If you are thinking of getting into affiliate marketing, I have something important to tell you - a lot of affiliate programs suck. That's right. I pull no punches when it comes to telling the truth, so I'll say it again. A good number of affiliate programs are horrible to say the least. Unless you know how to differentiate between the ones that suck and the ones that don't, you will not be able to make good money online.
Affiliate marketing scams are not new. They are probably as old as affiliate marketing itself. However, a lot of people, novices in particular, fall prey to these scams as they are not aware of the fact that the number of scammers is almost twice as much as the number of honest people on the internet. With this being the case, how can you avoid the traps set by scammers and choose genuine affiliate programs? Let us take a look.
Some reasons why most affiliate programs suck
- They tend to give preference to websites that contain software generated content to please the search engines instead of websites that contain genuine content.
- The commission they pay is so small that you cannot make good money despite spending a lot on promotion.
- They have managers who are terrible at handling affiliate marketers. This is one of the most important reasons why affiliate programs suck big time.
- They make you wait forever before they release the payment.
- They don't give you proper credit for sales.
- They refuse to give any details about your downlines. So, you have no way of knowing the members of your network.
- So, how can you avoid affiliate marketing scams and choose genuine programs which pay you well? Let us take a look.
- If a company asks you to pay to sign up, avoid it by all means. Reputed affiliate marketing companies do not expect you to pay anything to sign up with them.
- Before you sign up with a company, try to find as much information as possible. Read customer testimonials, ripoff reports, and ask for the opinion of experienced internet marketers. This should give you an idea of how good the program is.
- If a company asks you to buy the product/service before signing up as an affiliate, stay away from it. It is one of the simplest ways to avoid affiliate marketing scams.
- If the product is priced too low and the commission is too small, do not bother promoting it. It is certainly not worth spending time or money.
- If the company does not have a professional website with full contact information, stay away from it. There is no point in signing up for a program when you do not know anything about the company or the product you are promoting in the first place.
Now that you know why most affiliate programs suck and how you can avoid them, let me tell you something that anyone who aspires to be an internet marketer should be aware of.
Before you promote an affiliate program, make sure you test it. This is something that most affiliate marketers fail to do. Run a small promotion campaign and track it closely. If the amount you spend is more than the payout on a lead, stay away from that program and choose something else that converts well. This way, you can find out the best affiliate program by spending just a few dollars.
There you have it folks. I hope the article clarified some of your doubts about affiliate marketing. Stay away from affiliate marketing scams, choose genuine programs, and make money. View our preselected list of the best affiliate programs and read our reviews of the most recommended ones.