These larger media companies recognize that advertisers want an online presence, but that doesn't mean advertisers are only looking at the "big guys" to get the word out about their products and services. Many also turn to affiliate advertising programs to increase their revenue.

This little fact makes it possible for almost anyone with a website to turn it into a moneymaker. Plugging into this moneymaking opportunity is fairly easy thanks to affiliate website marketing programs.

Learning how to take advantage of this fast-growing trend will take a little study, but it is quite feasible for almost anyone to create a successful affiliate website. Understanding affiliate programs first, however, is a very good idea.

Affiliate programs are nothing more than advertising promotions that are put on individual websites. Oftentimes, these programs are designed to help the "little guys" make money. Some affiliate marketing programs are available for very small websites and even blogs. Advertisers pay either for A.) space on a person's web site for an ad, B.) for click through on those ads, or C.) for sales that result from the click through. Sometimes the payouts will be determined by a combination of the three or all three.

To create a successful affiliate website, a person needs to do a few things:

1. Have a website. It is not possible to make money on affiliate advertising without first having a website to place the ads on. Sites don't have to be fancy, but they do need to be approved by affiliate program companies in many cases.

2. Obtain approval. Anyone who wants to create online affiliate program websites needs to have some programs in mind. The kinds of advertising affiliate program choices range from animal care product companies to medical equipment and beyond. To join affiliate network promotions, most network sites require a site be set up first so they can review it before approving or denying a request. When joining an individual affiliate program no prior approval usually takes place.

3. Gain traffic. The key in making any affiliate site successful is to have traffic actually visit that site. Many people take full advantage of affiliate opportunity offers presented them by tailoring sites to fit the niche of the advertising. For example, a site owner that signs on to join an affiliate sales program for dog food might create a site about dog obedience, breeds and even care. The content on the site will completely revolve around the affiliate marketing niche.

4. Gain ranking. One way to increase traffic on an affiliate site is to increase ranking with the search engines. This means web sites need to be submitted to search engines and they will also need to have content that is relevant and fresh to earn ranking. The importance here is to have search engines point to a particular site when someone is looking for information. For example, if the dog site owner is diligent about updating his site, its ranking on a search engine might put it above others, which in turn can increase referrals and traffic.

5. Convert traffic. Since many affiliate programs only pay out if traffic clicks through on their ads and even only if a product is purchased, making sure content is designed to convert traffic without hard selling is important. The name of the game here is enticing, engaging content that compliments the affiliate ads.

Anyone with a little time and some creativity can create a successful affiliate website. The trick is to slowly build up to become an "authority" on a topic or at least a popular port of call in the vast world that is the Internet.