You want to have success as an affiliate marketer, but you are just overwhelmed with doubts if you are aligning yourself with reputable affiliate programs. The last thing you want to do is give yourself a bad name by getting involved with a scam. It's critical you are able to pick quality ecommerce affiliate programs that will work for you.

Probably the very best thing to do when searching for reputable affiliate programs is to start doing some research and ask many questions to make sure it's your best fit. Get answers, because this will determine weather or not you will join.

So what questions do you ask in finding reputable affiliate programs?

Is it going to cost you anything to sign up as an affiliate?

NOTHING. That's correct, most reputable affiliate programs are absolutely free to join. Don't get sucked into paying any fee when there are so many free to join affiliate programs.

When am I going to get paid?

Reputable affiliate programs usually pay monthly or every two weeks. With all the choices you have, don't market ecommerce affiliate program that pay you quarterly or even longer.

My feeling is that this merchant really doesn't have the interest of their affiliates in mind. This same attitude will probably show up in other areas of their online affiliate programs. They are where they're at because of the efforts of their affiliates and if they don't recognize that, then stay away.

What are their conversion rates?

All the reputable affiliate programs have high conversion rates. Why is this? Because for one, they have great products and two, they have a superior sales page that has been written and tested to convert.

When you think you want to join an affiliate program, I suggest you go to their sales page and read it from beginning to end.

1-Make sure it has a compelling headline. Does it capture your interest and cause you to want to read more.

2- Does it push your emotional buttons?

3-Is the sales page filled with an ample amount of testimonials that give you confidence that the product will deliver on its promise?

4-Do they have a simple order process and an iron clad guarantee?

5- Do you feel like you want to order it right away, because it will be exactly what you need?

If you can answer yes to these questions, then you can feel good that others will react to the offer in the same way. Remember, you only have the job of driving traffic to the sales page and then it is up to the merchant to do their job and close the sale with a powerful offer.

What's their tracking system like?

Reputable affiliate programs have solid tracking systems, so you will be rewarded for the sale. I'm not going to get into the details of how tracking works, but just to say that most visitors aren't going to buy on the first visit, but will most likely come back at a later time to purchase the item.

Reputable affiliate programs have a system in place that will assure that you get credit for the sale. Make sure you know how they track your referrals.

Have they set up a statistics page you can go to to view your affiliate information?

Top affiliate programs have a site where you can track your stats 24/7. Stats like impressions, hits and sales are important to view, so you can see how your own marketing efforts are going.

Reputable affiliate programs have a solid company and quality products. Do the research and make sure you are dealing with an honest and upfront online retailer. There are many scam artists out there that appear to be reputable, so be aware and do your homework, so you don't get burned.

What's the affiliate pay structure? one tier or two tier?

Reputable affiliate programs could offer one of these two plans based on what they are selling. In a one tier model you get paid for the one time sell only.

A two tier system will pay you for the one time business and will also pay you a longstanding commission for sales made by other affiliates that you personally referred into the program. Some programs will even pay you a small extra bonus for getting other people into the program. It's like a fee for a recruitment.

And finally, reputable affiliate programs will pay you a fair commission for your hard work. You can figure that a commission between 40-70% is what you should be shooting for in your business. But with that said, if you feel you are being paid a fair percentage, and they are a great merchant,then join with them.

In summary, reputable affiliate programs are all over the web. With the right information and research you will avoid the scams and be able to market the products that will build your successful affiliate business.