The newbie affiliate marketer can be dazzled by wild claims of success within weeks, days or even hours. These claims of quick success cannot be dismissed as impossible but they can be regarded as highly unlikely. If someone already has a successful website selling their own products then they could add an affiliate link selling similar products to their site. This is only a fantasy for the average affiliate marketer who does not already have a successful website with lots of traffic and a list of loyal customers.

First of all you would be wise to ignore any claim that promises you success without needing a website. Once again it is possible to achieve success without a website but in the long term your own website provides you with a lot more promotional options. It also gives you credibility and if you build your site correctly, you will get good traffic from the search engines. This is the best free method of all but you need to be patient because it takes time.

Resist the temptation to use a replica website provided by a merchant as the only site you promote. The search engines will regard your site as duplicate content and you will not be ranked highly. If the merchant can offer you a ready made website that allows you to choose your own unique domain, constantly add and update your own unique pages and content, then it is worth considering. You will need to research to ensure that you can make enough ongoing changes so that the search engines will regard your site as unique and always fresh.

If you are building your own website, do not choose only one product or merchant to promote. There could be a time when that product is suddenly taken out of the market or the merchant shuts down their website. If you have worked hard to build up lots of traffic then it is wasted for each day that you are looking for another product. Choose a number of products or merchants that are complimentary.

Avoid going too far by cluttering your website with too many banners or affiliate links. Internet surfers are getting weary of websites that are simply wall to wall ads. Choose the merchants you want to promote carefully, making sure they are reputable and offer good value for money. Your goal should be to build up a list of satisfied customers who have purchased from you and are willing to purchase from you again.

A large majority of affiliate marketers will fail to earn a substantial income from their business. If you can get a true confession out of those who succeeded, you will most likely hear that it took time and a lot of hard work to achieve success. Like any worth while business, it takes perseverance and patience for lasting success. The reality is that those who fail are those who quit.

Affiliate marketing is not rocket science. Anyone who has the ability to embark on an affiliate marketing business has the ability to persist. The internet can provide free or low cost information on all you need to know to succeed so there is no excuse. The costs of an affiliate business can be kept lower than just about any other business so that all that is needed is your determination to put in the time required to succeed.