Affiliate programs: Your gateway to riches Affiliate programs have fast emerged as a forerunner in bringing in extra income to a website. Many have mushroomed over the past several years and prospective customers are finding it more and more difficult to choose the correct program that best suits them. In this article we provide some tips on choosing the best affiliate program.

How to choose the correct affiliate program? There are millions of affiliate programs that are being offered these days. However here are a few tips to weed out the illegitimate ones from the genuine ones.

List out products. Before you even start on your search for an affiliate program , be sure to make a list of the products you like or identify with. That will help narrow your search. Search for similar affiliate programs. Search for the programs that offer similar products to what you have listed out.

Free or paid programs. Most affiliate programs are being offered free of cost these days so it makes sense to steer clear of the ones that require you to pay up.

Terms and conditions. Be sure to check out the terms and conditions of the affiliate program. The conditions must be stated clearly and be easy to understand. In case of doubt, you should consult a lawyer to be able to understand the intricacies.

Commission being paid. Be sure to check the amount of commission being paid. Try to settle at a moderate commission – one that is not too low or too high. The reason being a very low commission will not fetch you enough income and a very high commission rate can signify that the product maybe too difficult to sell.

Payment date. You also need to know the date of payment and also the tracking period. In many cases, customers will not immediately purchase a product. Typically they will like to mull over it for sometime. This is usually taken into consideration and is referred to as a tracking cookie. The duration is usually 30 days.

Prerequisites. Many affiliate programs have some conditions you need to meet to be able to be eligible for any commissions etc. Be sure to check what are the initial eligibility criteria as if the target is too difficult to reach, it may hamper chances of earning income.

Competition. Try not to go for an affiliate program being used by your competition. That way you are offering your customers something different.

Demand of the product. Check if the product the affiliate program is offering is saleable or not and what is the demand in the market for such a product. Also check for the sales conversion rates etc.

Audience preferences. You need to choose products that cater to your target audience and which will appeal to their preferences. This will raise your chances of clicks, leads and more sales. So be sure to do an analysis of your audience demographics like age, gender, likes dislikes etc.

Pay per click. Pay per click offers are great because they offer a convenient way to earn more. But make sure to go for a commission that is not too low.

Competitive pricing. While checking on the products offered by affiliate programs, be sure to check on their pricing. These must be competitively priced so that you get quicker sales.

Shipping costs. Most of the time customers get ‘turned off' on seeing the shipping costs on a product. Make sure the shipping costs on the affiliate program are low.

Credibility. Another very important aspect to consider is the credibility of the affiliate program. For this you will need to do an appropriate amount of research and analysis. Do not go for something that sounds too good to be true as it is often a cover up.

Navigability. You also need to ensure that the website of the affiliate program of the company has easy navigability. The website needs to have a user friendly interface, engaging content and 99.99% uptime.

Tools and resources. It is best to choose an affiliate program that provides tools and resources to help grow your own business.