What is an Affiliate Program?

Simply put, an affiliate program is an arrangement where an online merchant website (called an "advertiser"), like SamAsh.com, pays affiliate websites (called a "publisher") a commission to send them traffic. These affiliate websites post links to the merchant site and are paid according to a particular agreement. This agreement is usually based on a percentage of the sales generated from the traffic the affiliate site sends the merchant. Recruiting affiliates is an excellent way to sell products online, but it can also be an effective marketing strategy; it's a good way to get the word out about your site.

The affiliate directs traffic to the merchant site through the use of banners and other advertising. The merchant site tracks the source of the traffic as well as the revenue it generates and then pays the affiliate site according to their agreement. Most affiliate programs pay their affiliates once per month. The commission an affiliate earns depends on the agreement with the merchant. Some programs, like the SamAsh.com Affiliate Program, pay a sliding-scale of commissions - the more traffic you send to us, the higher your commission rate. Affiliate programs are almost always non-exclusive meaning a single merchant can have many affiliate websites feeding them traffic. To compete in this kind of environment, the affiliate website usually targets a niche market. For example, while SamAsh.com sells products to a very wide range of musicians, an affiliate website might choose to focus exclusively on orchestral instruments and the musicians that play them.

Most web merchants who have affiliate programs administer them through an affiliate marketing partner. The partner maintains statistics on site traffic and revenue generated by the merchant's affiliates and distributes the commissions. Affiliate marketing partners also insure that the commissions are attributed accurately, so having a reputable and experienced partner is very important. The SamAsh.com affiliate marketing partner is LinkShare - they are one of the largest and most respected affiliate marketing companies in the world and manage the programs of many high-profile and successful merchants.