So you've got to sell someone else's product or service, it's the basis of any affiliate marketing business, and that's where things get a little complicated. What do you choose to sell and how can you keep track of exactly what's going on? The problem stems from the fact that you have no way to verify if you have sold something or not. I guess you have to place a lot of trust in the vendor of whose product you're promoting.
It's easy enough to track the visits coming to your website and to see what links a visitor clicked on when they left. But you have to rely on the vendor to be truthful about the conversions on their site. I think most of the sellers online that offer affiliate programs are reputable. It's obviously in their best interest for the long term.
Another problem when trying to make money with affiliate marketing is learning to build enough targeted traffic to your website or blog. This is probably one of the most difficult things for any online marketer. Getting the right traffic is what it's all about and there are many components to turning you blog or website into a high traffic automated cash dispenser. Some do it but the majority that try fail or simply give up.
Learning to make a living from internet marketing is a boom business these days. What with the economy getting pounded in the media daily, is it any wonder that more and more people are turning to the internet. With the high failure rate online it's obvious to me, considering the vast quantities of people selling make money on the internet programs, memberships, and turn key solutions, that a lot of it doesn't work.
There is one thing that works every time. Hard Work.
If you work at it you will eventually learn to make money on the web and once the penny drops, you'll be on your way to a secure future. One of the best places to get your feet wet is a site called hupages. You'll be able to write articles there and make money with your adsense account and a few affiliate programs that are a part of their system. If you want a primer on HubPages you can check this out: http://hubpages.com/_makemoneyhubs/hub/make-money-writing-hubs
Making money online with affiliate sales or any other method becomes an automated adventure once you figure out the how and where. Then it's a game of tweaking.
The bottom line is Never Give Up! You can do it. Keep learning and trying and testing and you will get there. Follow great marketers and do what they say. Don't try to over analyze the situation. Find someone with a great reputation and follow the advice and put it into action and watch you income grow. It's up to you.
