Generate a serious income with affiliate programs

• don't require an up-front investment
• eliminate the need to bother with buying, storing, and shipping 
  products
• fit in seamlessly with a well designed website 
• are extremely profitable if managed properly 

1. Create a website that offers true value to its visitors. For example, a travel site could provide travel tips and reviews of vacation packages as well as articles on the historical background and attractions of popular destinations. Well-placed, relevant affiliate program links used here and there in the context of your articles will do wonders for your bank account!
    
2. Unless you have a large site with sections devoted to various themes, limit your site to one topic. A 20 page site with pages devoted to 20 different topics won't generate much income from affiliate programs.
   
   It is much more effective to have a 20 page site with all 20 pages being devoted to a related topic. For example, if you deal with affiliate programs dedicated to selling widgets, create a page on the history of widgets, another page on the care and cleaning of widgets, another on the differences between types of widgets, etc.
   
   A site that is dedicated to a single theme will be viewed as an authority on that topic instead of just a site that was thrown together simply to make a few easy bucks from affiliate programs!
    
3. Keep your affiliate program links extremely relevant to the text in the article. If you have an article explaining how to save money on green widgets, use ads for an affiliate program that sells green widgets, nothing else!
   
   Affiliate programs only work well when the ads are an exact match with the content on the page. Poorly targeted affiliate program ads result in a low conversion rate at best, and the loss of traffic at worst.
    
4. Keep your affiliate program ads fresh. Update them on a regular basis by changing banners, descriptions, etc. This will help keep your return visitors interested in your affiliate programs and allow you to feature special promotions or seasonal offerings.
    
5. Test. Make changes. Test again. This is the only way to make sure your affiliate programs are performing at their maximum potential. If an ad doesn't draw clicks or convert well, change its placement on the page, then monitor the performance of the ad to see if it does better or worse.
   
   Try different banners or ad copy. Try entirely different affiliate programs! Once you find a setup that works, stay with it until you begin to notice the performance dropping. Then make changes and test again. It's a never ending process, but the results will pay off handsomely!