There are many ways to get better web site ROI. There is direct advertising, e-commerce, and PPC, and affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is a great way to get better web site ROI. But, you need to be sure of what to avoid. There is no point making mistakes others have already made.
Quick tip for Affiliate Marketing.
Merchants/sponsor need to be 100% disposable/interchangable, always. If you are in a situation where this is not the case, be sure you don't get in too deep. Focus on areas where you know there are several merchants/sponsors willing to take your business.
Affiliates and Merchants/Sponsors Relationship.
To be honest, it is not good hearing from merchants/sponsors. Only if it is about bonuses do you want to hear from them. If they are taking up your time, it better be worthwhile.
NEVER deal with any merchant thinking about telling you to change your sites. This is extreme, but there are always others looking for sales.
First steps.
Being successful, with affiliate marketing,is easier now than ever (not saying it was ever easy). Once you figure out ways to make money marketing on the web, it almost becomes second nature.
Affiliate marketing is a skill. However, it doesn't take overwhelming intelligence, or even determination. What is more important is the willingness to take chances and experiment with different formulas.
Lessons learned to avoid failure.
You probably are NOT going to get rich doing the following:
promoting any program from certain merchants/sponsors;
Some programs do not pay. Despite the payout, conversions, or traffic, the program is not well-managed.
using adwords for low EPC (i.e. earnings-per-click) products;
$.05 bids are soon to be gone.
using "straight" datafeeds;
These websites (web sites) are called aggregators. There needs to be some unique reason to visit a website, besides using other people's content.
serving banners for CPM (i.e. cost per thousand);
This is a great way to devalue valuable (and expensive) traffic.
promoting any "secrets to success" stuff;
If someone is looking for a quick fix, they are probably not likely to become a repeat visitor.
finding the most competitive industries and bidding $10 per click;
Some problems (like catching up in an overcrowded market) are not solved by throwing money at it.
email marketing;
This is SPAM. No one likes it. It takes a lot of time, money, and energy. It has very low response rates.
recruiting 2nd tier;
Being an affiliate is being a middle-man. Why put another middle-man in the process?
spamming forums;
This actually is effective, if done discretely. However, if you are going to every forum posting all the time, it is going to create a bad reputation and animosity toward your website.
exclusively using the "networks";
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
trying to capitalize on notoriously bad areas of traffic;
Avoid areas like free games, free software, and forums.
using banners to generate leads or sales;
Have you heard of "banner blindness"?
spending ZERO dollars;
It takes money to make money.
worrying about competition; and,
Don't chase the competition. It means you are never in the lead.
looking for the "secret".
There is no "secret". You are going to have to work.
Lessons learned to improve chances for success.
These are ways to be successful:
learn SEO;
maximize positioning on adwords while minimizing CPC;
outsource time-consuming work for cheap;
promote hundreds of offerings;
buy good domains;
Do this when the money starts coming. Then, develop them.
buy existing sites in your area;
find private label deals; and,
develop relationships with those in your industry.
Conclusion.
There is no one way to be successful on the web. It is rarely a straight path. You have to find what works for you. Hopefully, you now have a good foundation for improving your chances of success with affiliate marketing.