Google Advertising Tools, 2nd Edition

Working with an Affiliate Program

Generally, there are three affiliate marketing situations you may get involved with as a web content publisher:

• The affiliate program is managed by an affiliate aggregator (see next).

• An extremely well-known entity offers a broad and well-thought-out affiliate program. The Amazon.com Associate Program is probably the best example, as explained in The Amazon.com Associate Program; both AllPosters.com and B&H Photo, mentioned earlier in this chapter, are very well-known and successful businesses with affiliate marketing programs.

• A vendor with a limited line of products or services starts its own affiliate marketing program (see Ad Hoc Affiliation).

Benefits of Affiliate Aggregators

Major affiliate aggregators provide the following benefits to web publishers:

• The publisher can use “one-stop shopping” to work with many different merchants.

• There’s only one software interface to learn.

• Reporting and commission payments are consolidated.

• A third party (the aggregator) provides consistent tracking software and provides some recourse in case of disputes over sales.

Of course, from the viewpoint of the merchant, there are some major benefits as well; primarily:

• Off-loading the complex business of tracking and reporting the numerous transactions to accurately pay sales commissions

• Being able to attract more affiliate sites through the site of the aggregator

Note

Don’t forget: affiliate aggregators are paid by merchants, not publishers. They exist to provide a service ...