Affiliate marketing is a popular and cutting-edge home business that's growing every day. Affiliate marketers promote web-based goods or services that aren't theirs. The Internet business you are promoting will pay you a commission for every time a visitor clicks through your site to theirs, or pay-per-click; every time someone gives them contact information through you, or pay-per-lead; or for every sale made through you, or pay-per-sale. It can be a great deal for both the Internet business and the affiliate marketer: the Internet business doesn't have to pay until it gets results, and the marketer can make very lucrative commissions.

That said, not everyone succeeds at affiliate marketing. If you're considering getting into the business, here are a few basic tips that will help you succeed.

Pick a product you can stand behind. If you aren't confident about the product you've chosen to market, don't try to fake it. Potential customers won't believe in your product if you don't endorse it whole-heartedly, and you won't if you don't sincerely believe in it. So shop around. Don't be afraid to order sample products from a variety of websites. Contact the Internet business, explain that you're considering becoming an affiliate for them, and that you'd like to try their product out. Most businesses should be glad to send you a free sample.

Ask the right questions. What's the Internet business's conversion rate? Are there any costs to join? (There usually shouldn't be). Do they pay per click, per lead, per sale, or a combination? How do they track your referrals, and can you track them through their site as well? What's their payment schedule? Do they offer advertising tools to help you get started? Why should you become an affiliate of theirs? Don't be shy about asking detailed questions of affiliate programs, and be picky-if they can't answer your questions in as much detail as you need, move on.

Build a website search engines love. The success of your affiliate marketing website depends on traffic. Search engines tend to love websites that have a lot of relevant content, a lot of websites linking to them, and that generate a fair amount of traffic already. The content on your website is especially important. You'll need at least one article for every high-volume keyword relevant to your site. But be careful-don't just throw content together for the sake of the search engines, or your readers won't stick around to click on those high-paying affiliate links. Make sure you include keywords, but write for people.

Become an online author. To get the word out about your website, it helps to position yourself as an expert in your field. Write articles about topics in your industry that your readers will be interested in, and post them in article banks and other online publications. Make sure you include a link back to your website-it will get your link count up and make your site more attractive to search engines.

Use autoresponders. When someone emails your site, have an autoresponder system set up to send them tidbits of interest-a coupon, a list of FAQ's, an offer for a free report-that will get them coming back to your site.

Collect email addresses. The best way to do this is through sign-ups for an online newsletter or e-zine. Don't collect email addresses that customers haven't given you express permission to use-this can be construed as spam and could ruin your reputation online. You can also offer freebies in exchange for email addresses, including discounts, giveaways, and entry into a contest drawing.

Don't sell-pre-sell. This is one of the more important elements to running a successful affiliate marketing website. Your job as an affiliate marketer is not to post hard-sell salesletters pushing your affiliate product. The Internet business you're marketing for will have a salesletter like that on their own site, which the prospect will see after clicking on their link from your site. Instead, craft a website that caters to the interests of people likely to buy the product. Include informative articles, a discussion forum, blogs and podcasts, and changing content on the topic. You can always write an article recommending the product you are marketing, but don't focus your entire website on the product. Instead, make it a hot destination for people who are likely to click through and buy it.

Affiliate marketing can be a very rewarding and lucrative home business. But it's not for those who want an easy job. A successful affiliate marketing business is a full-time job, at least at first-but if you follow these simple tips, it's likely to be worth it in the end.