Ask questions first before you join an affiliate program. Do a little research about the choices of program(s) that you intend to join. Get some answers because they will be the deciding point of what you will be achieving later on. If there is a sponsor, contact that person and get some information. No response means run the other way.
Will it cost you anything to join? Most affiliate programs being offered today are absolutely free of charge. So why settle for those that charge you some dollars before joining. You should be able to learn about the program for free.
When do they issue the commission checks? Every program is different. Some issue their checks once a week, once a month, every quarter, etc. Select the one that is suited to your payment choice. Many affiliate programs set a minimum earned commission amount that an affiliate must meet or exceed in order for their commissions to be issued.
What is the hit per sale ratio? This is the average number of hits to a banner, text link or website that 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. You want something like 1-2% which sounds low but is very reasonable in today’s day and internet age.
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. You want a program that has an autoresponder system follow up with potential customers. This is the only way that you can get credit for a sale. The period of time that those people stay in the system is also important. This is because most 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. With most legitimate affiliate programs this is not an issue.
What are the kinds of affiliate stats available? Your choice of affiliate program 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 already generated from your site. Impressions are the number of times the banner, website or text link was viewed by a visitor to your website. A hit is the one clicking on the website, banner or text links.
Does the affiliate program also pay for the hits and impressions besides the commissions on sales? It is important that impressions and hits are also paid bit to be honest with you this is not that common anymore, 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.
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. The best programs are ones that offer monthly commissions. You make the sale once and you get paid every month for as long as your customer stays a customer.
Lastly, what is the amount of commission paid? 5% – 20% is the commission paid by most programs. I am a big fan of 50-80% commissions paid. If you do the math you need to make less sales at 80% commissions but you make more money than getting only 10% commissions. As you can see from the figures, you will now understand why the average sales amount and hit to sale ratio and higher commissions are important.
These are just some of the questions that needed answering first before you enter into an affiliate program. You should be familiar with the many important aspects that your chosen program should have before incorporating them into your website or your personal business.
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