Joining an affiliate program is very straightforward you simply click on the link on the merchant web site and fill out the online form.

The form requires details like name and address, email etc so that they can send you payments. Depending on the merchant they may want to view your site before they approve you as an affiliate.

Most merchants only pay you if your commissions are above a certain amount, and you may find that if the merchant is based in a foreign country then you have additional payment restrictions/ and or charges.

 All of this should be in the affiliate agreement you will be required to agree to. In most cases there is nothing to pay to join an affiliate program and I would advise that you avoid any that require any sort of affiliate membership charge.

Which Programs to Join

Because affiliate programs are easy to join there is a temptation of joining as many as possible. This usually is a mistake-just image trying to be sales rep for 200 different companies.

You should only join affiliate programs if you feel comfortable promoting the product and the product fits in well with the aims of your web site.

With any affiliate program you need to know and trust the product or service you represent. The only way to do this is to purchase the product yourself.

This you may think of as a catch 22. You purchase they make money and you don't feel like you can promote the product because it is of dubious worth.

Therefore my rule number one is always to purchase the product first and if it isn't worthy of promoting then get a refund. So always look for programs that let you purchase the product and offer a full refund if you are unsatisfied.

Related Articles and Resources:

• How Affiliate Programs Work

• Setting up Affiliate Programs