by: Edvard Halupa

There are few variants how affiliate programs are organized:

I. Networks

Are more convenient way for businesses to start their affiliate programs. Merchants are listed in searchable database to be found by potential affiliates. This means huge savings for start-up merchants as they can rely on the promotion in the network directory.

Affiliate networks gather all different types of affiliate programs and all share same network infrastructure. They are the easiest and fastest way to find suitable affiliate program. The network is also a guarantor in case of any problems. Under affiliate networks, any action done by affiliates is tracked and reports are generated for the use by both affiliate and merchant. Even the big players (Disney, Dell, Sony) use a.n. because of their features.

See network reviews below.

II. Specialized networks

These networks gather sites with same topic but few different (variants of) services, e.g. Personals sites, where there are different language and interest sites, to suit every target group.

See match.com network review below.

III. Individual affiliate programs

Are programs with their own tracking and reporting solutions. Websites promote their program for themselves and they collect all the profit for themselves. There is no third party involved, affiliates get paid directly from the seller of the product/service. Their products might be great but their reputation considering affiliate marketing doesn't have to be. That's why it is smart to find reviews and read their terms and conditions before joining.

Affiliate networks reviewed

Commision Junction (www.cj.com)

Leading in online affiliate solutions, CJ has over 1700 registered merchants. CJ provides very competitive pricing for merchants and increasing benefits for affiliates. Some of the merchants include: ……

CJ is a two-tier network, which means you refer both advertisers (merchants) and publishers (affiliates) and earn 5% the commission, those earn for themselves. CJ was the first network that applied "one check per month" policy that included commissions from all merchants on one check.

ClickBank (www.clickbank.com)

ClickBank could be used as an outsourced credit card processing gateway. Without monthly fees and low transaction costs it is inexpensive solution for websites to accept credit cards. It's also a broker for hundreds of websites offering own affiliate programs. Easy to implement, and real time stats also bring to ClickBank's popularity.

Befree (www.befree.com)

Affiliate tracking service that had some of the largest clients on the net (Barnes and Noble) is now part of Commision Junction network.

Match.com (www.match.com)

Match.com has one of the oldest affiliate programs (launched in april 95) and by Media Metrix is #1 rated service on the Internet. Match.com has more than 6,5 million registered and 925 000 active users. This is the only dating site offering keyword search (searches profiles and returns results matching keyword). On this program 2-tier can earn up to $40.