Authored by Kumara Velu in Internet Marketing
Published on 03-05-2009

Have you set up a website or blog and been drawing traffic to it? You may even have built a list by offering free reports to your blog or site visitors. Once you feel you have enough traffic or blog subscribers, you could sign up for affiliate programs to help monetize your site or blog.

There are countless numbers of affiliate programs out there all catering to different niches. Some will require you to have a high traffic website to join, while others are open to anyone to sign up. You must also be careful with scam affiliate programs out to rip you off. In this article we shall look at trustworthy and profitable affiliate programs that cater to most niches.

Amazon

This is one program anybody who is interested in affiliate programs should not overlook. Amazon sells everything from books, DVDs to electronic products in the millions. Chances are you will find products that suit the theme of your web content.

The program is free and you can earn up to 15 per cent commission when visitors buy products in Amazon through your website.

Amazon provides you with links and banners you can include in your site or blog. There are also widgets that provide your visitors with a rich interactive experience. What’s more, you can even build your own store of products through aStore.

Clickbank

This is another tried-and-tested affiliate program from which many have profited. Some claim they make a full-time living selling products offered over Clickbank.

Signing up is free and you don’t need a website to promote Clickbank products. Many marketers are promoting their products by offering free reports with valuable content, including affiliate links within. Such reports are allowed to be passed around freely. They are encouraged to be used as free gifts for other products.

Alternatively, you could set up hub pages or Squidoo lenses to promote your products. Remember, your content must be valuable to readers. Otherwise, you will be classified as a spammer.

You would want to check out the Clickbank Marketplace first to see if there are products that cover your niche. To establish credibility, promote only those products that will benefit your site or blog visitors.

Paydot

If you have a PayPal account, this would be an ideal program to sign up for. If you’re interested in joining the Paydot affiliate program and don’t have a PayPal account, you can easily sign up for one. An important requirement is you must be a holder of a credit or debit card recognized by PayPal. Again you would want to check out whether there are products that suit your niche.

Paydot imposes a charge of between $0.50 and $1.50 per transaction based on the pricing of a product. The vendor will deduct this fee before paying your commission.

Reminder

There are many affiliate programs out there which could help you make money online. Use them ethically and put your customers’ interests first before thinking about making money out of them.