It??s no secret that affiliate marketing is a fantastic way to make money online.

Most products have an affiliate program, and some even pay you as much as 75%! All you have to do is find the ones that pay the most, sign up, drive traffic to that site through your affiliate link and you??re all set right?

Wrong! Let??s back up a minute.

It??s great to choose an affiliate program that pays a high percentage, but that??s not most important. It??s most important to find a quality affiliate program that meets certain criteria.

First, you want to make sure the product is a proven seller. You don??t want to waste your time and money driving traffic to a site that doesn??t convert. Find one with a good conversion rate.

Second, make sure the site you become an affiliate for protects his affiliates, and has your best interest at heart. Look for one that provides banners, e-mails, and other tools you can use to promote the site. Also, make sure that there is only one payment option. As an affiliate marketer, you need to be sure that you will get credit for your referral. If there is more than one payment method, you can get shortchanged.

Third, do not choose an affiliate program that promotes an e-mail course. Nothing angers me more than becoming an affiliate to a site that??s first goal is to capture e-mail addresses, and then tries to make the sale second. As an affiliate marketer, you need to capture e-mail addresses, then to convert that prospect into a sale. Stick with affiliate programs that aren??t focused on capturing leads because it??s simply not in your best interest. Build your own list, not someone else??s.

Affiliate marketing can be an absolute goldmine, but if you choose the wrong affiliate programs you will only be wasting your money.

Another quick note: Don??t let anyone tell you a particular Niche is too saturated. Unless you have deep pockets you should stay away from industries like credit repair, gambling, insurance, etc. However, you can even succeed in those if you are inventive enough. Try out new methods of generating leads. Be creative.

Who knows, you may even surprise yourself.