Afifliate Marketing in 6 Easy Steps

Six Easy Steps to Making Money Online

There is no income like passive income. Write a review, a blog, or a sales funnel site and then just sit back and let the money role in -- right? Don't you wish it were that easy. I know I do. If you have never done Affiliate marketing but wanted to give a try, here are few quick steps to get you started.

1. Join an affiliate network
2. Get a website
3. Write review, a blog, or create a club
4. Find a relavent ad from your affiliate network
5. Cut and paste the ad's html onto your website
6. Wait - let the money role in

The Steps In Review

Step 1 - Join an Affiliate network: This is an easy step because there are many to choose from. What you want to do is find one that has merchants that sell products that are related to your content.

Step 2 - Get a website: Another easy step, There are many cheap hosting companies some are free. For the website itself I use a Content Management System or CMS like WordPress for all kinds of websites. WordPress is especially easy to install and there are a gazillion free plugins and themes to expand the functionality and visitor experience.

Step 3 - Write Stuff: Unless you are an experienced writer, this step is perhaps the most problematic to beginners. Not just from a technical point of view, but also from a psychological point of view as well. It is very common to get "writer's block" or the jitters for fear that no one will like your writing. If you can survive these hiccups, writing will be second nature. In a nutshell, just like any other discipline writing improves and gets easier with practice.

Step 4 - Find an ad: This step is very easy but can be time consuming. Don't worry too much about picking the best ad -- you can change it later if you need to.

Step 5 - Cut and Paste: Literally cut and paste. The affiliate network will generate the necessary HTML to display your selected ad and include tracking code so that your account will be properly credited. You just copy the code and paste it right on your website.

Step 6 - Wait: You can just sit back and relax. Go to the beach. Let the money role in. Okay, that is overly exaggerated. If luck is on your side, you could strike it rich and do nothing else. On the other hand, if you are like most affiliate marketers, you will need to go back to Step 3 or Step 4 and repeat. You must remember to review the effectiveness of your ads and make adjustments to maximize income. It is important to also remember that some ads expire or get outdated. Sometimes affiliate programs get suspended or dropped. If you are new to this game just be aware. Do not let this scare you off. After all, it is not difficult to replace an ad if you know how to cut and paste.

Affiliate marketing is a fun way to make money provided you follow the two golden rules: 

1. Don't lie, cheat or scam.
2. Don't support products that lie, cheat or scam

Affiliate marketing has received a bad reputation with the FTC because of Affiliate Marketers that do not follow the golden rules.  Make sure you are familiar with the local laws where you plan to do business.