To make money on the internet, an affiliate marketing newbie needs to participate in some affiliate making money programs. There are so many programs online that it could be very confusing to make a confident choice very fast. There are lots of criteria that one needs to consider as he looks out for the program that will best suit him.

1. What's the Financial Implication?

The first thing that might come to your Mind is how much will joining an affiliate marketing program actually cost you. The good news is that most of the programs online are actually free of Charge. They cost nothing to join, you just sign on for free, so this choice could easily be made. It should be free as there is no point joining any program and paying your hard earned money when you can get similar services for free.

2. When is Payday?

Another factor to consider is the paying interval of the program. All programs are different in their operations. Some pay monthly while others do pay quarterly or weekly as the case may be. It is best to consider the paying interval and also importantly is the paying method.

Various forms of payment are used. Some issue commission checks, some pay directly into your account and some do pay via wire transfer. Other methods of payments are also used in affiliate marketing. It is always best to settle for the most continent mode of payment.

Also most affiliate program sets a minimum amount to be earned before commissions can be paid out. These are factors to be considered carefully before choosing your affiliate program.

3. How are Your Referrals Tracked and For How Long?

The maximum period that people you referred are given to make a complete transaction that will be credited to you should also be weighted. You might need to consider how the visitors to the site are tracked. At times it is not at the first visitation to a site that a potential customer makes his purchase.

Is the period given suitable for you or is it too short. It is always better knowing you can still give your commission on transactions that are done a long time from the first day of visiting the site.

4. What Statistical Updates are Available?

Without be told, most people with me inclusive likes to keep our eyes on the money. It is important to have an affiliate program statistics online that is accessible at all times to you. Constantly monitoring your generated statistics is very important in developing better ways to run your campaign.

Knowing the number of impressions, hits and sales generated by your site can inform you which needs to be improved upon and which needs to be changed.

5. Is the Conversion Rate Good?

Using the statistical updates, you can tell what the ratio of hits to sales is. This could be use to know the average number of generated traffic require for a complete transaction. As long as the ratio is good then the program could be given a positive consideration.

6. What Does the Program Actual Pays For?

Definitely most programs do pay commissions for every completed transaction. There are those that also pay for impressions and hits beside the Commission on sales.

You need to know what exactly you are being paid for to assist you plan better. Surely I for one will definitely prefer a program that will pay me for impressions and hits also.

7. Who is the Retailer?

It is very necessary to know The Retailer's Identity.

It is foolish doing business and not knowing with whom you are transacting your business with. You need to find out who the retailer is, if the company is really a genuine one with quality products.

It also will go a long way if you could have some more information about their products like the profit they are making on its sell, what other information you could get.

The more you know about the affiliate program and the retailer the easier it will be to renegotiate your marketing terms. It is the best bet! Knowing your retailer, does well enhancing your affiliate program experience.

8. What’s the Duration of the Commissions?

You really need to consider how long you are entitled to receiving payment on each of your referrals. Some affiliate program pays residual payments which lasts for the life span of the customer doing business with the retailer.

This is recurring; you receive commission as long as the customer keeps renewing his payments. It could also be a one tier payment which is a one-time only commission for completed transactions you referred. It could be two tier payment or more as the case may be.

9. How Much is The Commission?

All said about the other factors, most people actually concentrate on this particular factor. How much is the commission to be paid and what is the percentage of the selling cost? It could be as high as 100% depending on the terms agreed upon.

Usually what most affiliate programs offers vary in all these factors and you could find a program with one factor very favourable while another factor not so palatable.

The best you can do is to strike a balance considering all the factors so as to still be able to choose a program. This should relatively be your best affiliate marketing program

My personal concentration was on the factors of interest, retailer and the commission amount. You should always go for your best 'fit'.

Thanks for hanging out with me.