Friday, September 19, 2014

How I Compare Affiliate Programs

The Goal of Promoting Affiliate Programs Is More of These
I have been working online for a number of years now and have found it worthwhile to compare the various affiliate programs in the marketplace before choosing which one to promote. Which network or brand to choose can vary based on any number of factors which we'll talk about here. Things I like to consider can include benefits to me such as ease of use, commission rate, reputation and product breadth, but it also equally important to consider your audience when selecting products and programs to promote. After all if you misunderstand the needs of your visitors you don't have much chance of successfully marketing to them.

Three Major Affiliate Programs to Consider


The three most widely known affiliate programs (commission-based) are Amazon, eBay, and Clickbank. You may be wondering why I exclude Google AdSense here but I consider that an advertising program and not a pure commission-based affiliate program. Having had the pleasure of working with each of these networks I think it is fair to say that Amazon has the best overall reputation for trust level, commissions payment (including micro-payments now), and product selection. Where they tend to be a little on the weak side is their commission level. They also tend to be fairly flexible as to who can participate.

eBay Partner Network would have to be the second most widely known affiliate program, although their rules and payouts have changed substantially over the years. While previously they ran a hybrid program based loosely more on sales activity now they compute payments based on a quality click formula that more resembles Google's AdSense program than a true commission-based affiliate program. Click earnings rates tend to be exceptionally low for most sites, and many publisher accounts have been broadly banned by them - much along the lines of what Google has done. If you do choose to work with the eBay program they do have some very good tools but you will almost certainly be banned if you violate the most minute terms of service.

The third and final commission-based affiliate program is Clickbank. The trust reputation of Clickbank is much lower than the previously mentioned programs, primarily because the quality of the product offerings on that platform tend to be lower / more of the Tv Infomercial level quality as compared to the brand-name merchandise which Amazon (and to a lesser extend eBay) tend to market as their bread-and-butter product lines. Having said that, the lines of product quality on sites such as Amazon and eBay are only as good as the sellers of those items - and given the number of non-brand name 3rd parties selling on those platforms I think it is safe to say the quality and trust level of both those dot-com brands has been diluted over time. On the plus side for Clickbank, the typical commission rate for a Clickbank product ranges from 50% up to 80%. Higher commission rates means it takes fewer sales to make good money online.

Are There Other Affiliate Programs Than Clickbank or Amazon

The short answer is yes there are a number of networked affiliate programs as well as individual affiliate programs in the marketplace. The advantage of using a networked program is that it is easier to find a wider variety of products to promote, and earnings from the various vendors (usually) accumulate in a single account making it easier to achieve payout thresholds. After all - making a sale doesn't get you paid until you hit the minimum payout level. Now as we mentioned above, Amazon's payout threshold is effectively zero. eBay's (last I recall) was as low as $10. Clickbank's minimum payout is $50.