Marketing on the Internet

3. Affiliate Schemes

An affiliate scheme rewards websites which send you new business.

3.1 Your affiliates will be anyone else who runs a website.

• This can include your existing customers, shopping comparison sites, bloggers and more.
• Your affiliates place links to your site on theirs.
• Each time somebody clicks the link to your site and buys something, the affiliate earns a commission.
• Commission levels vary, but are generally a percentage of the order value.

3.2 Benefits of an affiliate scheme include:

• You only pay when you make a sale, so your return is guaranteed.
• The additional links to your website can improve your search engine ranking.

3.3 You can run an affiliate scheme through an affiliate network.

• Using a network means you do not have to develop your own affiliate system. This usually the easiest way to start an affiliate programme.
• A network can track sales and commissions for you.
• Affiliate networks include TradeDoubler and Commission Junction.

3.4 Some affiliate programmes may be targeted by fraudsters.

• Ensure you have some way of tracking unusual activity. For example, have you made a large number of sales through a particular affiliate?
• Affiliate networks usually have checks in place to protect against fraud.