Affiliate Programs

8 of the best sites for learning about or joining affiliate programs to increase Web site revenue and drive sales to merchants. Know of another site that should be listed here? Leave your suggestions at the bottom of the page. (Related searches: Travel Affiliate Programs, Small Business Advice, Advertising Slogans)

1. Commission Junction - Often referred to as CJ, this site plays the role of middleman, matching up webmaster publishers with online retailers who want more traffic and sales. Browse hundreds of retailers to see which ones fit with your site, commission rates, etc. All of your commissions from CJ retailers are lumped into one check that comes from CJ, so you don’t have to worry about chasing payments from multiple merchants. Merchants can also learn about CJ’s services for them here, including how links and visitor tracking is set up, as well as costs. (www.cj.com)

2. AssociatePrograms.com - Long-running affiliate program directory as well as plenty of information on how to become a more successful affiliate. Sgn up for their newsletter to get tips e-mailed to you. (www.associateprograms.com)

3. What is an Affiliate Program? - This page gives you a very basic idea of what an affiliate program is and how you may be compensated when you partner with a retailer to drive sales or leads to their site. (webdesign.about.com)

4. Amazon Associates - One of the biggest if not the biggest affiliate programs around — gain a commission when your visitors click Amazon affiliate links on your site and subsequently buy products from Amazon. (affiliate-program.amazon.com)

5. LinkShare - Another site that serves as a matchmaker between merchants and affiliates, with a variety of programs to consider. Merchants can also look into using LinkShare to help run their affiliate programs. (www.linkshare.com)

6. eBay Partner Network - Auction / retail giant runs its own affiliate program that pays per click based on a “Quality Score” that reflects your site’s ability to drive sales as well as new eBay customers. (publisher.ebaypartnernetwork.com)

7. ClickBank - This site matches up webmasters with merchants who sell digital products online, such as “how to” e-books. Commissions are usually generous due to the profitability of such digital products — your success will probably depend on whether your site’s visitors are the right audience for these type of products. (www.clickbank.com)

8. ShareASale - Another affiliate network that brings together merchants and webmaster publishers. Sign up for one of the hundreds of merchant affiliate programs listed here and get details on how to link to them on your site to start (hopefully) driving sales and commissions. (www.shareasale.com)

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