Its 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 youre all set right?

Wrong! Lets back up a minute.

Its great to choose an affiliate program that pays a high percentage, but thats not most important. Its 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 dont want to waste your time and money driving traffic to a site that doesnt 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 thats 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 arent focused on capturing leads because its simply not in your best interest. Build your own list, not someone elses.

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: Dont 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.