What is an affiliate program?

Affiliate programs can provide you with a way to make money online right from the comfort of home. In simple terms, an affiliate program is one that allows you to make money online promoting products of other retailers by placing a link on your website that leads to the retailers site or individual product. It's a great way to start earning an extra income on the internet and gives you the ability to make money without many of the responsibilities that you would normally have when operating a business, such as filling orders, processing payments, shipping merchandise, etc.

Basically with affiliate programs for every sale that is made through your affiliate link you would earn a commission on the that sale. Generally commissions can range anywhere from 1% to 75% depending on the type of affiliate program it is. Some programs will pay you a flat one-time commission when you make a sale. There are programs that allow you earn a recurring commission when you make a sale that requires the buyer to make recurring payments. You would then get a percentage of each recurring charge for that particular sale.

Another type of affliate program will pay you just for supplying them with a lead, even if a purchase was not made. With this type of affiliate program your referral/lead usually is required to fill out a registration form of some sort. The retailer pays you a small commission for giving them the lead with the intention of following up on that lead to possibly make a sale at a later date.

7 Step Quick-Start Guide to Making Money Online With Affiliate Programs