Using your blog or website to earn extra income promoting affiliate products is one of the easiest ways to get an online business up and running. An internet business, with the right niche, can provide you with a very comfortable income.

Many people think that all they have to do is select a couple of affiliate programs, throw up some banners and links on their site, then sit back and wait for the money to come rolling into their affiliate account. The truth is it just work that way, no matter what the so called guru's tell you.

The first thing you have to do is have an idea of what you want to promote as your products. You can do this using a keyword research tool, to find out what products are selling and what your completion would be.

Just starting out, I would try to find products that have a low to medium competition range and have a decent gravity range. As you become more experienced in promoting affiliate products and learn how the process works, you can then seek out products that have a higher competition range. You can be successful, but it will take a lot more effort on your part.

When you select an affiliate program, be sure to see what promotional programs they have that will assist you in being able to successfully promote you product. Example: banners, email promotions, ezine articles, etc.

If you have a newsletter you can advertise you programs to your list, but you want to do it in a way that will show them the benefits of what your products will do for them. Other words, will it solve a problem for them.

There are many ways online to educate yourself about the ins and outs of affiliate marketing and how to be successful. As with everything else is life, be sure to find the training that is right for you. Whether it is free or paid training, find what fits you best and then make the most of it.

Just starting out, I would select no more than three products to promote. Be sure they are in the niche you selected. Purchase the product yourself, so you will know the ins and outs of it. This way you will know if it benefits you, then it will surely benefit your customers.

Once you reach this point it is just a process of repeating what you have learned with another affiliate product.