Affiliate marketing is a web-based marketing strategy where an online merchant gives a small amount of money to a website it’s affiliated with for each unique visitor they attract to the business because of the affiliate marketing practice.

While a good number of e-tailers fail to see affiliate marketing as a viable marketing practice, affiliates are more often than not part of a merchant’s online marketing program.  The fact is, a great many merchants prefer this marketing method due to the fact that they only pay marketers if they themselves get paid.  Also, affiliate marketing can enhance the other more tested online marketing methods such as SEO, e-mail marketing and paid search.

Arguably, affiliate marketing has a greater impact when used alongside other internet marketing methods including: SEO, PPC Marketing and social networking.  Websites using Web 2.0 practices, including blogging, user communities and RSS feeds have integrated affiliate marketing methods with great success as well.

The structure of affiliate marketing networks varies.  Most are one-tier and pay affiliates commission based on a hierarchy of partners and sub-partners.  Some employ two-tier programs, but this is rare  Not to be confused with multi-level marketing (MLM) or network marketing programs which have more requirements in order to get paid a commission, affiliate marketing programs have few requirements for involvement.

As far as affiliate compensation, cost per sale (CPS) is the most favored method.  CPS works this way: if a customer clicks on a link to the merchant at the affiliate’s site and subsequently purchases goods or services from the merchant, the affiliate marketer is paid.  Cost per mile are previously used compensation methods that have become virtually extinct in affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing is regulated internally by the marketplace and its most successful entrepreneurs.  Much like the early days of the internet or of civilization itself, affiliate marketers often operate as rogue and singular practitioners which could be the main reason why there still is no real standard operating procedure for affiliate marketers.

As a conclusion, affiliate marketing is still a great way for anyone who is interested in making money online. I personally know many successful marketers who are affiliates so there is no reason why you cannot do it.

Affiliate Marketers often use tools associated with Article Marketing because Unique Articles can drive massive amounts of visitors to the affiliates review websites.