What is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is an Internet-based marketing practice in which a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate’s marketing efforts. More is hosting links, banners, and product information on a website or blog and then getting paid a flat fee or percentage of a sale whenever visitors click through on these links and make a purchase. In essence, affiliate marketing is selling products or services offered by others and then getting paid for each sale.
When it comes to the web, Amazon.com really started the affiliate ball rolli
ng. In July 1996, it launched its “associates” program and now counts over 450,000 sites in its network. The basic model works something like this: A small website owner registers with Amazon (or any other affiliate program), she then puts various links, banners, and products on her web site. When her visitors click through on these links and purchase a book or other product, the small web site owner is paid a commission for generating the sale.
While Amazon.com continues with its affiliate network model, many others have joined in, providing a wide range of affiliate programs that include products and services with which you can become affiliated and earn money.
In fact, you can now register with one or more various affiliate marketing networks, such as Commission Junction, LinkShare or Dynamic Trade, that will not only provide a variety of sites with which you can affiliate, but will also keep track of your affiliate earnings, issue checks, send out year end tax statements and more.
In just a short time, the growth and popularity of affiliate marketing has exploded so that it is now a significant force in selling products and services on the web. Thousands of affiliate marketing programs are available that can blend with almost any sort of web content you might imagine and numerous eager entrepreneurs have built their business model on affiliate marketing success.











