If you have been trying to find a way to make money online for a while, you probably have heard of affiliate programs once or twice. Affiliate programs also known as "associate programs" or "publisher programs" are a big part of any online business. Most successful online retailers owe a part of their huge success to their affiliate programs and affiliate marketers registered under those programs. You can also use affiliate programs to make money online. To do that, you have to understand it. Here is a simple explanation of how affiliate programs work:
You decide to build a website for your own business, or to promote different products and services. You find products and services you want to promote, and sign up with their affiliate programs. You will be given a special link or banner that you can place on your website. Then you start to promote your website in order to drive traffic to it. Visitors start coming to your site. A visitors who has been looking for more information about the product you are promoting, decides to click on that link or banner and buys the product. He clicks through to the product manufacturer's website and makes a purchase. That purchase will earn you a commission.
That's the whole idea behind affiliate programs. It helps retailers and manufactures increase theirs sales, and it allows you as an affiliate to make money every time someone purchase something using links or banner on your website.
Today, almost all online retailers and companies have affiliate programs. Affiliate programs cater to all kind of businesses. As an affiliate marketer, you may earn as much as over $1 million per year or as less as $2 a month. The amount of money you make is directly linked to your hard work and efforts in promoting your website and driving targeted traffic to it. Obviously, the more you promote your website, the more visitors will come to your website. And more visitors means more buyers, which ultimately means more money for you.
In a nutshell, affiliate marketers are the middle man of online business. As an affiliate marketer you direct potential costumers to the merchants website in exchange for a commission.  And that is a great way for making money online.