Those of us who have taken the steps to get setup in affiliate marketing are always looking for easy and more powerful ways to increase our affiliate commissions

There are some very easy, solid ways to ensure a raise in commission. The ideas might take a little work, but the rewards can be rather amazing.

Some of the best proven methods for increasing affiliate marketing returns include:

1. Advertise your site through Google Adwords. You can send more targeted traffic to your site within minutes using Google adwords. More traffic = More Sales. Choose your ad groups carefully and match your keywords to the text of your ad. You obviously want to gain more cash through your affiliate earnings than you are paying out for ad exposure.

2. Create an eBook to give away for free. Your ebook should be full of useful information - Something that the reader is going to want to pass on. The main purpose of this is to spread your affiliate links which you will of course have inserted into your free ebook.

3. Create an affiliate directory of all the programs you belong to and advertise it on your site and elsewhere.

4. Design your own affiliate ads. If it is possible to do so, design your own creative, this can help your site and its ads stand out from the competition. Affiliate programs will usually give you banner and buttons to use. If the program is very popular then it may be a good idea to use something different than what all the other affiliates are using.

5. Personally endorse your affiliate products. This is a powerful way to increase your affiliate conversions. A text link to your affiliate products from your site is good but to personally recommend or review a product on your web pages will significantly increase interest and overall sales.

6. Make use of web rings. Get in touch with owners of other sites that offer similar information or services and advertise yourself on their sites and allow them to do the same on yours.

7. Post on forums. Find discussion boards that deal with the topic of your affiliate ad programs. Make sure your comments are appropriate and use your site address each post or your affiliate text.

8. Give viewers of your site something special. Create an ezine or a Web course that's relevant to the product or services and advertise this to draw people in. Give the product to those who click through the affiliate marketing ads or to those who actually buy the products. Sending out a regular newsletter can be a great avenue for getting your offers in front of eager buyers.

9. Create a blog. This form of Internet communication has become very hot. Using a blog format to discuss the topic at hand can help draw in traffic. Just make sure the blog is embedded into the main web site or is linked to from it.

10. Be selective on affiliate programs. If your site is tailored to a specific niche, join affiliate programs that fit that market. If certain programs are not paying off and you've tried your best, get rid of them and join others. Don't spin your wheels on affiliate programs that just don't meet the grade.

Certainly follow the steps above but above all else test and track everything you are doing. If you are not seeing results within a set period, it's time to move on. There is money to be made and many strategies work - don't waste your time though on useless and non-productive pursuits.