subject: Follow the Rules of Affiliate Marketing Programs [print this page] So you are all set up with your brand new website or blog and are ready to start promoting products in your new niche. Hopeful to make some serious money, all you need are the links to the products to complete the process. We all know that promoting other people's products or services is not really a difficult thing to do. But what you may find difficult is keeping track of the different sets of rules from each of the company's affiliate programs you are promoting.
Each company has their own version of rules and you must follow them exactly as they are written. One mistake could cost you commissions. A common problem for affiliate marketers is that they join so affiliate marketing programs that they can't keep track of each company's rules.
The rules or guidelines that each affiliate marketing program gives can be very different. They may not allow you to mention their brand name they sell under on your website or even not allow you to have that particular market in your website URL. It is because of the variations in each company's rules that you must read each one very carefully and fully understand each point. You may even find that you will not be able to participate in certain affiliate marketing programs if you already have your website and URL and they do not meet the requirements set in the rules of the program.
One rule I have heard is popular for affiliate marketing programs is the rule about page rank. Some companies don't feel it is in their best interest if your website has a higher page rank than theirs does. There is a simple explanation for this and it is basic business strategy. These companies would simply prefer to sell directly to the public rather than to have to pay commissions for sales you would make on a higher ranked website. This rule is usually not negotiable, if they find your website ranks higher, you may be removed from the affiliate marketing program altogether.
The best way to keep track of all of the different rules for all of the different affiliate marketing programs you belong to is to keep some kind of a spreadsheet. This way you will never be confused as to which rules apply to which company. Companies take their rules very seriously so the best rule you can follow is to C.Y.A. (cover your ass) The last thing you need is to get involved with a law suit as a result of not following the rules. You will never get caught doing anything wrong if you are always following the rules.
If you can find a good program that fits your business needs, there are software programs that help you keep track of everything. These affiliate marketing software programs allow you to stay focused on the important aspects of promoting so you don't have to worry about keeping track of everything yourself.
The most importing thing to learn from this article is that you will only hurt yourself if you don't follow the rules set by your affiliate marketing program. The potential negatives far out weight the benefits you could gain by not following the rules. Your marketing efforts will eventually pay off anyway so in the long run you will feel better knowing you went by the book and followed the rules set by your affiliate marketing program so just follow the rules.
Hi, I'm JB Young. Last year, I made a billion gazillion noodley million dollars in affiliate marketing...Okay, no I didn't. But I am a successful affiliate marketer who has a soft spot for those of you who a
