they give satisfactory answers? Are they quick to respond? And last but not least, would you by anything from the firm? Does their web site look professional? Is the sales page convincing?
There is such a great deal of choice when it comes to choosing a supplier that you can afford to have high standards. Take your time, go for the best, and you are less likely to have problems afterwards.
Owen Jones, the autor of this piece, writes on several subjects, but is now involved with the SEO Content. If you would like to know more, please visit our website at PLR pieces