Copyright © Liane Bate
http://www.HonestMoneyMaking.com

Many people starting an online business today will look to affiliate selling first because it is easiest and requires no effort to bill, package, or send items in the mail. These labor-intensive tasks can all be done through links on their websites to other people's products and services, and those providing the products and services deal with the actual transactions. You just get paid, and it can't get any sweeter than that!

I would have to agree that affiliate selling is a lot of fun and is my preferred way of doing business online. However, affiliate marketers who are desperate for a pretty penny can also be notorious internet scammers.

If you own a website, then you are probably paying a bit of money to keep the site running. Do you not wish you could make some money with the website you work so hard to maintain? Imagine how wonderful it would be if you could turn your hobby into a real business that would not only pay for itself, but even offer you a few extras that could be put to good use for the kids, your family, or that vacation you've always wanted to take!

To a web master, affiliate marketing is almost always the answer to this dilemma. In and of itself, affiliate marketing is a wonderful opportunity to share in the profits of a reputable company by displaying their links and banners, and allowing interested website visitors to check out those sites and perhaps purchase a product. When they do so, the company will offer you a small, or even a large percentage of the sale.

Yet you must also be wary of the affiliate marketing industry because if you're not careful, it may actually jeopardize your good name as a web master. For example, have you ever been surfing the web only to suddenly stumble across a website that touts an amazing nutritional supplement that does it all? Weight loss for the overweight, hair growth for the bald, an increased sexual stamina for those lacking it, and a host of other items that are cured or corrected with a pill after breakfast, lunch and dinner?

Yes, you have to have a sales page to promote your online business, no doubt about it. But be careful not to make false claims and unrealistic promises. If you are promoting a product or service, it's a good idea to have tested the item out for yourself first, so that you can offer an honest review of that product or service.

Similarly, if your newsletter subscribers have purchased an item from you, perhaps you can ask them for an honest testimonial if they were satisfied with their purchase. Honest testimonials are a great thing to add to your sales page, but watch out if they promise miracle cures or outrageous potential earnings. Your testimonials should include the person's name, website, and even contact information in case your prospects want to check on those providing the testimonial.

Some sites will have a copy of a commission check that the web master has posted and suddenly he or she has your undivided attention. The check is small
enough to be realistic yet big enough to have you consider what you could to
with the money and how it could ease the tension at home from lack of
disposable income.

While providing proof of earnings is a great way to capture new prospects, make sure you do your homework and contact the person to ask questions about the business to find out for yourself how legitimate it is.

When you are hooked, the spiel usually involves a site owner who is so
successful that he or she has decided to take on two or three qualified
novices and train them to do the business as well.

This usually means selling the miracle product to your friends and neighbors and then just sitting back and waiting for the money to roll in. What has just happened, in a nutshell, is an affiliate scam that ties your success directly into a multi-level marketing scheme.

Additionally, you will need to post banners on your website. While your links will attract more interested parties to the originator's website, you are meanwhile alienating your friends and family by the other products you are pushing if not directly related to what you are selling.

This is not what affiliate marketing is all about, and it is important that you understand the implications of your putting links or banners of any business on your website. Links and banners can be effective if used correctly, but littering your site with too many, or banners that have nothing to do with your products and services is not a good idea.

A good way to promote your affiliate programs and links is to provide solid and useful content on your site in the form of articles written on your programs and services, and blog posts that provide value to your website visitors.

About the Author:
Liane Bate owns a Plug-in Profit Site web business, and is a member of the International Association of Home Business Entrepreneurs (IAHBE).
Find out how to Make Money Online with affiliate marketing, and visit HonestMoneyMaking.com's Home Business Blog