Ask questions first before
you join an affiliate program. Do a little research about the choices of
program that you intend to join into. Get some answers because they will be the
deciding point of what you will be achieving later on.
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.
When do they issue the
commission checks? Every program is different. Some issue their checks once a
month, every quarter, etc. Select the one that is suited to your payment time
choice. Many affiliate programs are setting a minimum earned commission amount
that an affiliate must meet or exceed in order for their checks to be issued.
What is the hit per sale
ratio? This is the average number of hits to a banner or text link 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.
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. This is the only way that you can credit for a sale. The period of
time that those people stay in the system is also important. This is because
some 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.
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 or text link was viewed by a
visitor of your site. A hit is the one clicking on the 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, 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 and your site.
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. More like a recruitment fee.
Lastly, what is the amount
of commission paid? 5% - 20% is the commission paid by most programs. .01% -
.05% is the amount paid for each hit. If you find a program that also pays for
impressions, the amount paid is not much at all. As you can see from the
figures, you will now understand why the average sales amount and hit to sale
ratio is 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. Try to ask
your affiliate program choices these questions. These can help you select the
right program for you site from among the many available.
