When it comes to picking a retail affiliate program, there are quite a few things to take into consideration. This article will provide some useful tips for your affiliate marketing business to ensure you are getting the most out of your marketing efforts. If you'd like to dive deeper and drive unlimited, targeted traffic to your offers, there's a free affiliate webinar held by one of the highest-paid super affiliates in the industry. Check it out!

1. How To Pick A Retail Affiliate Program -
10 Things You Need To Know

2. It's amazing how many sign-ups are from people whose sites have no
affinity to the merchant sites and who also never ask a question about
the performance of the merchant’s site. Knowing at least some basic
facts about an affiliate program you are going to market is vital!

4. Here are the 10 most important things you need to
know about a retail merchant’s site:

5. 1.
Make sure the site is professionally designed. First impressions are
important. Nothing will turn off the visitors you refer to a site than to
have them see an ugly site on the end of a link you have asked them
to go to. You lose credibility with your visitor, something you never
want to do.

6. 2.
Make sure the ecommerce shopping cart is easy to use. We still have
lots of clunky shopping carts in the marketplace. These hinder
conversions and mean you won’t do well with the offer. How do you
tell? Go buy something and see if you think it’s easy to use. You’ve
seen more than most people, use your experience!

8. 3.
Make sure your site has a close affinity to the merchant site. Don’t sign up for
an affiliate program just because they have a large payout. If your site is all
about “cats and dogs” and you refer someone to a residential lending site,
what do you think your chances of conversion are? Low, low, low.. so don’t do
it.
Refer visitors to sites that match your site in content and voice. You’ll get
higher conversions making up for someone else’s supposedly higher payout.

9. 4.
Check to see if they are selling any brand name products.
Having brand names does make it easier to sell online. Having a branded
category name is even easier. Does that mean you have to have a brand name to
be successful? No. It just makes it easier.

10. 5.
Ask them what the conversion rate of visitors to sales is. Depending on the
conversion rate and the average sale price I can give the retailer a pretty good
idea if he is going to be successful in attracting affiliates. A 1% conversion rate
can be good depending on what you sell, and I have some customers that run at
4% as well. Likewise, an affiliate must look at the affiliate conversion rate to
determine which program will do the best for him. How do you find out? Ask. Good
affiliate managers will tell you and you will learn which ones to trust very quickly.

12. 6.
Ask them what the average price per sale is on the site. Low priced items are not
affiliate favorites as they have to drive lots of traffic to earn any money. A retailer with
at least a $60 average sale is a bare minimum. Many times it may be a packaging
issue, but if the retailer hasn’t figured it out by the time you show up, don’t expect them
to get them to package their products correctly.

13. 7.
Check if they are selling a unique product. This goes to the competition.
When I hear the phrase: “Well… there’s really nothing quite like it on the Internet”,
you should know that the merchant has not done any online research.
There is competition in virtually every segment of every product type on the web.
Sometimes unique is good, sometimes it is a little too “niche-y”. If your site has affinity
to a niche product you should be fine, if not don’t stretch too much out of your comfort
zone.

14. If you’d like to learn how to get unlimited,
targeted traffic to your offers, check out this
FREE affiliate webinar, held by one of the most
reputable super affiliates in the industry!
HERE
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15. 8.
Make sure the merchant is able to offer a competitively priced retail product.
He doesn’t have to be the cheapest for sure. But if the competition is less
expensive and they don’t have a value proposition to support the pricing model,
you will have trouble getting affiliate sales.

16. 9.
Make sure the merchant isn’t allowing others to sell the same product less
expensively than you are able to sell if for. Some retailers are actually the
manufacturer, so they may have lots of margin in their products. This is okay as
long as they don't offer favored deals to other affiliates.

18. 10.
Work with merchants who offer an aggressive affiliate payout. I’ve got this last
because if any of the first parts are not in order, high payouts won’t do you any good.
Also, brand names many times prescribe low payouts to affiliates, since they are so
well known. You might be better off with an aggressive competitor that really values
you.

19. Bonus Answer:
Find Affiliate Managers you trust! Find affiliate managers that promptly answer your
questions and respond to your needs, such as getting you paid promptly. Building
these relationships will enable you to more quickly determine if the affiliate program
fits you.

21. If you’d love to get unlimited, targeted traffic to your offers, check out this
FREE affiliate webinar, held by one of the most reputable super affiliates in
the industry!
HERE