Affiliate programs revolve around different product and service offerings, domains, user preferences and payment structures. Some may have a lifetime payout structure on sales whereas others will carry a limit (restricting it to 30-90 days’ cycle).

If certain programs are more flexible in terms of ad unit types available, colors and design so as to jell with your site’s layout and look, a few cannot be easily customized. Check all these aspects before finalizing one. Also see if your favorite vendors conduct their own affiliate program.

You can directly go to the source in some cases and are not bound by big affiliate networks. Make systematic ad testing an integral part of your strategy for maximizing the gains.

1. Simply pushing and throwing out links on a random basis to available products/services with no co-relation or a logical thought will only confuse your site visitors. For instance, do not just put up a long list of your favorite titles, believing that they will go to the affiliate link, check the titles because you have taken the efforts to compile the list. Things seldom work that way…
2. Just because you have followed your instinct and have experimented, you cannot cash in on an event or be assured of conversions. Think from a broader perspective. Take some time and do research before writing a detailed review. Employ affiliate ads to point in the proper direction in case users opt to act on basis of it. That’s exactly what affiliate ads are supposed to do.
3. If you pen a good review recommending a title and readers buy it, that’s an ideal outcome for you. As we’ve checked in the previous post, to make an affiliate program work, it is necessary to meet expectations and aspirations of your users. The affiliate program must serve as a holistic solution sans any mismatch of interests.
4. The key is to grasp the specific needs of your audience, being fair, maintaining honesty and transparency so as to win their confidence. Another important aspect is to disclose your affiliations. Encash repeat visitors to spread the word about your products and content. Make the content relevant, dynamic and informative in order to make it valuable for your users. They must feel encouraged to explore the site. Keep both your ads and content in sync with each other to make them relevant from the readers’ perspective.

Keep in mind the fact that affiliate programs are not for impatient individuals. It’s not a get rich quick formula. However, if you are perseverant enough, it provides ample scope to build a sustained flow of income over time. The key is to be patient and persistent without losing your focus and always putting the users’ interest at the core of your affiliate strategy.