What is an Affiliate Program

In its simplest form. affiliate programs are a simple agreement between a company and another website, whereby the company will pay the website a fee every time they refer someone who buys a product.

The size of the fee is outlined in the terms of the affiliate program offered and is usually either a fixed fee, or a percentage of the total sale.

One tier / Single tier Affiliate Programs

These are the most basic type of affiliate program and lack some of the extra incentives that a two tier system has to offer.

Probably the most popular of these programs is the Amazon Associates program. I use this program myself, but only as a sideline to my main affiliate products.

I will be discussing in this section when, where and why they are useful. I will also be telling you why I think you should focus more of your efforts on two tier affiliate programs.

Single tier affiliate programs are the type that pay out when you refer someone to the parent site which results in a sale.